SOON

This post was written for Five Minute Friday 

Word prompt--SOON

Five minutes to free write about it 

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Soon (on the last day of his month), my 23-year virtual job doing data entry and transcription will come to an end. The need for it has gradually been phased out by advances in technology. 

Soon, the seeds I just planted will yield a colorful array of wildflowers that are supposed to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to my balcony. 

Soon the weather should stay warm enough for me to put them outside.

But the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw this week's prompt was "Soon And Very Soon," an old, old song that was sung in a Christmas play the kids at my church put on way back in the day when I still lived in New York. Now I can't get it out of my head, and I've been singing it all day long.

Enjoy!

PERSIST

This post was written for Five Minute Friday 

Word prompt--PERSIST

Five minutes to free write about it 

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Can you see that teeny spot of green on the upper left (facing you) at about the level of the shadow on the side of the pot? It's a tiny sprout pushing its way through the soil when I had just about given up on seeing any signs of life appear. 

The seeds in the flower rocket I put in that pot were planted at the same time as the seeds I planted in this window box. Same soil, same exposure.

I don't know what happened to the rest of the seeds that were in the rocket, but this intrepid little adventurer decided not to follow the crowd. It persisted and persevered until it broke through the darkness surrounding it and emerged into the light.

Though its growth has been much slower than that of the other sprouts in the window box, it keeps persisting in its journey upward, always turning to face the sun as I rotate the pot. A good visual reminder for me to follow its example and, keep my face on the Son, and to remain steadfast and persistent as well.  

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the

right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't

give up, -- Galatians 6:9, NLT

LOOKING AT THE THINGS THAT I HAVE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday 

Word prompt--HAVE 

Five minutes to free write about it 

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This week's prompt reminded me of John 16:33 which quotes Jesus as saying, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (NLT)." 

Life has been feeling pretty rough lately, and I have been having a hard time navigating through this winter season of it. I do not have much to show for what started out with so much promise--good health, a good education, and many talents and opportunities. 

Most of my present challenges are consequences of poor choices I made in my youth, so there is no one but myself to blame. Regrets, however, are futile. What's done is done and cannot be undone. 

My remorse is mixed with gratitude for God's unmerited mercy, grace, favor, patience, and unconditional love, and the one good choice I did make, which was to accept the gift of salvation and invite Jesus into my heart. 

It is hard to believe that despite the mess I've made of my life, God has never given up on me. I would certainly have done so a very long time ago.

When I'm tempted to feel hopeless, I think of my many blessings and how much easier I have it than so many other people I know. I have an amazing daughter who goes out of her way to try and help me as much as she can, as well as a son and a slew of grands and great-grands I love with all my heart. And most of all, I have Jesus. He is the greatest gift of all.

A GLIMMER OF HOPE

Spring is so pretty. A season of hope and renewal; a time of new beginnings.

I've really missed not being able to go out and take pictures, but on this beautiful day the Lord gave me the gift of a short reprieve. 

My physical therapy appointment went surprisingly well, and I left the office free of pain and with a glimmer of hope. For the first time in a long time I was able to go for a short walk and capture these shots of all the beauty surrounding me. 

REALIZE

 

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--REALIZE

Five minutes to free write about it

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For a very long time I've had a philodendron (or at least that's what I'd always thought it was). It was always one of my favorites because of the two-tone color of the leaves--some light and some dark.

I grew it from a cutting.  

After many years had gone by it started to bloom. This took me by surprise because I never realized philodendrons could bloom.

I posted pictures on social media, and someone responded that it looked like peace lily blooms, which I agreed with, but this was a philodendron--not a peace lily. Nevertheless, her comment kept mulling around in my mind.

When I was watering it the other day I took a really good look, and sure enough, I realized, she was right. What was in the pot was a combination of a philodendron and a peace lily. How that happened remains a mystery. I don't recall ever putting cuttings of two different types of plants in the same pot.

Makes me think of all the times I've jumped to conclusions or made assumptions about things without realizing the truth behind them, and then experienced a range of emotions--mostly remorse or regret--when I realized how wrong I had been.

A DISAPPOINTING BREAK OF DAY

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--BREAK

Five minutes to free write about it

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Views of the sunrise from my balcony are usually pretty spectacular, so not yet having participated in this week's FMF challenge, I was excited to be up early enough to witness the break of day. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? My plan was to spend my five minutes capturing an amazing daybreak to share with you all instead.

