Unknown-five Minute Friday's December 18th posting

Ok, I am over a week late on this one, but could not decide what my one word prompt should be. After letting it stew for the past week or so, I decided on the above- "Unknown" because so much of life is unknown and what are we to do? I hope this encourages someone that there is Someone who knows more than you or I do.

Unknown

we don't know what to expect 

tomorrow is never foretold or guaranteed

it can be filled with pleasure or pain

it can be an end or a new beginning

if we knew, the mystery would disappear

anticipation and hope would be gone

we can only hope for what we do not see

and so we face the great unknown

unknown to all, but a King of Kings

who conceals it in His hands

we cannot fathom or imagine 

living where all is clear as can be

we are surrounded by too many clouds 

the King will guide us into an unknown destiny

here or there or anywhere

STOP

To see what others came up with last week, check out www.katemotaung.com

Reflect Five Minute Friday

the moon, a mirror

a friend, yourself

the act of showing

and telling again

showing another

or realizing oneself

more details clearly seen

something new or

different we absorb

we realize, we pause

we sleep on it and

then we decide

the process produces

life that is brighter

and fresher

makes more sense when

we take time to reflect

STOP

See what others have to say at www.katemotaung.com

Season-Five Minute Friday

New seasons come and go

Some last longer than others

It can be the bursting forth

of new life and cool breezes

to awaken our souls and

call us to come outside

venture deeper and deeper

to explore more, or

the biting winds of winter

frosted over windows and

wood stoves to call us inside

The heat of summer and warm,

washing, water falling from heaven

or the dance of leaves in the fall

No matter what season

it sends us forward to forage

for what we need to live, but

also so we can thrive

Seasons change, but so do

you and I

STOP!

Check out Five Minute Friday to see what season others are in at www.katemotaung.com

Table- Five Minute Friday

The stories one can tell

The places it's been

The food and hearts it's held

when gathered around it

If only wood could talk

What would the wood say in your home?

Another time of feasting and strife?

Laden with delicacies galore?

Another day covered with books and

papers put off till a rainy day?

Or................

An emptiness, a longing for many to gather

round to share the joys and sorrows they have?

Day after day is it merely a piece of furniture,

collecting dust?  What would the wood say

if wood could talk today?

STOP!

Check out Kate's site to see what others have gathered around our online table to write.

www.katemotaung.com

Dwell- Five Minute Friday

I keep company

I make it comfy

I remain in it

I don't venture far


Melancholic when I'm alone

Vibrant when I share this home

Dwell, dwell with me in this place

So that it's enlarged

Dwell, dwell with me in this space

STOP

To see what brews where others dwell, check out www.katemotaung.com

Weary-FMF

Weary, weary soul

Traveled far and long

Roads gone up

Roads gone down

Sometimes circled round

Weary, weary soul

No sun to lift your head

Eyes cast down

Shoulders sunk

Heart in a pit of despair

Weary, weary soul

Clouds hang low

Colors dark

Trees with leaves no more

Winter's here with chilling air

Your life is far too short

Weary, weary soul

Best carry on, expecting more

March forth as soldiers do

The sun will shine and you will see

Winter's gone as love comes

greeting you

STOP

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Dance -FMF on Sunday Morning

It's fun

It moves us

Little ones do it

Up and down

Arms in or out

Feet here or there

Spinning round and

tossing their hair

At a wedding

father, daughter

mother, son

Left to do alone at home

with music on

Trees do it, too

Branches and leaves

twitch to and fro

Doesn't matter if

it's fast or slow

We love it, it moves us

How free we can be

If only we get up and

dance to the beat

STOP

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More Tokens

Sunny days, colorful leaves

glimmering stars at night


Enjoy them, behold them

feel their beauty wrap around

Don't ever lose sight!


No matter how good or bad

life is, these tokens remain

No need to work, no hoops to

jump through, just pause

Relish the art in God's frame


It is mine, it is yours

freely given, seasons through

Feast till your cup runneth over

It's here for both me and you!


Fat or ugly, rich or righteous

evil, skinny or poor

No matter your status

God's creation beckons us,

"Come hither! Come adore!"

