Five Minute Friday - View

Today is Friday once again, my favorite day for writing.  Don't forget to link back over at Lisa Jo's after you finish.  We love to share!  So, let’s do this thing. Let’s write.

Set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back over at Lisa Jo's and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on the word:::

View…

START

My life has been filled with vistas and valleys.  There are places I have been that have made a lasting impression on me.  Sometimes, the impression is amazing, and sometimes, well, not quite so much.  The thing about the view that I have learned is that it changes depending upon where we are standing.  Those days of working three jobs to try and make the ends meet somewhere in the middle, are over.  But the memories linger on.  So much better in hindsight than they were at the time.  

The days of boys throwing papers at 2:00am while I drove through empty streets.  The mornings of rushing off to school and work and the babysitter's house.  The nights of rocking sick children and holding colicy babies are gone.  The wonder of holding a new life just after birth.  The loving, the needing, the wishing, the hoping, all learned in the past.  

In this vista of life, I have teenagers.  (that might be one of those harder things),  I have a loving husband, I have grandchildren.  I have worries and aching and love and friendship.  In this place, I am learning to live in the moment, because I have learned that time passes and the view will change.  No matter what spot in life we are in, eventually, the view will change.  

STOP

Now it is your turn.  What can you write in just five minutes?  Don't forget to go back over to Lisa Jo's and share with the rest of us!  Hope to see you there!

Not Alone

Not Alone

by Patricia A Pitterle

Buried in water,

Covered in Grace,

Lifted in Glory,

Heart filled with Faith.

He sees my weeping,

He knows my grief,

He gives me mercy,

He grants relief.

Out of the darkness,

Sensing His presence,

Feeling His love, 

Filled with forgiveness.

Home to His keeping,

Away from my cares,

Surrounded by His arms,

My burdens He bears.

He is my Savior,

Redeemer and King,

He sacrificed His life

Salvation He brings.

What does He ask of us?

What does He need?

He asks that we serve Him

by feeding His sheep.

And so, I share His words,

His strength and His teachings,

His Love and His service,

His arms that are reaching.

Reaching out in our stumbling,

Catching us when we fall,

He walks softly beside us,

We're not alone after all.

Depression, It Goes On and Off and On and Off.

"In three words 

I can sum up everything 

I've learned about life:  

it goes on".  

Robert Frost

It certainly does!  No matter what is happening in my life, it passes.  Sickness, health, depression, anxiety, broken arms or even winter storms, they all move on to the next time, the next season, the next trial or even the next joy.  No matter how difficult things seem today, they really will look different as time goes on. 
I think that is why depression can be so hard for us to bear.  We lose the focus of moving on and become entirely focused in the here and now.  It feels as if there is no way to survive whatever our current problems are.  Instead, we are in a seeming unending loop of anguish.  We stay up and worry, we eat and worry, we sit down and worry.  Worry becomes our constant companion.  There is no break from the pain.
I am learning to live with depression.  You would think, after so many years of suffering with it for most of my life, that I would know.  Yet, I still go on and off medication.  I still have days and weeks when I quit taking care of myself.  I still feel hopeless sometimes.  I still forget to depend on the timing of my Heavenly Father.  I still lose hope.
Depression is a disease like many others, but because our society doesn't accept it, often those of us with it don't accept it either.  We constantly struggle to feel "normal" again.  Sometimes I forget that this is my own kind of "normal" and it is ok just as it is.  We all have challenges, the goal is to bring light into our lives in spite of them. 
So, whatever your trials may be, this too shall pass away, we are not alone, we can endure and we can make a difference.  Remember, remember always that you are loved and needed, just the way you are.

Luke 12:6-7
Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

When You Go Looking

"If you go looking for a friend, you're going to find they're scarce.  If you go out to be a friend, 

you'll find them everywhere."  

Zig Zigler

This world is such a serious place most of the time.  Things happen and we feel alone.  I know that I have.  It can be hard for me to start over and make new friends.  It is always a little bit of a reach.  What if they don't like me?  What if they don't want to know me?  What if I share too much? Or too little.
We each hurt at times during our lives and having a friend can really ease the pain.  I have discovered, especially living in a small town, that when I really look for friends, I just can't seem to find them.  There is no one there who has time for me.  It is almost like we are living on different planets instead of just down the street.  But this year, when I really needed friends, there they were.  People I never had thought to reach out to, just opened their arms and reached out to me.  I am learning that to have friends, it is not enough to look for them, you really have to seek to be one first.
I am making new friends every day.  As a strange matter of fact, I think I have more friends now than I have ever had.  These ones have walked into the fire for me and brought me back out.  They have staying power.  So, my message is, don't despair.  If you don't have friends, go out and serve.  Develop an interest, find a place to help, find something that you like to do, and they will come.  They will see that you are worth knowing and worth loving.  They will make a difference in your life just as you will make a difference in their's.  And that is a beautiful gift indeed.   

