Five Minute Friday: Present

12
Jul

Today’s word prompt is “present” and at first I wondered which syllable was stressed. Either version of the word would make a good prompt. In the spirit of freedom that Five Minute Friday is all about, I’m not going to worry about which version Lisa-jo Baker meant (and I’ve found I can’t read other people’s posts until after I’ve finished mine) and see this quote from this week’s post as the indicator of which she intended: “Writing is like wrapping yourself in words and giving yourself away.”

Allow me to offer a quick explanation about Five Minute Friday. Lisa-jo Baker organizes it on her website (http://lisajobaker.com) and the goal is to write uninhibited for five minutes. Then you link your post and visit other blogs who participated. It has been a lot of fun and I’ve found some really cool people and blogs through it. Stay tuned to see the outcome of today’s attempt.

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: English: Necklace made from crochet lace, pearls, and sterling silver. Original design. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Set the timer.

Get ready, set,

GO!

I ran my hands over the black velvet box. It was wide and for a moment I had a flash of that Pretty Woman scene when the guy snaps her fingers with the mouth of the box. But this was nothing like that situation. My sweet husband was giving me this box for our anniversary. He bought it for me specifically, and it was not something that would have to be returned at the end of a week.

When I opened it, I thought he had made a mistake.

What lay inside was a delicate chocker necklace of gold and pearls, the gold gently cradled the pearls, as if they were suspended and balanced just right on a tiny stem of a flower.

“Doesn’t he know me at all? I would never pick this out for myself?”

I gravitate towards chunky, wooden jewelry. Some of it even looks like it was made in a preschool class because of the colors (and possible use of dry macaroni)

He bought me a necklace that revealed how he saw me.

Beautiful.

Strong.

Feminine.

Someone who could pull off wearing a fancy dress and heels just as easily as running shoes and a tank top.

While this necklace was never destined to become my “everyday” jewelry, it is a meaningful reminder of how the love of my life views me, what he thinks I deserve, and that he sees the date-night fancy dress version of me even while I’m rocking the ponytail and dirty feet.

STOP

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What have you done when you received a gift you didn’t think was right for you? How do you express love to the people around you (giving gifts is just one way)?

For any Five Minute Friday visitors, did you go this direction with your post? Feel free to post a link in the comments because I’d love to visit your blog. Have a wonderful day!

Five Minute Friday: In-Between

29
Jun

Today’s post is part of a larger link up with Lisa-Jo Baker. She organizes Five Minute Friday. Anyone can participate, and you can find more details here: http://lisajobaker.com The idea is to write without censoring ourselves, nitpicking details or worrying about every little nuance. Turn off the perfectionism and release yourself to write for the pure pleasure of it using the word prompt she supplies each week. I personally invite you to give it a try — it’s a great way to find other interesting blogs and it is amazing how many different angles there can be from one word.

Word Prompt: In-Between

Ready. Set. GO.

I hate being in-between. I’ve felt in-between so many times in so many situations over the years that I’ve come to dread it.

In-between jobs, in-between life stages, in transition, inconvenient, insecure.

As a kid, I was in-between a lot. My dad was a pastor and I often felt stretched thin. There was the desire to shrug off the expectations of my family and of my faith, and just do what everyone else was doing. But when I tried that route, I didn’t fit where I thought others did, feeling instead guilt and self-consciousness at my discomfort in situations I knew were dicey. I couldn’t just shut down my conscience and roll with it.

Now that I’m adult, I feel in-between again. My husband and I chose to have me stay at home with the kids while they were little. I was 100% onboard. Now my youngest is getting ready to start kindergarten in the fall, and this opens up possibilities…

…or uncertainty.

You know, whichever you prefer.

The part of me that decided to stay home wants that availability for my children, wants the convenience of doing errands while the rest of the world is hard at work, wants to be the volunteer at the field trip, program or other kid activity.

The part of me that desires to do something other than take care of the kids, husband and home, that part of me is conflicted because, having been home for more than eight years, I feel like I’m back at the beginning again. Starting over. Any experience or education I had seems antiquated and obsolete. How does one start up an engine that has been sitting in the back 40 collecting rust?

artist in turkey (Photo credit: Maria & Michal P.)