Bacon-Five Minute Friday

sizzle, sizzle on the griddle

crispy, brown with lot's of grease

lettuce, tomato with some mayo

an all american mini feast

thrown with potatoes, chives and cream

lot's of butter if you please

bacon burger, extra cheese

this is how it's eaten

this is how we need it

by itself, with potatoes, or meat

bacon, bacon, little bit here and there

once or twice throughout a year

STOP

To see what others are cooking up with bacon this Friday, check out www.katemotaung.com

JOY- Five Minute Friday

" Joy to the world!    

The Lord has come!

Let earth receive her king!"

Excitement? YES! Temporary elation and fix? NO!

I've thought of joy as being a deep longing fulfilled, a place of satisfaction.

A cup of warm, hot chocolate or hazelnut coffee filled to the brim 

AND ONE THAT NEVER RUNS OUT!

You can inhale the aroma. You can taste the sweetness or deep rich flavor. You can wrap your hands around it on a cold winter's day.

It's warmth fills you. It floods your senses, but this never passes or fades.

STOP!

To see what JOY means to others, check out www.katemotaung.com

Green-Five Minute Friday

Kermit is green. He sings, "It's not easy being green", because "you blend in with so many ordinary things."

Yet it adds so much life and color to our world.

Green mangoes, green grass and leaves, luscious green kale and other plants popping out and up from the earth's soil.

Don't forget about fried green tomatoes!

Green, so many shades, so many places.

I'd much rather see green and somehow I think God would, too, as He has used so much of it to decorate our world.

He loves color and so do I!

I am thankful for the many shades of green and I'm sure Kermit is, too.

STOP!

To see what others are cooking up with green check out our group Five Minute Friday at www.katemotaung.com.

TRUST- Five Minute Friday on Saturday

It's a sacred word

To be earned and developed over time

You come to        

Totally

Rely and give your heart

Understanding & believing

Someone else will

Take care of their part & 
        look out for you, too!

To find out first hand, you need to see what they do with what you give them.

STOP

To find out what others are thinking, check out Kate's site: www.katemotaung.com

Family- Five Minute Friday

Family

fun, miserable

laughing, growing, loving

good times and bad

community

Not everyone has the family they would love to enjoy.

Not all of us are the nicest to get along with.

Leave it to Beaver is long gone.

Yet, we are here together on one planet, 

making up one community, and one global family.

We all cry tears.

We all bleed red.

We all need a Savior to rescue us and show us the way.

We've all messed up, disappointed or simply forgotten 

how we all need to live and love with each other showing respect.

STOP

To see what others are thinking about family check out www.katemotaung.com

Doubt- Five Minute Friday

Doubt is a dangerous word.

It can hold us back and keep us from venturing into the unknown, or it can give us a false sense of security because we doubt anything could or would go wrong.

Deceives

Overlooking

Underestimating

Big opportunities or risks

Talking ourselves out of living life wisely

If we doubt, we are deceived by our flesh and perhaps not listening or looking closely enough.

STOP

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Celebrate Five Minute Friday on Sunday

"When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be.", is how the chorus goes from one of the old time hymns.

If you've turned on the news though, we don't have to listen more than five minutes to know we are so far from heaven. Heaven is anywhere, but here. So must we wait for that day to celebrate and "shout the victory"?

None of us knows how long that will be for any of us. For those of us who check out and can enter that new realm, what a cause for celebration, but for those of us left behind..........

STOP

To see what others are celebrating, check out www.katemotaung.com

It's where a bunch of us come together weekly to respond to a one word prompt. We just write for five minutes, unedited, uninterrupted. Then we post and comment on each other's work. Come join the fun!

Same- Five Minute Friday

I sit in the same chair each morning.

At night I return to the same place,
same apartment, same kitchen,
living room, bathroom, bedroom.

It is a constant in my life.

I have been at the same job for many years,
but things are not the same.

New faces, new rooms, new routines.

We liked it the same.

Sameness brings comfort.
We know what to expect.
When it's lacking, we don't.