“Friendship is born at that moment 

when one person says to another: 

"What! You too? 

I thought I was the only one.” 

~C. S. Lewis~

Sunday Scribblings - Losing

Found this one today. I know it is a little faster than music I normally listen to on Sunday, but the words really make it worthwhile. It expresses my feelings in the best way.  It speaks to my heart.  It is a piece of music by a group called Tenth Avenue North and is titled, "Losing".

Five Minute Friday - SONG

Got five minutes? Let’s write. Let’s write in shades of real and brave and unscripted.

Let’s just write and not worry if it’s just right or not.

Because:

“Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.” 

~E. B. White~

1. Write for 5 minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word.
2. Link back over at Lisa Jo's place and invite others to join in.
3. Be generous and leave an encouraging comment for the person who linked up before you. That’s the best part about this community.

Today’s prompt is:

Song….

GO

“Life, he realized, was much like a song. 

In the beginning there is mystery, 

in the end there is confirmation, 

but it's in the middle where all the emotion resides 

to make the whole thing worthwhile.”

~ Nicholas Sparks, The Last Song ~

For me, a good song is more than music pieced together with notes and pen.  For me, it is the words, the story that is told, the beauty of the moment when a lesson is taught and people change.  In the middle where the emotion resides to make the whole thing remembered and worth singing. 
Sometimes, I don't like the emotion.  It can be intense and uncomfortable.  I have felt lost and alone in the song of my life.  I have felt both unneeded and unwanted.  But I have also felt great love, I have felt humor and laughter in the tears.  I have felt small sticky hands and sweet baby kisses wipe away the sorrows of my heart and teach me the words that I need to sing in my song. 
A song is a thing of beauty unfolding, using the black keys as well as the white ones.  Using the sorrows as well as the joys in my life.  Using all the strings and all the notes.  A song is not just about the good things, often the one that touches my heart most and brings about the greatest learning are the notes that remind me I am human.  It is the song in my life that makes me want to change something and be just a little better than I am. 
The songs that I know in my heart are interspersed with sorrow and joy; with mistakes and forgiveness, with longing and love, with loneliness and completion.  The song of my life is not simple, but it is unique.  It whispers to me of who I really am as well as of who I can become. 
The song in my heart plays light melodies and dark discords all blended together to make a masterpiece.  With His song, I become whole, at peace, and most of all, loved.  His song brings me home. 

STOP

Now it is your turn.  What can you write in just five minutes?  Don't forget to go back over at Lisa Jo's and link up with the rest of us.  Hope to see you there.

Who gets the credit?

"It is amazing what you can accomplish 

if you do not care who gets the credit".  

Harry Truman

The quality of writing speaks for itself.  Some books go down for generations.  They are enjoyed time and time again.  In these days of quick rewards, some people like to take credit for themselves for the writing accomplishments of others.   (This is called perjury, by the way). 
Children learn to write their names at the top of every paper.  They are rewarded with a grade for their accomplishments.  Their papers are posted on a board on parents night where everyone can see who wrote it.  The papers are admired and hopefully remembered. 
I am learning that a great poem or story or even blog article should speak for itself.  What an honor it is, as a writer, to have someone want to use your article or poem in something they write.  What a wonderful feeling it is when they seek me out and ask to use my poems or my thoughts in their own writings or talks.
When they speak, I might not get the credit, because they are the ones speaking, but my works are remembered through their love and enjoyment of my writing.
I think the words we write should speak for themselves.  They should be remembered because of the gift they are to others.   Don't get me wrong, I am not saying we should all be guilty of perjury.  I am just saying that we should not worry quite so much about getting the credit each and every time.
I want my poems to have my name, but I also want them to be loved and enjoyed and learned from.  I want credit for my writing, but I don't mind at all sharing it with another person who is speaking.  I think if we know who said something, we should mention them, but we also should share often those things from others that strengthen our testimonies and lighten our burdens.
For me, those good things can be songs, poems, stories or even a simple blog post.  For me, it is amazing that there are so many people out there who have the same thoughts that I have and we each express them in slightly different ways.  And sometimes, together we work miracles, and the credit all goes to HIM, and I am so grateful to be a small part of it.