These are strange times we’re living through. The uncertainties of the covid-19 virus, the effects on everyday life from the pandemic, even the craziness of panic purchases have left us virtually sheltering in place, with minimal contact with a much compressed world outside. Thank God, we can write down our thoughts as we go through these crazy days.

Our Five Minute Friday community remains a beacon for support and prayer. Many of last night’s posts shared suggestions about what to do with the kids, suddenly home instead of in school. There was also an open ended invitation for support from community members … because that’s what we do best.

Our fearless moderator Kate Motaung  supplies us with the one word prompt and off we go! Our weekly exercise is designed for five minutes of uninterrupted patter of the fingers representing the thoughts of the heart, soul and mind.When done, we link up in the Community section at fiveminutefriday.com, then settle in to gently critique and soak in our neighbors’ work. I can’t wait to find new friends each week!

I invite you to join us in reading the wide interpretations and multi-genre presentations of the prompt. Or, better yet, try your hand! It’s five minutes (more or less) with few rules and no obligations. It’s fun (albeit sometimes challenging). It’s networking at its finest. We love meeting new friends!

To help inspire you to join our group, I’ve included testimonials from writers as outlined in Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat, compiled by Susan Shipe. This week, I’ll share some words from Katie’s heart.

“FMF is a hospitable, fun and caring group of writers. Not only have I been challenged to write off the cuff, but I’ve been inspired by the words of others and encouraged by the friendships that have been forged through this community.”

Amen!

This week’s prompt is TOMORROW. The timer has been set, so it’s time to GO…

When my middle son was little, he would go around singing the opening stanza from Tomorrow from the musical Annie — “The sun’ll come out … Tomorrow … Bet your bottom dollar … That tomorrow … There’ll be sun!” I’m not sure why. I don’t even know if he identified with Daddy Warbucks or Rooster Hannigan or one of the supporting waif characters. The first few times it was cute. After about the next 100, it was less than amusing … but it remains a memory for me.

I thought about that song and the phrase I’ve been known to use on occasion — “The sun’ll come out … Tomorrow … “even before the current virtual lockdown. I’ve really thought about it since the prompt was given last night.

Truth is, we don’t know if the sun will shine tomorrow. It might rain or snow, after all it is March. All we have is today’s gift and yesterday’s memories. Tomorrow? That’s the future and well out of our mortal hands. We have to wait for the present, unwrap the present, enjoy the present when it is given to us.

Tomorrow may be bright and sunny. It may be stormy and confusing … STOP

… but it will come. Even when our today is the last gift, there will be a tomorrow. It’s up to us to choose whether that eternal tomorrow is in the bright and sunny presence of the Lord or in the turmoil, pain and separation in the other not so good place.

But, it is a choice we have to make today … before tomorrow.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: If you are going to doubt something, doubt your limitations.