If it's not broke, don't fix it.

Let it be, let it be the same.


STOP

As always, you can check out what others are writing at www.katemotaung.com

YES- Five Minute Friday

An interesting word.

A coin with two sides to it.

YES, there is healing and

the door to freedom or

that new job is open!

OR

YES, it is finished and time to move on

the pain is there and it is real 

and YES, it hurts and YES, 

it really is as bad it seems.

You yearn for

Everything to be

Smooth sailing and instead...

We are told, "YES,

you will have trouble

in this world. YES,

There will be dark days."

AND

YES, the sun will come up tomorrow

YES, weeping and winter

will one day end.

STOP

There are over a hundred of us each week that say,  "YES" to a new prompt and you can too by checking out www.katemotaung.com

Alone -Five Minute Friday

Alone I rise, alone I sit

Alone I journey, taking everything in

Alone one man or woman can change it all for everyone

a legacy of hope or pain they may leave behind

Alone they are one, reaching, inviting, rallying

with others they become many

Jesus the Christ, Mussolini, Mother Theresa, Adolf Hitler

Who we are when we're alone will be seen by many

What kind of legacy will we leave?

Alone, one force, one purpose 

one focus alone to lead us to heaven or hell

Hope or despair, alone we can choose

STOP

Each week I sit alone with my i-phone stop watch to write out what comes to mind after reflecting upon the one word prompt. Many of us do this each week and then we come together sharing our thoughts and insights. To see what others have been doing with their five minutes alone, check out

www.katemotaung.com

Find! Five Minute Friday

Years ago I lost an earring my grandmother gave me. I looked and looked, but couldn't find it. I thought, "Well, I can't just wear one earring," so I tossed it. As time passed, I found myself cleaning out my junk drawer in the kitchen and voila. There was the missing earring! How, why or when it got there I have no idea, but it reminded me to never give up!

Hebrews 10:35 says, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded."

STOP

To find out what others are thinking about this week's prompt, check out Kate's blog, www.katemotaung.com

Learn- Five Minute Friday

As the days pass on and become years there are many lessons lurking beneath life's fertile soil, crashing waves and the mountains we climb. Thank God we CAN learn. Thank God we do not need to be as the fool, who declares in his heart "There is no God" and stumbles through life without rhyme or reason.

Each year I reflect on the ups and downs of the passing year. What have I learned from the past until now?

• Death hurts no matter how many times we witness its theft. 
• My body is the only one I have, so take care of it and listen to it. 
• Don't blow changes off. It may be more than you think.
• Family and friends are always needed.

STOP

To see what others have learned, check out www.katemotaung.com where many of us come together each week to respond to a different a prompt and write about it for five minutes. Enjoy the posts!

Celebrate the Rain

I heard the showers in the early morning hours and I breathed a sigh of relief. It has been so hot and dry, much is turning brown where I live. It inspired me to write a poem this morning.

Celebrate the Rain

Rain, rain come my way

Steady, slow, soak in all day

Sun's been hot, sun's been bright

Drying everything in it's sight

Rain, rain bring back the green

Sun's burn is awfully mean

Fill up rivers, make some puddles

Hydrate leaves, don't leave us befuddled

Come again and again throughout the year

Remind us to hold both so dear

Life's no life without sun and rain

 Need both to grow or all else wanes

Here- FMF late on Monday

It was a busy weekend and so I found myself here on Monday posting for last Friday's prompt-"Here".  May it challenge all of us to take in and savor what we have been graciously given to enjoy.

Here

Here in this place there is beauty

Brightly colored lilies and bushes cry out

Bumblebees buzz while collecting

Green grass generously covers earth

There in that place there was conflict

Sun beat down, people bustled to and fro

Here, there or anywhere they can stew 

Venting frustrations about this or that

Yet the birds of the air bask, flowers bloom

Vegetation flourishes and bees remain focused

While water washes over everything with waves

STOP

To see what others have been buzzing about check out www.katemotaung.com

TRY- Five Minute Friday

If you haven't read any of my posts before, I hope you have found your way here to "TRY" something new and found it worth the trip. May you be encouraged. Blessings and peace to everyone!  Here are my thoughts for this week's prompt.

