Today I celebrate a little bit late, the joy of Five Minute Friday. A time when writers all over the world...love that. Take five minutes and write with complete abandon and total freedom. It all starts with a prompt from Lisa-Jo Baker. No edits, no freak outs, no worrying if you are doing the right thing. Just a time to let go and let it be.
The important thing about Five Minute Friday is the encouragement you receive to just let go and the encouragement you give to others who have done the same. You do not have to visit everyone, but a stop at the person who posted before you is requested. Honestly, you wont want to stop there.
Today's...oops...yesterday's prompt is the word "CLOSE"
Let's GO!!!!!!!
Sounds of a dining room buzzed in the back of my brain. It was all I could do to not explode with the anger of my situation.
Here I was.
THREE THOUSAND MILES FROM HOME!!!
And I had to start a life here.
15-year-old girls weren't supposed to live without their parents unless they were part of some boarding school sitcom life.
I wasn't.
I was just stuck paying the price for my own mother's paranoia.
Misery and grief settled in, but I could do nothing but hold it all inside. Weakness was not going to take over.
"You are alone" a voice that was not my own whispered menacingly "your life will never be the same."
"Hello!" another voice broke into my space. She had dark hair and lively blue eyes and was smiling ear to ear. I groaned a small greeting and prayed she would just step off and leave me alone.
She didn't.
That was my introduction to my oldest and dearest friend Lisa. She reached out to me as I sat miserably in a restaurant with my grandmother. I was miserable because I knew that in just a week it would be just me. I did not want to be part of this new life living alone without my parents.
Lisa was a gentle gift from God. A girl who just couldn't help but reach out to others and encourage.
As we grew through our teens and 20s we went through times of being inseparable to having separate social circles. I was the drifter girl who hung with artsy types. I was a free spirit who would up and move to a new state at the drop of a hat. I explored. I lived with passion. I also ran (I learned how at a young age after all). She was the solid church girl whose goal was to be a stay-at-home mom and became one.
As alike as we were different, we always remained close.
Over 30 years have passed since our first meeting. We are thousands of miles apart physically, but we know that being close...for us...has nothing to do with proximity.
It is about our minds.
It is about our hearts.
It is about being different yet the same.
It is all about picking up the phone after a day, a week, a month and even a year...and still never running out of things to say.
STOP
So how about joining us? You can learn more and jump aboard by following this link.
Yes, yes, yes!
It is another week of 5 Minute Friday time. It is time to share with writers from all over. A time to encourage and a time to embrace just letting go and writing. This is my third go round on Five Minute Friday and I must say I simply love Lisa-Jo and all the wonderful writers that have shared their world in words. There is still time to join in, and you can learn all about it by heading...right...here.
In the meantime, today's prompt is
PAINT
Ready
Set
GO
My life, my palette, God's design.
My birth, my soul, a snowy white. So much space to do many, many things, the possibilities literally endless, but a special plan still painted on my heart. A blue print of God's design. One He knew, and He birthed long before even placing me in the protection of my mother's womb.
My teen years, a kaleidoscope of gleaming oranges, purples, pinks, neon yellows, and a brilliant turquoise, my signature color of course. Each color reflecting joys and excitement. Reality was there in the shadows. Sometimes it was a mossy green or even a deep gray shadow, but my light, God's light in me, kept more beautiful colors my way.
Late teens and early twenties, my colors were a blaze of firey reds, shocking blues, brilliant fuchsia (and that was just my hair) and also rich ebony. There was a darkness there that followed me for a time, enveloped me. A time that I tried to find my own plans and my own solutions, and found instead hurt, fear, sorrow, betrayal and loss. Deep pain caused a more violent red color to seep into my day and my skin. The beauty is...God does not forget and God does heal. He still has a plan.
His patience a soft warm yellow. I feel it deep in my soul. The need to let go and give to the Lord all the reds, the grays, the darkness and let Him be the light.
It happened. His light. It melted the colors and softened the angles. God's love brought all the painted colors of the joys, sorrows, victories and pain into a perfect focus. A perfect picture of his unfailing love. My slashes and splashes were all apart of God's masterpiece. All together a lesson to be learned and a vision to be shared.
STOP
Don't forget you are welcome to join in. There are a few small rules, but well worth it. Learn more from Lisa-Jo Baker.
I have only participated in two Five Minute Fridays. I am already in love!
