8/19/26
8/14/26
DISRUPT
Word prompt--DISRUPT
Five minutes to free-write about it
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When I look at the word "disrupt," it is more than just a word prompt for this week's challenge. Add an "ions" to the end of it, and it becomes the perfect word to define what my last several days have been like--full of disruptions.
Pressing issues that require immediate attention keep popping up at the most inopportune times, disrupting my schedule and interfering with my ability to get my work done timely, or accomplish other priority items on my to-do list.
This morning, for instance, I was shocked by an email (a legitimate one) from Amazon notifying me that my account had been blocked because the bank that issued the credit card I had used to purchase my new computer with in July refused to honor the charge. They flagged it as a fraudulent transaction.
The e-mail went on to inform me that if this was not the case and it had been an authorized purchase, I needed to contact customer service and make a payment using a different card.
Contacting Amazon customer service is always a time-consuming nightmare that also disrupts my day. Trying to get past the robot that answers the phone and refuses to connect me to a live person has to be one of the most frustrating challenges ever. Not until I am shaking and screaming, "live repesentative right now," do I finally get to speak to one.
The one I spoke to today was not much help and kept telling me I needed to speak to the bank--not Amazon--even though the e-mail clearly said if I had a problem I needed to contact Amazon. He also asked for information I was unable to provide, because my account really was blocked and I could not even access it to look something up.
Anyway, after I managed to calm down, I did call the bank and explain the situation. Details of why I had used that particular card to make the purchase and why the bank thought someone had used it illegitimately. are too lengthy for a five-minute post, but at the end of the conversation, I was told I needed to go back to Amazon customer service and have them process the purchase again.
Now you may be wondering about the picture I posted, and how this could really have been a good day to have a good day. Well, as it turned out, it was. I asked the bank if they had a customer service number that would enable me to bypass the robot, and they did, and now I will never ever have to deal with that annoying robot when calling Amazon customer service again.
8/12/26
THANKFUL THURSDAY ON WEDNESDAY
Simple little blessings like waking up to a morning cool enough to open windows and turn off the A/C; noticing that my wildflowers are still looking pretty despite the lanternflies; finding out there was more money in my checking account than I expected when I went to the bank; a pleasant visit with my daughter who stopped by for supper and Yahtzee on her way home from work; and an unusually uneventful, stress-free day that of itself would have been more than enough to fill my gratitude cup.
I just want to thank you Lord!
8/11/26
8/9/26
AN UNWELCOME SHIFT
This post was written for Five Minute FridayWord prompt--SHIFT
Five minutes to free-write about it
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This is the sad tale of a very unexpected and unwelcome shift.
It didn't start out that way though.
For the first time since I can remember, summer started pest free. There were no hordes of stinkbugs or lanternflies on my balcony--not even one. What a great shift from summers past,
I looked forward to thriving plants, and to being able to sit outside for a change without worrying about bugs flying on me or my hair, or inadvertently carrying one into my apartment on my clothes.
And then came the unexpected shift. A couple of weeks ago, I spotted one loan lanternfly crawling along the ledge outside my window. Then a couple more on the balcony railing. And then two or three gathered in the corners of some windows. And then, what I dreaded most, one comfortably feasting on a leaf. Ugh!!!
Feeling grateful that so far it's been nowhere near as bad as it has been in the past. Hoping against hope they don't keep multiplying and that my wildflowers survive.
8/5/26
8/1/26
AFFORD
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--AFFORD
Five minutes to free-write about it
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This is my very first post on my new Macbook Neo computer.
The very old computer I had been using was on its last legs. It needed to be replaced, but how? There seemed no way I could afford a new one--let alone another Mac.
Thinking I would have to settle for a refurbished PC, I called my grandson-in-law who is an expert in such things to see if my Mac files could be transferred to a PC. Imagine my surprise when he told me that Apple had just come out with a brand new, no frills, very affordable model--the Macbook Neo, which he suggested I check out.
Not only was it half the price of a regular Mac, but I could pay for it in 12 no-interest monthly payments.
