Happy Five Minute Saturday. Okay, it’s Five Minute Friday. I’m just trying to be realistic.

You know the drill. Over 100 of us gather at Kate’s place (http://katemotaung.com/2016/02/25/five-minute-friday-morning/) to mull over a prompt word and let out fingers weave a message from our mind, heart and/or soul for all to share. And sharing is the most fun. Visiting with other writers, discussing styles, learning new writing {and storytelling} techniques and sharing our innermost {albeit quick and unscripted} thoughts is a valuable byproduct of this weekly exercise. Most of us know when we miss a weekly assignment, we feel like our week is somehow out of kilter.

So, please go to Kate’s place and get to know some of these incredible writers. It’s worth a visit.

Back to today’s {okay, yesterday’s} assignment. The prompt word is MORNING. My thoughts are generalities and not necessarily carved in stone {although I try to adhere to the same routine whenever feasible}. The timer is set for five minutes, so let’s GO …

I guess I would qualify as a morning person. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy sleep — especially at night — but when the dawn breaks I’m ready to face a NEW day with NEW challenges and NEW excitement, perhaps with NEW joy and unfortunately, sometimes with some NEW disappointments. The key word, however, is NEW.

I have a general routine. I brew my coffee, spend some time reflecting {my God time — currently working through the prophets, Amos to be specific}; send an a.m. photo my children to let them know I’m alive {for some reason they don’t think I can function independently on my own}, send messages of encouragement and perhaps a cartoon to my family and friends and  start the day.

Let’s see, that’s God, family and friends. Check.

That sets the tone for my day. With that bedrock, anything that comes my way can be easily handled … or at least accepted. With the clarity from above and support from below I can address the needs of the day.

I think that’s one reason why Jesus chose the … STOP

… morning to escape death. Despite rumors to the contrary, I was not around that first Easter morning, but I suspect the women and motley crew of apostles arrived at the burial site expecting one thing, only to find something totally different … an empty tomb. I don’t know if the sun was shining or if it was cold, dark and damp, but that empty tomb was a symbol of a new day … a new chapter in their lives … another new promise of hope despite the despair of the past few days.

That’s morning for me. A new day. A new page in the chapters of my life. Another new promise of hope.

Because He lives, I can face today!

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to dance in the rain.