Time for Five Minute Friday. You know what that means. I’ll write for five focused minutes  on a specific prompt, then get together and share with my fellow writers at Kate’s spot on Facebook at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com.

To entice you to check us out, I’ve also been sharing some of the experiences my fellow writers have shared as chronicled in Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat. This week, I’ll include the words contributed by Karrilee. I hope her words inspire you to join our writing club.

“I had been blogging for years, unavailable that there was community available for writers like me. I started way back before blogging was a ‘thing’ and in the olden days it was lonely work. But in 2012, after God called me to be more consistent with my writing, I stumbled upon Five Minute Friday and immediately fell in love. Kindred hearts … sisters, friends, fellow word lovers who knew what it meant to hit publish and to doubt … who traded secrets, and prayer requests, and belly laughter and more than a few recipes. A tribe of writers who longed for community an inspiration, for freedom and authenticity. I had no idea how much I needed them until I found them and now? Well — now, almost every Thursday night I can be found tweeting and chatting over on Twitter for the #fmfparty as we wait for the One Word Prompt. It’s a community who loves fierce, lives brave, and writes truth — in five minutes(ish) flat! It’s my favorite online community (and if you know me, you know that is saying something!) and one of the things I love the most is how, truly, everyone is welcome. There is no need to walk this bloggy world alone!”

There you go. The prompt this week is FAMILIAR and the timer is set so it is time to GO…

I have challenged my family to a daily search for blessings. For the most part, the five of them participate … some daily, some on occasion.

The reason is simply to remind them to look for that moment when the familiar turns extraordinary. Yes. As we look at life through familiar eyes or listen with familiar ears or experience with a familiar heart, the experiences lose some of their flavor. But when we look with open eyes, ears and heart, the nuances of life explode and the familiar becomes new.

Even routine tasks take on a new meaning when we stop and look with those new eyes, or hear with those new ears or open our hearts to those new attitudes and experience. Watching a familiar movie focuses on scenes often overlooked. Watching children at play is enlightening as we “see” life through their eyes and hear the experiences of their young, unjaded lives {although sometimes you do hear things that are disturbing}.

We have to extend that to all facets of our lives … including prayer time. Instead of rote prayers, reach down and explore the nuances in the Word, the depths of our hearts. God knows what we’re feeling. Often we don’t. We know something is askew, but can’t wrap our minds around it until… …STOP

Rub your eyes and look with new sight. Open your ears and listen. Open your heart and experience life to the fullest.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Pain is temporary, glory is forever.