Take the plunge

Relish every minute

You never know how things will turn out until you TRY

I recently saw a posting on FB that read, "If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it's lethal". Routine is safe and comfortable. One knows what to expect, but if we never try anything new, we'll never grow. Recently I took my first trail horseback riding through the woods. I was nervous. We were outside the arena. Amber, the fifteen hundred pound draft horse I ride, is a lot of horse! She moved faster than I ever thought. Cool breezes blowing, leaves rustling, an open hillside, and she was excited. I was nervous, but went, rode and lived to tell about it. I'm looking forward to the next one.

STOP

To see what others are saying, TRY Kate's web site where FMF began. www.katemotaung.com

Ten a Five Minute Friday on Friday!

This week's prompt was another surprise, but a fun one.  Here are some of my thoughts on it.

Ten

Ten minute whenever you call for Chinese food

Size ten jeans fit good on me

Ten, a milestone for many, or perfect score

A decade worth of time

I lived one place for over ten years

I've been with the same job for more than it

Friendships over twenty

My, how life can change and stay the same

all in that time

Time evolving and stopping for no one

STOP

To see what others are cooking up in five minutes for this week's prompt check out www.katemotaung.com

Free-Five Minute Friday

The prompt surprised me this week especially in regards to where I am in my life now. I find myself not willing to settle for less than best. As I become more cognizant of how short life is and how quickly it flies by, I find that I need to decide what is most important. How is my time best spent and with whom?

 Steve Jobs asked himself almost daily, "If this was the last day of my life, is this where I want to be and what I want to be doing?" 

Ironic that he passed away at such a young age, but he truly lived life to the fullest. When we come to that point, recognizing our own limitations and acknowledge the inevitable boundary of our own mortality, I think it can be very freeing. So that is the background behind the poem I composed in five minutes. May it bless and challenge you to want to live more freely in your own lives.

Free

Free to say yes or no

Free to stay or go

Free to make decisions 

Decisions I can live with

No longer controlled by pleasing others

Now living with a higher standard

Not spending time in a place of unsurety

Knowing where the lines are frees me

I can stand tall knowing I am free

Free to choose and be me

Security in knowing a strong rock beneath my feet

I know what works and doesn't now

There are no strings manipulating me

To see what others are thinking check out Kate's blog where our writing comes together each week at www.katemotaung.com

Hope- Five Minute Friday

Ok, I need to preface this by saying it took me a little longer than five minutes to write out what came to mind for "hope", this week's prompt, but I know it is a testimony of God's grace and faithfulness worth sharing. Although this is a personal experience from almost ten years ago, I often reflect upon it to remind myself how blessed I have been.

HOPE

          He couldn't guarantee me anything. All I knew is he was an excellent surgeon and highly recommended by my friend, but I still thought of backing out. For months I had tried diet changes, acupuncture, and anything else homeopathic to shrink the fibroid that was the size of a six month pregnancy. Nothing worked. So I agreed to have a myomectomy. I would wait until summer vacation, but I would do it. Until the "what if's" began to whisper louder and louder. I began to make a plan to call the doctor and tell him, "No, I just can't do it.", but then as I finished brushing my teeth I heard another saying, "We are not of those who shrink back." No time to look up the verse in Hebrews, so I grabbed my coat and bag and headed off to work.

        The next morning I picked up "Grace for the Moment," by Max Lucado to read the devotion for the day. It was the same exact verse from the morning before.

Hebrews 10:39-11:1 "But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

          I hoped for a successful surgery that removed only my fibroid and a great recovery. God had promised what I hoped for would be and He delivered. Even my surgeon was taken aback at how well all went.

STOP

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Favorite-Last week's Five Minute Friday

Favorite. Here are a few of my favorite things.