Well, so much for that. 

There were no deep pinks or purples or oranges or reds streaking across the sky. I think it may be the first time I've ever witnessed such an unremarkable break of day. 

I am grateful for the gift of a new day, and that there was a daybreak at all, and that I was up early enough to catch it such as it was. And, I'm sure there must be a lesson in all this. I'm just not sure what that may be? If any of you have any thoughts, please do share.

STORY

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--STORY

Five minutes to free write about it

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There was so much I could relate to in Kate's post this week, it led me on a trip down memory lane to the year 2011. That's the year God and I wrote my story.

The Sunday before Lent that year, our pastor challenged us to do something radical. I responded by writing a post entitled  Sincerely Wrong.  It was the first time since I became a Christian, almost 20 years before that, that I'd ever spoken openly about having authored a book on numerology.

By the time I finished writing the post, I was convicted that it was time to bring all the other things I didn't talk about into the open too, because, just maybe, there was someone out there who desperately needed to hear it. 

I always believed that the reason I kept certain things hidden, especially from my mother, children, and other family members, was because I was trying to protect them from being hurt, but now I realize that was only partly true.  I did want to keep them from unnecessary upset, but if truth be told, the greater reason was fear of what they might think of me. 

I was ready to take the step, but writing does not come easy to me unless it's just something technical, like an instruction book, and I had no clue as to how to go about it. That's when I learned that if we are willing to obey the promptings of the Lord, He really will equip us to do what He asks.

So for the next several weeks, with notebook and pen in hand, I would sit in the silence of my room and listen for that still small voice that guided me step by step through the process. My story turned into a book published by Amazon, and available in both hard copy and Kindle formats.  Who would have thought?

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My Story Your Glory by Matthew West

CHOOSING TO LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

 

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--CHOOSE

Five minutes to free write about it

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At the end of a heavy week where all my choices seem like non-choices, I choose to lighten up by combining our word prompt with a Friday Funny. This sign at my dentist's office always makes me smile.

I may not be able to choose my circumstances, but I can choose how I respond to them. It's amazing what a difference a change of perspective can make.

I can choose to look for hidden blessings, and for things that make me smile. 

I can choose to focus on the things I am grateful for.

I can choose to look on the bright side of things.

I can choose to lift up my eyes to Whom my help comes from (Psalm 121:1).

I can trust that God is in control and that He is working out a good plan, even if I can't quite see it yet.

I can choose to believe in miracles.

TONGUE TWISTER

Just being silly today, and thinking of how I could describe these pretty flowers that caught my eye by way of a tongue twister. 

This is what I came up with: Pretty Pops Of Purple Pansy Posies. 

REACH -- DON'T ASSUME!

 This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompts--REACH and ASSUME

Five minutes to free write about it

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[Last week when the prompt was ASSUME, I wasn't able to participate, but it was such a good and timely (for me) one that I'm combining it with this week's REACH.]

Making assumptions is something I do a lot, and most of the time my assumptions are wrong. Many times it has caused unnecessary hurt, and sometimes even a missed opportunity because I accepted my assumption as fact instead of reaching out to the One for whom nothing is impossible and who can make all things come to pass.

There is something about the tree (in the picture above) with its branches lifted high that reminds me to reach up instead of assume.  Right now it looks dead, but then I have seen deader-looking plants than that come alive. Maybe in a couple of weeks I'll visit it again and see buds on it? That wouldn't surprise me any more than this flower I discovered on my philodendron plant did. In all the many, many years I've had philodendron plants I've never ever seen a flower on any of them before. I'd always assumed they were not flowering plants.  But I digress...

Once a week I pray with a friend over Zoom. At our last meeting a couple of days ago we reached out to God with some tough prayer requests over longstanding situations we've been praying over for so long it required a real stretch of faith to not give up on believing they could come true. But that could turn out to be one more faulty assumption, could it not? 

After reminding each other of some of the amazing answers to prayer we've seen in the past, and that nothing is impossible with God, we actually ended the call in a state of great anticipation, excited to see what God is about to do. 

A quote in my Experiencing God devotional this morning spoke to my heart: "Don't discount the power of God as described in Scripture simply because you have not experienced it." To which I would add the word "YET." It reminded me of the times I have experienced it, so why should I assume otherwise now.