The easy part was purchasing it on Amazon Prime, which got it to me in two days. However, figuring out how to set it up, migrate everything over from the old computer, and then install the new Microsoft Office package (which my daughter gifted me when my old version wouldn't work after being migrated), turned into a huge challenge that literally took several days of repeated effort because I kept doing things wrong and having to do them over and over before finally getting them right.
In my frustration, I questioned why I was having to struggle like this. Why couldn't I just enjoy my unexpected blessing without all this effort. And then I remembered a very old parable about a man who found an emperor moth cocoon and took it home so he could watch the process of the moth emerging. As the moth struggled to get through the tiny opening in the cocoon, he felt pity for it and enlarged the hole with a snip of his scissors.
That enabled the moth to emerge easily, but its body was swollen, its wings were all shriveled up, and it would never gain the ability to fly. Preventing the struggle had deprived it of the very vigor it needed to be able to do so.
The struggle the moth needed to engage in as it tried to emerge through the narrow opening was God's design for forcing fluid from its body into its wings. Similarly, what may seem like frustrating challenges to me, He allows as catalysts for growth and inner resilience.
How fast my perspective changed, as did my attitude to one of gratitude, as I realized that what had at first seemed like wasted time, had not been wasted at all. It had exercised my mental muscles, giving my brain cells a much needed workout, even as it strengthened my inner resources as well.
7/28/26
7/25/26
IN ITS LAST PHASE
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--PHASE
Five minutes to free-write about it
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The last few days have been particularly challenging. I've been praying for the Lord to strengthen my inner resources so I can stand strong and not cave in at times such as these, and He has been doing just that,
It seems as though Satan has been working overtime finding ways to attack me on the battlefield of my mind. He may not be omniscient, but he sure seems to know my vulnerabilities and which buttons to push. I'm having to constantly remind myself of verses such as John 8:44b--He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
This morning when I was out watering the plants on my balcony, I pondered the plight of this spotted lanternfly that was in the last phase of its life, having gotten trapped in a spider's web. Immediately the taunts began as thoughts, like flaming arrows, penetrated my mind trying to convince me to believe that I am in my last phase as well.
True, I am in the winter of my life, but age is just a number. And I'm far from the age of 120, which was Moses' age when he was still going strong. As per Deuteronomy 34:7, Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever.
And then we read about Caleb, who at the ripe old age of 85 stated that he was just as strong for war as he had been when he was 40 years old and Moses had sent him to spy out the land. I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then (Joshua 14:11).
Raise a Hallelujah!
7/22/26
7/17/26
REROUTED TO JESUS
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--ROUTE
Five minutes to free-write about it
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My first thought was, how does Miss Kate come up with these FMF prompts, haha.
Seriously though, it made me think of a story in one of my devotionals about a little boy and his dad strolling along hand in hand. The little boy lets go of his dad's hand and goes skipping ahead. Until, suddenly, on the route they had been walking along, he catches sight of a large dog looking at him. That unexpected encounter so scares him, he makes a quick about turn and rushes back to his dad.
Only when his hand is once again securely resting in his dad's hand and he is assured that his dad is right there beside him, does he feel confident enough to walk past the dog.
How like me (and maybe you?) as I go confidently about my day thinking all is well and under control, only to come face to face with a scary looking obstacle. How quickly that serves to reroute me back to Jesus for the reassurance of His presence.
What I have been learning from my recent trials, and have had confirmed over and over, is that when we put our trust in Jesus, He helps us face the future, walking alongside us every step of the way along the route we need to travel.
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Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. -- (Isaiah 41:10, NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. -- (James 1:2-4, NLT)
7/15/26
7/14/26
TUESDAY THOUGHTS
The wildflowers in the planter on my balcony have been a source of so much joy. All the different varieties opening up (I had planted a packet of mixed seeds).
One of my morning highlights, when I go out to water them, is to see what new color I can see. This day, it was not a color, but some delicate, intricate-looking leaves I had not noticed before.
Today, during my quiet time, a passage in one of my devotionals jumped out at me. It was about how easy it is to get your eyes so firmly fixed on the problems in your life that you completely overlook the blessings. That is so true, and I hope I'm not guilty of doing that so much anymore.