There are gazillions of women like me, I don’t think for one second I’m alone in this, but it is hard to know where to begin again. The in-between feels so much like being set back, like restarting the life I had previously, before children, instead of being a new adventure.

I think that if I can tutor myself, tell myself those things I would tell my kids about attitude, new beginnings and taking chances, this in-between might be more comfortable, more positive, a year full of possibilities and rediscovering passions. And maybe in the midst of starting a new stage of our lives together as a family, we will all come to appreciate each other and who we all are as developing individuals, even their mom.

STOP

What do you think about your life station? What are you in-between right now? How do you deal stay positive during life transitions?

Five Minute Friday: Rhythm

21
Jun

Today’s post is part of Five Minute Friday. Lisa-jo Baker gives us a word prompt, we set the timer for five minutes, and write. Let go of perfectionism and overthinking, and just write. You can jump in too — check out the website: http://lisajobaker.com

Today’s word: Rhythm

Summer takes on a different rhythm.

Kids stay in their jammies until lunch.

Dishes can wait.

From http://mrg.bz/L5RyFF

Drop everything for a last minute trip to the park to meet friends.

Going to an activity at 9:00am, even one they want to do, feels like the crack of dawn instead of being an hour later than the bus’s arrival during the school year.

Getting anywhere on time seems more difficult because we’re all in slow motion.

But this is the rhythm that allows us to blow bubbles on the front porch,

Read one more story,

Repair the fort made of sheets and cushions,

And snuggle a few minutes more.

It’s a slower pace that lets us spend our time together and everyone gets their moment.

STOP

What changes for your family during summertime? How do you balance down time versus planned activities?

Five Minute Friday: Rhythm (aftertheecstasythelaundry.wordpress.com)

Five Minute Friday: Listen

14
Jun

http://mrg.bz/ZLEB05

Word prompt is “listen” so GET READY. GET SET. GO.

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Wind chimes.

Breeze through the tops of pine trees.

The call of a cardinal. robin, warbler, finch.

These take time to hear. They are hard to hear if we’re focused on the louder noises around us – cars, radio, TV, yelling children.

At a park I sat with a group of adults who talked and talked while the kids played. Suddenly a bird song, clear and sweet, from the bushes behind us. Not one person stopped their conversation. Not one person even twitched to indicate they heard the joyful, wild song. They heard what they focused on – the conversation around them. This is a good thing, but how often do we miss the quieter sounds because we’re too busy making our own noise?

As a noisy person, someone who sings, hums, whistles and slams things (not even on purpose), it is a learned skill to turn down my volume for a few minutes and pay attention to the quieter things. I’m glad when I do. But how much do I miss because these are occasional moments rather than ones of habit?

I have to think this reflects the way God talks to us. When Elijah wanted to see God’s glory, God put him in the cleft of a mountain and passed by Elijah not in an earthquake, fire, or wind storm but in a gentle whisper. (I Kings 9:11-13).

A gentle whisper.

And if we’re not listening, we might miss it.

STOP

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Do you have an easy or hard time with quiet, and why do you think that is? Have you experienced times when you’ve heard God’s voice, and if so, would you please tell us about it? And as always, thank you so much for stopping by!

This is part of a fun link up with Lisa-Jo Baker (lisajobaker.com). Set the timer for five minutes and write on a given word prompt. Then add your link to the list and check out all the other people who have done the same thing. The different takes on the prompts are amazing, and it is a great place to find encouragement.

Five Minute Friday: Fall

7
Jun

This is after it’s been tidied. Scary.

There are tumbleweeds of dog fur in the corner next to the buffet, the surface of which is covered in papers, pencil boxes and mail, rendering the buffet virtually undetectable.

There is an un-emptied suitcase at the foot of our bed from a trip taken three weeks ago. It’s not that I don’t need the clothes that might be in the suitcase, it’s that I’ve worn the same jeans every day this week, and that makes for a much lighter laundry load.

The children are required to make a path through their rooms from the door to their beds so I don’t trip on stuff, should they need me in the middle of the night. But as for putting away these items, it hasn’t happened lately.

