Here’s this week’s installment of Five Minute Friday. You might remember the task is to write for five minutes on a specific prompt word. The initiative was started by Lisa-Jo Baker (http://lisajobaker.com/2014/01/five-minute-friday-visit/) who figured, why not take five minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing.

This week’s prompt is VISIT. The timer is set … so here goes. {clock starts now}

I love to visit. I just returned from a lovely visit with Millie, my best friend’s mother. A few weeks back, just before Christmas, I connected with two friends and co-workers in Illinois. Over the summer, I stopped by to see another former co-worker and friend in Wisconsin.

Visits allow us to reconnect, to catch up, to keep tabs on people we love and respect, to share our lives and see how they intersect.

Because of distance, we’re not able to visit as often as we want with family and friends, so when we get the chance, it’s best to seize the opportunity.

I remember a visit Karen and I made the summer before she died. She called it her farewell tour, as she got to see some close friends in Illinois and Wisconsin she knew she would never see again on this earth. Despite chemo treatments, we made the 1,994.1 mile trek portal to portal and she was able to visit and laugh and cry and share her life and expectations. It was heart-warming to see this connection as a third party. You could feel the love as she sipped tea with Leita, or enjoyed a glass of iced tea with Rita … STOP

… or a cup of coffee with Marlene or a fruit drink with ValliJo.

Visits are the doorway to memories. They keep us connected in the present. They give us something to look forward to. Enjoy them.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Wisdom is the ability to discover alternatives.