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.
My travel plans have been altered. While I am in Ohio today, the plan was to migrate back east to New York {upstate} then Massachusetts to get closer to Maine for a follow-up doctor’s appointment April 1. Instead, I will hunker down in Kentucky. I do not know if my doctor will be seeing routine patients. We’re in a holding pattern as the ramifications of the health emergency still sift down.
And so, we are on our mandated time out. All the disruption will give all of us a chance to do less over the next few weeks. Our choices will be limited, which means we should have more time to spend with our families … if we take advantage of it. It could be a time to reconnect with your spouse or kids. It could be an opportunity to catch up on the to do list, perhaps even including the whole family to clean up, spruce up or catch up. It could also be a time to some extra reading or extra study or extra prayer time — again as a family?
How are you surviving our time out? Any innovative approaches you can share? Any tips for others on how to keep the family engaged or keeping up with schoolwork?
Finally
The actions are designed to slow transmission of the disease or, as the experts say, “flatten the curve”. There have been some driven by fear who have overreacted, leading to irrational panic. They see some type of apocalypse ahead. They could be right, but … they may be wrong. These precautions may just be a temporary bump on the road of life … perhaps a speed bump to intentionally slow us down.
I have a few suggestions {pardon the self-plug} if you’re looking for some uplifting reading. May I suggest one of my books?
In between the two fictional novels, I published 
So it is with people. Problems within are often much more destructive to us than the problems without.
“I was starting in ignorance, fueled by more ignorance and a major helping of incorrect information …” — Gary Paulsen, Winterdance
Many times throughout our lives we come to a watershed in the journey, a fork in the road that requires us to make one of two choices: believe what other people tell us or believe what our heart tells us. If we choose the path of others’ voices and judgments, we begin to slowly embody those thoughts. We begin to believe and even tell ourselves the negative, the diminishing, the lack-luster. Contrary-wise, each time we choose to listen to our heart, to listen to the calling of that which brings us greatest joy and peace, we embody our authenticity — positivity, grandness, potential, beauty. The more we practice choosing our heart-song on the journey, the easier choosing to believe in our self becomes until ignorance and incorrect information are no longer what inform our journey or our dreams.
Let’s remember to approach the throne room and respond with faith and not fear, knowing the promises of God and His mighty hand will hold us through any situation! Sometimes, all it takes is just one prayer to change everything. Something extraordinary happens when two or more agree together in prayer.
Teresa has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease. Apparently, it’s been in her system for years. She is now on antibiotics and in pain. Please pray for her.
We come to You, Lord, because prayer is the least yet the greatest thing we can do for each other. When two or more are gathered in Your name, we confidently know You are with us. What better company can we have? You reign and we trust You! We may be broken and battered but know You heal and quiet the soul. You are the source for all that happens in our lives. We thank You for the progress being made. We thank You for the many blessings we have received this week — some we unfortunately didn’t notice. Nonetheless, those blessings are ever-present in our lives. We thank You for healing. We thank You for slowing us down. We thank You for providing us our daily needs — no more and no less. We thank You for being with us, listening to us, walking with us on this journey. We thank You for the support of our family and friends … for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary — sunrises, sunsets, flowers, kids laughing, adventures, good news amid the bad news. We know we can come to You with our concerns and they will be heard. Through Christ all things are possible. We lift up those family members and friends who are battling various physical, emotional, financial, career or spiritual issues and ask not for Your guidance and healing (although that would be welcomed) but to keep reminding us we are not alone in our battles. Specifically we lift up Andrew, Maria, Nova, Sam, Teresa, Linda, Nikki, Donna, Lisa, Geska, Lizzie, and all those needing Your healing and guiding touch. We pray for the families of all those You have called home. We grieve … You celebrate. We pray for obedience to Your Will so Your “Son” Light shines through us through the power of the Spirit. And we come to You through the confidence of the words taught by Your Son Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Sure, in addition to the heath risks, the economic and social impact of the virus is significant. Closings of schools and offices, suspending or cancelling sporting events, and limiting mass gatherings are bummers. Trying to figure out what to do for day care for those parents where schools are closed by mandate will be harrowing. Tele-working will present challenges. Restaurants and small businesses will be impacted beyond belief. Travel plans and spring breaks are in turmoil. But …
I could hear the voices talking. One voice asked why I was listening to country music. “Didn’t he say the only way to listen to country music was in a pickup?” The other chipped in, “Maybe he’s thinking about getting a pickup”. On cue, the next song on the playlist was Pickup Man. When I Will Always Love You played, one of the voices pointed out, “Wasn’t that from Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?” and the other added, “Yes. And he saw it in Texas!” That opened new memories of my training time in Texas, which led me to my time working in Illinois {where I was working when I went for the training} and the many friends I have and had in the Land of Lincoln.
Logic
The Light 