My oldest son was supposed to have a friend over but I forgot to call the parent and solidify details. The gift we bought for our favorite teacher is still sitting on my kitchen counter — school was done last week.

If you wash the rugs in the bathroom, it makes it look like you have probably washed the actual floor.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67774014@N00/7438145050

Why do I get bothered by these and other things I see as indicators of my own shortcomings?

Why do I expect certain things from myself that I wouldn’t expect from any one else?

In reverse, I make excuses for the things I have done. I made scones for a friend’s visit this week. She complimented them and I downplayed it. Even though it has been raining and generally icky outside, I have managed to split hostas, remove grass and replant or pot up at least 20 plants. But it doesn’t seem like a drop in the bucket compared to the other things on my list, so I decide that effort doesn’t count.What if we all, specifically all of us women and/or mothers, decided to cut ourselves some slack? What if we admitted that we don’t have to have it all figured out every moment of every day? What if we stopped expecting perfection from ourselves?

If that happened, I think we would start to realize no one expected it from us, that it was self-imposed.

And besides, no one was buying the image of perfection we thought we projected.

Let’s allow the façade to fall away and reveal the real imperfect us – quirky, overwhelmed, loving, strong, flawed, fully-human us. And we are amazing. We are beautiful.

This post is part of a link up with Lisa-jo Baker and Five Minute Friday. Check out all the details here: http://lisajobaker.com/ It is open to anyone. Come shake yourself out of the shackles of self-critique and write for the sheer pleasure of it. Today’s word prompt was Fall.

I’m loving these Five Minute Fridays. Each week, Lisa-Jo Baker (http://lisajobaker.com) chooses a word prompt and people write unedited for five minutes flat. The idea is for me to get out of my own way and just write without the burden of perfection. It’s been fun to meet other bloggers and see the different ways people go with the prompt. Anyone can be a part of the action, so maybe you want to try and link up sometime soon?

Five Minute Friday

Courage (Photo credit: Pete Reed)

Prompt: Brave

One of my friends, a curly-haired henna head, is a gifted artist and performer. She says and does things that other people would never dream of doing. For her, it is no big deal to get in front of people and say outrageous things that are both hilarious and inappropriate (maybe that’s why they are so funny?).

Another friend is quiet and reserved. She serves behind the scenes and avoids any extra attention. She’s thoughtful and considerate.

What might send my one friend thrills of excitement would send my other friend to the bathroom with dry heaves.

Here is a good general principle I’ve found: what is a brave step for one person is easily accomplished before breakfast for someone else. Courage comes when you push past fear to do the thing that scares you.

Putting the pen to paper may be a huge step of bravery for one person.

Saying aloud the question they’ve had in their minds may be that step for someone else.

Just opening a search for a new job may be a huge act of faith, regardless of whether an interview is ever secured.

For me, today, my act of bravery is to say aloud that as a Christian, I do not have all the answers. I’m starting to think that the Bible might not have something literal to say about every single aspect of the nuances of modern life.

I do not feel comfortable with the representation the loudest voices are making on my behalf.

I’m tired of hearing about “speaking the truth in love” to people with whom there is no relationship, which would give the slightest responsibility to speak that truth.

I’m tired of the Church being a force of marginalization, polarization and alienation.

I want to be a source of absurd grace, which I truly see in the example of Jesus. So why does it feel like an act of bravery to say that out loud? Maybe it is because the Church only lets grace apply to certain areas of life and not others. Maybe there is an unspoken understanding that there really is a hierarchy of sins, and that some acts are worse than others. So your act of homosexuality, abortion or being a female leader takes up more of the apparently exhaustible bounty of Christ’s grace than my selfishness, envy or gossip. Don’t bogart the grace, man. Is that really what we believe? Cause that’s what it looks like. God’s love is not a limited commodity.

Whew. Well, that came out of nowhere! Thanks for letting me share from the heart. Apparently this is what happens when I silence my inner editor/censor. Putting this out into the world really does scare me, but I am being brave today, hoping we can start a respectful conversation.

What is your reaction to this post? Do you have opinions or feelings about “absurd grace” or the idea of a hierarchy of sins? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences. And as always, thanks for reading!