Chickadees calling

Red cardinals darting

Nuthatches laughing

while children are marveling

Friendship and family

rejoicing together

Warm summer breezes

carrying fragrance from flowers

Riding on Amber when

she trots so smoothly

Sunrises at the ocean

Sunsets over mountains

Seeing God's hand move

bringing about changes

STOP

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Dream- Five Minute Friday

Dream big

Dream little

Dream in black and white

or color

Devote

Real

Energy

All towards

Meeting your heart's desire

And what if you are still left with a dream?

When does the dream end and reality begin?

When God makes a way

He who opens that door

No man's hand can shut or close

DREAM

DREAM it and maybe God will make it

And you'll be the one to live it and show

that even your dreams can come true

DREAM it

big or small

deep and wide

Let God Build it

To see what others are thinking, check out:

www.katemotaung.com

Fear- Five Minute Friday on Sunday

"That's a good thing!" I heard a colleague declare years ago when I relayed to her that a student asked if I was going to tell her, his teacher, about his behavior. Fear of disappointing someone, or fear of getting in trouble, can save a whole lot of people a whole lot of heartache.

We wash our hands before we eat for fear of the germs and getting sick, do we not?

Fear can be a dreadful thing, but it is a good thing when it protects. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 9:10) Knowing there is a Creator who is loving, but also just, should instill some fear.

STOP!

That was it in five minutes and I hope it challenges all of us towards a greater understanding and deeper appreciation for life and our Creator. To see what others are thinking, check out www.katemotaung.com

World- FMF reflection

I wasn't sure what would flow this morning and hadn't given it much thought, but lot's of images came to mind. I hope someone can relate. This week's prompt is

world

Walk in my world

See what's it like

Inhale the aromas of 

sweet friendship and love

Walk in my world

feel the rush

the experience of 

busy children all day long

Walk in my world

Taste the bitterness of 

disappointments and broken dreams

See if you can find the silver lining

Walk in my world

and listen to a Savior calling

Calling forth from the deep

Saying your name

Inviting you onward and upward

Walk in our world

In and around

Day after day

It is meaningless without

purpose, focus, and love

STOP!

To see what others are thinking or to join our little community of writers, check out

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Gift- Five Minute Friday on Friday

So I actually managed to find time and write something on Friday. I so wish I had more than 5 minutes to write for this week's prompt. It stirs so many images and experiences within me. Here are a just a few of them.

"Take it as a gift," my instructor called out to me. Amber was zippy. There was no need for spurs or a crop that night. She trotted along the rail of the arena. Rhythmically, I stayed in sync with her. It was smooth and easy. It was a great ride!

Gifts we are given, we need to receive and do something with. If it sits on a shelf or at a distance, it is of no use. There is no living pleasure then.

My new dad, Guy, was a gift in my life more than 25 years ago. He was strong and he was gentle. I found safety and a man I could trust enough to follow his lead.

STOP

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Blue- My thoughts on this week's FMF

Beaten down by

Life

Under the weather

Everything is somewhat blah

It's how we feel sometimes. A day filled with mishaps perhaps or expectations dashed. We all feel it at one time or another. Maybe it's even the grief from missing a loved one.

BLUE.

BLUE comes.

It can follow a bright sunrise or be after the storm has passed.

BLUE has many shades and degrees.

We can come to a place of acceptance though.

This life and world are not our home.

It screams aloud when we are beaten and then we know.

One day we will be home and the BLUE will be as peaceful as the deep blue sea.

STOP

To see what others are thinking check out www.katemotaung.com

Rise-FMF

Ok, I am hot to trot on this week's prompt. I just finished reading a very disturbing article in my local paper about a neighbor who witnessed a man shaking and slamming a child in a car seat and ....
....

NEVER CALLED THE POLICE! 

YES! You read that correctly. For several months in the paper, the gruesome details of how a two year old named Mason was tortured and and then died over a course of a few days was most shocking.  The mother left her two year old in the care of her heroin addict boyfriend and never took him to a doctor or hospital, when she knew something was wrong with the way he looked and was behaving.

WHY NOT?  She feared more for herself and CPS's involvement.

Mason is gone.

The boyfriend sentenced to 25 years to life.

Mom limited to supervised visits with her other son.

