2/3/26
2/1/26
COLD
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--COLD
Five minutes to free-write about it
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The big snowstorm we were supposed to get last weekend turned out not to be as big as we expected, and certainly nowhere near as big as what many of those of you living in other states got.
What started as snow turned to sleet, which created an icy mix that made it really hard to shovel off cars and sidewalks or plow off the road. The frigid temps we've had all week have not helped much at all. What little the strong sun rays managed to melt during the day, soon froze back up at the end of it, creating dangerous little patches of black ice.
It is cold! Brrrrr.
Whereas it has been a frusrating experience for those like me who feel trapped in our homes due to our paranoid fear of slipping and falling, it's been anything but for this little neighbor who discovered the snow in our courtyard was frozen so solid she could go ice skating on it.
I'm feeling very grateful that the power has not gone out, my apartment is cozy and warm, and for friends who have helped dig out my car, pick up my mail, and take me to the store.
1/28/26
1/26/26
THE BIG SNOW THAT WASN'T
For several days last week, we received daily weather alerts about the big snowstorm that was supposed to hit our area and dump 20" of snow on my neck of the woods.
It was supposed to start snowing during the night on Saturday, and I looked forward to waking up to the sight of a winter wonderland. Not so.
When I looked out my window in the morning, there was a good amount of snow on the ground, but not a trace of it on any of the trees.
The snowplow had made several treks around the parking lot during the night, but at some point the snow had become mixed with sleet so it looked like an icy mess. And yet there wasn't a trace of ice on the trees either.
I thought for sure I would be prisoner of my home for several days at least, since I am really paranoid about slipping and falling on ice. But maybe not. Even though the temperature was very cold, the sun's rays were strong and melted most of the ice on the road and sidewalks.
1/24/26
UNUSUAL
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--UNUSUAL
Five minutes to free-write about it
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We haven't had much snow this winter in my neck of the woods, but the last several days we have been on alert that a big storm is headed our way over the weekend.
This morning, on my way out, the sky looked eerie. The unusual combination of contrails and clouds intrigued me, so I pulled over to take some shots.
Whether we get the big storm that's supposed to dump 20" or more on us, or whether it winds up getting diverted and we get nothing at all, it feels like something ominous and unusual is about to take place. What it might be, I do not know. That will have to be the subject of another post.
Meanwhile, we could play a game of "what do you see?"
Among other things, I see a hand, a giant toothbrush, searchlights, a face, a cross, and part of a game of tic-tac-toe. How about you?
1/23/26
1/21/26
1/17/26
HORIZON
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--HORIZON
Five minutes to free-write about it
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This morning I was up before dawn (a very rare occurrence) and was looking forward to seeing the sun rise.
Every couple of minutes I looked out the window towards the eastern horizon at the spot between the trees where it can be seen as it rises.
Slowly the dark of night started to fade, and as the sky got lighter, there was a bit of yellow at the horizon that seemed to herald the sun's imminent arrival, but that was it. No reds, no oranges, no rising sun--even after the darkness had turned to light.
And then somethiing caught my eye, quite a bit to the left of the spot on the horizon that I had been checking on, and for a moment I thought the sun was rising in a different spot, but that could not be.
It wasn't. What I was seeing was the sun's reflection as it shone on the side of a building across the way.
How did I miss seeing it rise, and where was it shining from? It couldn't have gotten so high in the sky so fast that it was no longer visible from my window. A mystery it will remain.
1/13/26
1/10/26
MEND
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--MEND
Five minutes to free-write about it
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There is so much in my life right now that needs mending. Mending that only God can bring about.
The prompt made me think of Kintsugi, which made me think of how God fills the cracks of our imperfections and failures with His amazing grace so our scars can become testimonies that encourage others and give them hope.
(For those of you who don't know what Kintsugi is, it's a form of Japanese art that uses gold to mend broken pieces of pottery instead of throwing them out, turning them into objects that are even more beautiful and valuable than they were before.)
This season has been a challenging time of learning to fully trust the Lord and keep my focus on today--sometimes just this moment--instead of projecting and worrying about what may or may not happen down the road.
Despite all the ways He has manifested His trustworthiness, I have been a slow learner. And yet, He has continued to be patient and longsuffering, and to never give up on me, even though I would have given up on myself long ago.
Among the sources He has used to encourage me, are Brant Hansen's books. Especially the one I just finished reading--Life is Hard. God is Good. Let's Dance. One of its main premises is that God is in control, so we have nothing to fear. The future is not my department. My deal is to keep my focus on today's stuff.
Not that it's anything new I haven't heard before, but sometimes it takes hearing the same thing over and over in slightly different ways to have it finally sink in and take root (or at least that's how it works for me).
Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? . . . Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. (Matthew 6:26, 34a)
Some other good reminders in the book that I'm really, really trying to take to heart and put into practice are that I don't need to know the answers to everything. I just need to trust God for everything, and do my thing and let Him do His thing.
Hansen exhorts us to bring what we have to Jesus and see what Jesus can do with it, and that is exactly what I'm purposing to do.
P.S. Among other things, I've been suffering from writer's block, so to be honest, this post has taken me quite a bit longer than five minutes to write.
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