The joy my wildflowers bring, no matter how discouraged I may be feeling, is just one small example of the healing effect of opening my eyes to the blessings surrounding me instead of fixating on the troubles.
7/11/26
SHORT
Word prompt--SHORT
Five minutes to free-write about it
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At first I was going to skip this week's challenge, but then an old photo popped up in my Facebook memories of a granddaughter whose birthday is today. She looks so tiny in that shot. Definitely much shorter than I am.
That got me to reminiscing about other brief moments in time when I was not the short one, and to looking through old (and some not so old) photos.
These are of my two children--then and now...
...and my oldest granddaughter.
When my local great-grandchildren started to catch up to me, we started a tradition where whenever we got together at my daughter's home (their grandmother) we would stand side by side in front of a little mirror in her entrance way to see how much taller they had grown since my last visit, a ritual that was repeated each time until with great fanfare they were able to announce to one and all that they had passed me by and I was now the shorter one.
This is a picture of me and one of my great-granddaughters, standing in front of the little mirror that has witnessed the transformation from shorter to taller and taller to shorter so many times over the last several years.
And this is one of my favorite comparison photos--then and now--of my two oldest great-grandsons.
This short reflection really brought home how brief the time is that we have to enjoy our children, be an influence in their lives, and create happy memories together they can carry with them when they fly the coop and are out on their own.
7/7/26
7/3/26
OUTCOME
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--OUTCOME
Five minutes to free-write about it
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Though I have gotten good reports on my follow-up visits to my surgeon and GP, and I am feeling quite a bit better, the outcome of my surgery (so far) has not been what I expected it to be.
Rather than dwell on the frustration or disappointment, however, I'm trying to stay focused on the positives and trust that God did not miraculously work things out the way He did for this to become my new normal.
One of the issues seems to be that many of the things the hospital dietitian told me I should eat when I transitioned from liquid to soft mechanical diet, and that I could eat or drink if I wanted to, were actually things that make symptoms worse and that are on the GERD avoid list.
Come to find out from my GP that just because they do not seem to bother me was not an indicator that they are okay foods for me to be ingesting, because symptoms can take up to two hours to manifest.
So now that I have transitioned from soft mechanical to regular diet, and have the proper information as to what I should be eating and what I should not, I'm being mindful of my choices and hoping that this unwanted outcome is only a temporary glitch on the path to recovery that will eventually reverse itself with patience and the necessary corrections.
6/26/26
PIVOT
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--PIVOT
Five minutes to free-write about it
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The last few days have been pivotal (in the sense of a turning point) for both me and my plants.
The wildflowers I had planted and thought would be too strangled to bloom because I accidentally overcrowded them by adding too many seeds to the pot, are looking beautiful. And the tomato plant that had been sitting on a sunny windowsill in my bedroom and was looking half dead, immediately perked up when I moved it out to the balcony.
As for me, I'm perking up as well, and having a renewed desire to start taking pictures again as I'm out and about doing errands. Yesterday I had the energy to pull over twice and get out of my car to take these pictures of some pretty purple umbrellas outside a local eatery, and a July 4th fireworks stand.
6/25/26
THROWBACK THURSDAY
I never found out who it belonged to, and it fit perfectly, so it became a well-worn piece of jewelry. In fact, it's one of the few rings I ever wear anymore.
I wonder who it belonged to and what became of her.
6/24/26
6/23/26
TUESDAY THOUGHTS
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
(Psalm 34:8, NKJV)
Still pondering the events of the past almost two months and the amazing and unexpected ways the Lord moved in my life, providing tangible evidence that He is in control and can be trusted to know what's best, no matter how things may be looking from my point of view.
I'm also thinking of how perfect the timing of the messages in my devotionals have been. Like the one early on that exhorted me to welcome my challenge as an opportunity to trust God, and to hold His hand tightly as He walks through it with me. And the one today, at the other end, having personally experienced these truths play out in my own personal circumstances:
Do not presume to know what's best
When you begin to pray;
But say to God, "Your will be done,"
Then trust His perfect way. (David Sper)
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