The neighbor? Faced with knowing and living with all of these atrocious details.

RISE!

RISE UP PEOPLE!

BE THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD!

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing"- Edmund Burke

To see what others are saying, check out www.katemotaung.com

Follow- My Five Minute Friday on Wednesday

It's that time of year again when everything picks up both inside and out. So here I am on Wednesday posting for last week's FMF prompt.

 For those who don't and are curious, FMF is a community of writers that come together every week to read Kate's prompt on her website and write for five minutes about it. There is no editing, just you, the one word prompt, and a timer. I joined last year sometime and have found it to be both uplifting and challenging. It has helped me to get back into writing on a  regular basis and allows me to receive feedback after I have posted.

To see what others are doing with the prompt, you can check out www.katemotaung.com.

 Kate posts a new prompt every late Thursday evening and then the postings begin. If you are a writer or even if you aren't one, I encourage you to join the fun!

Now for last Friday's prompt- FOLLOW

Fall just behind


Others who

Lead

Letting them 

Open doors to a 

World we long to live in

I think of some of history's greatest leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Alice Waters, FDR, and Eleanor. I think of the people who chose to follow them. They had a vision for the kind of life and world they desired to create for all to live in.

I think of Jesus who said, "Come follow me."

STOP

Door-My 5 Minute Friday on Tuesday

Ok, so I am really late on this one. It was a busy weekend and too nice to be inside typing away. I was also wondering what I could write for Friday's prompt. Nevertheless, I finally came up with something.  I am hoping we can all take something inspirational away from this one.

Door.

It is labeled in my classroom for a young, brave, newly arrived Chinese student. The door to America opened to him because the door to Americans' hearts opened. China's orphanage door closed to him.  He has learned the words and understands "open" and "closed" now. He thinks he will return to China. He has yet to learn there are many more doors to be opened right here in America. Overtime he expands his vocabulary and understanding a new pathway is created. A pathway to more or deeper relationships or perhaps the pathway he will take for a career in life. He is excited! He is happy! More doors are waiting.

STOP

To see what others have posted check out www.katemotaung.com

HIDE-Five Minute Friday

I am a little late with last Friday's prompt as I wrestled with what to write. What could I say? What did I feel comfortable sharing?  I took the plunge tonight and here are my thoughts on "hide".

Having withdrawn

Into one's self

Deepening roots

Evolving inside out

I struggled with this prompt when I first read it.  It scared me. "HIDE". We hide when we are afraid. We need to withdraw and protect, but we can also be hidden by the Protector.  And sometimes we HIDE away for the most magnificent changes to take place from the inside out. The mystery of metamorphosis is hidden from us. We are amazed at the beautiful butterfly when it breaks out of its cocoon.

STOP!

To see what others are posting check out www.katemotaung.com

Tomorrow-Five Minute Friday

Tomorrow absent

Today is right now enjoy

Yesterday finished

I always have a plan for the next day and the following week.  It's much harder for me to plan for something years down the road.  Today I had a plan  to do so much to get ready for tomorrow, but the body is not feeling up to it. So here I am wishing I felt well enough to do more, but can I not still enjoy the stillness of this moment? It is time for r&r and perhaps even a nap. It is time being just in today.

To see what others are thinking check out www.katemotaung.com

RELIEF!! Five Minute Friday

What a fitting word for this time of year and the week I just finished. Here are my thoughts for this week's prompt.

Release of

Everything annoying & stressful 

Lifting

It off one's shoulders

Entering

Freedom from burdens

Relief that winter is past. Spring is here. Relief that my observation at work is finished and so far the comments have been positive. Relief that computers can be fixed. Pleasure in greeting happy people, people who love to help and just be nice. Ah! Relief from the drudgery of life's monotony.

STOP!

To see what others are saying, check out www.katemotaung.com!

Five Minute Friday prompt "good"

I didn't know what to expect for this week's prompt, but was not surprised to see "good" as the prompt on this Good Friday.  I wrote an acrostic at the end, after the timer went off, so I will post that another time. Sometimes I wish the five minutes was more than five, but limiting it has its good points.  Here are my thoughts for this week.