This Friday's writing prompt from Lisa-Jo Baker for Five Minute Friday was WRITER. As I read different posts, I discovered new thoughts that were inspired from other writers. When a writer helps you learn more about yourself, I believe you should take note. As I read each writer, I learned not only about them but about how their words impacted my thoughts on writing and on being a writer. I also believe you should express thanks. I am not done reading. I am hoping to get more time in today to enjoy other posts and offer encouragement. I am not citing everyone I read, but certain posts brought my mind to a clarity of my own thoughts that I hadn't expected. Thank you to everyone for sharing your hearts and your words. This is a little bit of what I learned about me.
When reading Julia's post at Learning To Grow, Daring to Love - I realized that I am not the only one who has a moment of "YIKES" when thinking of claiming the title "writer." The writer prompt was tough for me. I did learn that you do not have to be making a living at anything to claim it as part of who you are, because God has made this part of who you are. A calling from God is for His purposes. He may want me to write in order to simply heal my own heart, and considering the life I have lived, that is a strong possibility. It has been my therapy and tool for learning at times. I am so encouraged that many are embracing that they are writers because that is really a part of God's identity.
I was blessed by Adrienne's encouragement at Life with Intention and Adrienne reminded me that a part of writing is often encouraging. She was very encouraging with her post. She reflected the love of the Lord with her encouragement. I think that as readers we should encourage writers. Encourage them whether they are taking steps with a blog or releasing a novel. I believe Jesus would love if we would do this.
Jamie at Love isn't Love until It's Given Away shared words that touched my heart and reminded me that I am writing and using that gift in many ways from a card to family member to writing down happenings and experiences in my life. I walked away encouraged to embrace it all. I will.
Jemelene's post was so powerful and compelling. I was reminded how there are some stories only we can tell. If we stifle that story within, how will others know the beauty of the life we live. Jemelene shared the writer in her daughter who has no words but expresses her story in a most beautiful way.
Through Kelly Greer at Kelly Writes, I was reminded of how if we look back, we can often see these flags that God placed in our lives that show us this call to write and express everything in words. Sometimes we need to ask God to bring those memories up. In His time He will.
Reading Becky's post at Moments by Becky Keife reminded me that sometimes I simply write to see God's hand in my life. When I record these happenings, I remember them and we all need to remember His work. We have a very alive and active God. Let's keep that in mind. Writing helps me with that.
When I read the post at Father Says... I was reminded of how the writer truly shapes our perception of a story. A writer leads you through the story and often shows you as much as they tell you. In fact, a writer may tell you even more with what they show you.
From Cheryl at Realing In Life, I realized I need to embrace my dream. If I am not willing to cling onto it with both hands, it really is far more likely to slip away.
As I said, I'm not finished yet. I hope to get at least ten more read tonight. If you participated in Five Minute Friday this week's or any, what have you learned?
Last week was my first foray into joining writers everywhere as they wrote without worry or hesitation. The feeling in a word...FREEDOM.
Sometimes you just have to let go, and the writers who meet up at Lisa-Jo Baker's website and blog for Five Minute Friday engage in letting go once a week starting with a prompt from Lisa-Jo. Once fingers finish typing away, the joy of sharing and blessing begins.
Join this wonderful group. You will be glad you did. There really is only one rule, visit the writer before you...read...encourage. But if you are like me, you wont be able to stop at just one.
Enjoy and learn more here.
Today's prompt is:
WRITER
GO...
Imagine my horror at the word "writer."
My dreams and my fears all poke in my mind at the very thought of the word "writer."
Writing has been my peace. Writing has been my comfort. Writing has been my therapy.
It has also been my agony. Well...not so much the writing. The empty screen in front of me. The need to fill it with the fleeting idea that was so strong when I woke up and now is just tickling the edge of my mind. Aggravating when things aren't working. Fulfilling when they are.
My joy.
My act of worship.
My prayer.
My way of being me.
My big ole world is all wrapped up in a ball of anxiety and thrill.
The ups and downs.
The nightmares.
The fantasies.
My dream come true some day. IF....
If I choose to type anyway.
If I choose to get up and get uncomfortable.
If I choose to dig deep when need be.
If I open the door and let someone in.
If I choose to give my whole heart's desire to God.
...STOP
I did this prompt tonight because it has been a crazy long week. This week was my radio station's gift drive. It is that we share God's vision with our listeners. It is a time of long hours. Because I had to be in the office at 6 am, and my head was filled with how things would go on this final day, I decided to hold of on Five Minute Friday. I thought for a moment about holding off until next week. But I began this journey last week, and there was no way I was going to let one long week pull me out of it. I'm here, and I'm happy because I am a writer. :) Nice to say that.
I hope that you have a wonderfully blessed weekend, and that you get the chance to meet some of the other writers who are sharing their hearts this week. I gave the link up top, but it is worth giving again. Join us here.
