It’s Saturday afternoon, which means I missed Five Minute Friday. Well, not exactly. The prompt gets posted on Friday and most people respond with a Friday post … but there are the occasional few who procrastinate {I’ll go with are so busy} and don’t get around to posting until Saturday or beyond.

Five Minute Friday is, of course, the brainchild of Lisa Jo Baker who recently capably turned the reins over to Kate Motaung. The purpose is to write unscripted for just five minutes on a prompt word of the week. Hundreds of us congregate at Kate’s place to share our work (http://katemotaung.com/2014/12/11/five-minute-friday-prepare/). It’s worth taking a look at their contributions.

This week’s prompt is PREPARE, so let’s set the timer and GO …

I’m the last person in the world who should be writing about prepare or preparation.

I was not prepared for college. I was not prepared for love. I was not prepared for marriage. I certainly wasn’t prepared for parenthood. I wasn’t prepared for the twists and turns of a career or life in general. I was not prepared for the  inevitability of death. I was not prepared for widowhood. In fact, I was not prepared to post on this particular prompt on time.

But I did prepare one thing in my life. When I received Confirmation way, way back when, I said a little prayer, one on one with God. It went like this.

“If I’m going to make this commitment today, Lord, I want to make it seriously and consciously. It’s all or nothing, Lord. I commit myself to You. I know I’ll make mistakes along the way, but there is nothing You and I can’t do together. Better yet, there is nothing I can do without You. I don’t want to be a … STOP

… casual Christian. I want to be an ambassador for You.”

I have failed many times and drifted from that statement of faith. But it has always been etched in my heart.

I got through college (two of them). I had my heart twitter a time or two. Marriage taught me it was a tango for two. I learned parenting skills on the fly. I never dreamed of a career in publishing, but that’s what transpired over nearly 50 years in five states. I learned about life by experiencing it … the good times and the rough times. My mortality was exposed with the death of my wife. I learned being a widow(er) is being alone with a piece of your heart missing. You move forward but it’s hard to dance without a partner … and that comes from a non-dancer. And, of course, it’s Saturday, not Friday. Enough said.

But, I never forgot those words spoken well over 50 years ago in a church pew in Paterson, NJ, while awaiting the bishop to make his rounds with the confirmands. I know I am prepared for eternity … and I know my Lord has a place prepared for me at His table.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: When you think time is running out, God is right on schedule.