Friday. Time for Five Minute Friday.

I do look forward to the writing exercise, meeting with my FMF friends to ponder, then put down and share a word prompt with them. Thanks to Kate Motaung for hosting this party in the Community section at www.fiveminutefriday.com. They are an incredible corps of writers!

If you’ve followed this blog at all, you know how much value FMF has for me. I’ve asked you to join in [you really, really should]. It’s quick. It’s easy {okay, sometimes not always}. It’s challenging. And it’s oh so rewarding. But don’t take my word for it. Here is what Mandy has to say, taken from snippets in Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat. Don’t listen to me. Listen to her.

“I never felt I was much of a writer. My writings from my college composition class was proof of that. And while I learned a lot in that class I still was not confident about my writing. But recently God has been pushing me to write. I, like Moses, resisted. ‘I can’t write so good, God.’ But He saying, ‘I’ll give you the words to say.’ Then I started seeing these Five Minute Fridays popping up. I thought maybe this would be a way to get started. There was no pressure. No editing. So I decided to try it. The first time, I didn’t get much down in 5 minutes. And certainly not anything worthwhile to say. But each time I tried, I did  a little better. Then the words started coming from somewhere else (God, obviously). In September, I saw the challenge to write every day in October. God said it was time. He said I had something to say about living with pain. So I took the challenge. The words flowed quite easily and it was actually good therapy for me. The added bonus was all the encouragement from other writers who read my post. The five minute challenge has pushed me beyond my comfort zone and built my confidence to do what God is calling me to do.”

Convinced it’s your time yet?

This week’s prompt is OPPORTUNITY. My brain retreated introspectively because, well, I’m in an introspective mood. The timer is set, so I guess it’s time to GO …

As I reflect on the word, I can easily interchange the word opportunity with blessing. Yes, each opportunity I had always was a blessing.

So, I am thankful for the opportunities I have received and the blessings received for:

The opportunity to be in this place at this time in history, thanks to the wisdom of the Lord.

The opportunity to be blessed with a supportive family, both growing up and afterwards as I raised my own family.

The opportunity and blessing of having a solid faith foundation. While I may not have always been true to my faith, the core values I learned as a child never left me and deepened as I journeyed through life.

The opportunity to work in a profession I loved for my entire career — different stepping stone roles, each one building on the previous.

The opportunity to have a wife and partner for 40 years. What a blessing!

The opportunity to raise and … STOP

… nurture five amazing children, 18 grandchildren and three soon-to-be-four great-grandchildren. Truly my best opportunity and biggest blessing!

The opportunity to have true friends … some for a season, most for a lifetime.

The opportunity to meet people literally from around the globe — from Little Leaguers to professional athletes, from John and Jane Does to world and national leaders.

The opportunity to share my life with a wider audience through my blog and on social media. What a blessing that has been!

The opportunity to follow my passion — writing. I have written two books and have a third in the beta read phase for a summer release. My words are always written to reach people where they are with foundational truths. I have interacted with so many people. What a blessing!

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Develop an “attitude of gratitude.”