"to be desired or approved of" is how "good" is defined.  There is always something good to be found no matter how hard we have to look. Many of us are looking harder these days in a world so ravaged by sin and chaos.

For some the definition has changed. What people say or think is good today would never have been labeled that years or decades ago. Perspective is everything and so there must be another definition for "good" other than how google defines it.

It is good and necessary to have clear, absolute standards, truths and morals. Otherwise where would we be?

STOP

Check out what others are saying at www.katemotaung.com"

BREAK- My Five Minute Friday

This week's prompt is "break". I am anxious to see what other people have posted at www.katemotaung.com, but first I will share my own musings.

Busyness needs a
Rest from
Everything and
All that is normal, to
Kindle the flame within

We all keep some kind of routine. With some recent health issues, it was time to BREAK away from my normal to get rejuvenated and healed. It's hard to do that, but if we don't, how much worse will we be? We can end up breaking down sooner or later if we don't take the BREAKS we need when we need them. Life is a marathon and yet with our jobs and anything else in life we can be required to sprint almost daily.

STOP

Real- Five Minute Friday

It's that time to write for five minutes again for FMF and this week's prompt is "real". I scribbled out a few musings after a long day at the end of the week, so here they are.

Real tired 

Real glad for extra time to finish or rather start on big projects

Real fed up with the fast pace of the rat race

Real

What else can I say?

Everything is true that is true

Some things appear to be real that are not 

God grant the wisdom to know which is which

What's the real difference ?

What is most important ?

Who and what is the real deal?

I know I can't be anyone or anything else but the real me- honest and frank 

STOP

To see what others are saying, check out www.katemotaung.com

Plan-Five Minute Friday

I woke up very early today and couldn't sleep so here I am attacking the new word for the week.  Plan. I couldn't help, but snicker when I first read it because it has been more difficult for me to come up with a plan for the future.  In five minutes, here are my musings on this week's prompt.


The best made plans of mice and men oft go awry.      

People set a purpose
Liking it to
Always flow
Nicely, nothing going wrong, but life has a way of turning our plans upside down

I love it when a plan comes together. I love it when there's an even ebb and flow, but oh, how circumstances have been crazy lately.  As a teacher I learned years ago to always write my plans for the week in pencil because with kids, things usually need to be tweaked somewhere along the way.  What happens in our lives though when our goals or even desires don't come to pass in the way or time we thought they would?

GATHER- Five Minute Friday

I decided to go back to the acrostic for this week's word "gather". Here are my thoughts on this sunny, but brisk and chilly Saturday.

Getting everyone

Around a

Table to feast

Having an

Enjoyable

Retreat from life's pressures

Gather around the welcome table in heaven we will.  Until then there is something about coming together with family, loved ones or friends to share the retreat from life's stresses and woes, that we all need.  I wish there was more time for it. I wish I had a family of my own to enjoy with.  Extended family is a blessing, but there is no flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone to partake with.  I am thankful for the loved ones I do have though.

STOP

Check out what others are thinking at  www.katemotaung.com

Enough!

Winter winds whistling

March marching mayhem in

Sunshine sparingly shining

Clouds consistently covering me

Lions looking and loving to leap

Lambs laying low and longing

Spring still silently sleeping

People praying," "Please, oh, please!

Winter white won't you leave?

Spring, spring forth, shine joyfully!

Visit- Five Minute Friday

I have taken a break from the typical acrostics I have been doing and just went with a free write.  This week's prompt from Five Minute Friday is "visit".

Visit. What would I see if I could step in from the outside to visit with me?  Would I want to? Would I leave refreshed or frustrated by everything?  I wonder what it's like for others when I complain or vent out of my own frustration and needs.  I don't know how often they see or feel what it's like for me.  A brief moment, a visit over a hot cup of tea can be enlightening, refreshing like a warm summer's breeze, but today would you want to visit with me?

STOP

Check out what others are saying at www.katemotaung.com

Open- Five Minute Friday

I decided to venture outside my routine acrostic and just write whatever came to mind. Once I got going, more thoughts kept coming and coming, but I only had five minutes. Perhaps I will post some other thoughts on this week's prompt later.  To begin with though, this is what flowed the first time.

Open up wide

Explore, anticipate

Open yourself to bliss or pain

Imagine the possibilities and come alive

Like Pollyanna's glasses on, look out and see what may and could be

But know, when you open your eyes and doors,

it may or may not be, what you want to see

Life can afford us possibilities

we never dreamed of

What can and will I do with them?

A knock on the door

stranger, intruder, family or friend?

What choice will I make? What and who will I hear or see?

Open.

STOP

Hmm, I just noticed that my verses vacillate between long and short, kind of how I do with tough decisions. 

To see what other people are thinking check out Kate's blog at www.katemotaung.com

WHEN- Five Minute Friday

Happy President's Weekend to all! It's nice to get little holidays off here and there and have a few extra minutes to sleep in or take time to write. Today Kate's prompt is when. It didn't take long to come up with an acrostic for this one.

Wondering
How or hoping
Everything works out
Nothing is lost

Isn't that what many are thinking when they ask WHEN?  I long to have the question answered. I long for smooth sailing, a happily ever after ending. I long to see that here and now, but life doesn't always work out that way.

WHEN? 

WHEN will all the wrongs be made right? 

WHEN will justice be served, the wicked destroyed and the whole world filled with rejoicing? 

WHEN will tears be dried, death be ultimately done away with and hearts healed?

 We don't know. 

We all wait asking WHEN?


To see what others thoughts are check out www.katemotaung.com

KEEP- Another Five Minute Friday

I was tempted to alter my response this time and not do another acrostic, but I did one anyway. We'll see who is touched by it. This week's word is Keep!

Kangaroos carry their

Embryos in a special pouch

Every day safe 

Protected from the elements and danger

I love to look at examples in nature. They can teach us so much about ourselves and our God.  The babies are kept safe, close to their mom, going everywhere she goes, so intimately connected to and with her. They have no fear when mom is near. She can kick hard and hop several feet rather quickly. We all long to be kept safe and sound.

STOP

To see what other are connecting with the the word for the week check out www.katemotaung.com

Five Minute Friday-WAIT!

On this snowy day, I had time to scribe in the morning  and now I can post. This week's prompt is wait.

Worrying or wallowing

As time passes by

Increasingly

Takes its toll

Wait a minute. It seems we spend so much of our time waiting. What do we do with it?  Some don't know what to do with themselves or the time unless they are worrying or wallowing in the woes of life.  Some are wishing and hoping and praying, while others may just enjoy the moment.  Each day and year is a new gift as we wait to see what unfolds. May we find rest in waiting for the One who knows what everything entails, so that we are not wasting time worrying and wallowing in distress.

STOP

You can see what other are doing for Five Minute Friday at: www.katemotaung.com

SHARE for Five Minute Friday

Suffering can be

Halved when

Another

Reaches out to the

Embittered soul

Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Our troubles are not so trying when someone SHARES the burden with us and our blessings are even sweeter when we can spread them around. I don't SHARE my deepest struggles with just anyone or everyone, but I am so thankful for the people I can SHARE with. There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. I only pray that i may be that friend to someone as well.

STOP

There are tons more thoughts on this topic at www.katemotaung.com.  Check it out!

SEND Five Minute Friday

I decided to let this simmer a bit after peeking at the prompt late Thursday night and so here I am today on Sunday to type.

Something put in a package or

Envelope or email

Noteworthy of passing along or needed

Deemed beneficial for the other it's sent to

"You've got mail!"  was so exciting when it first became part of our world and language.  Now anything and everything is sent via email today out of convenience, but how much of it is necessary?  The sender believes it is beneficial for the receiver OR they are looking to benefit themselves in some way.

Christians know and believe the greatest something or someone was sent from heaven above for the benefit of all; sent out of love, with mankind's best in mind.

STOP

Wondering what other's are saying for Five Minute Friday? Check it out at Kate Montaung's site.

www.katemotaung.com