Five Minute Friday - Awake

On Fridays, I join a group of amazing women and stop, drop, and write.

For fun, for love of the sound of words, for play, for delight, for joy and celebration at the art of communication.

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.

Won’t you join us?

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. 2. Link back over at The Gypsy Mama and invite others to join in. 3. Most important: comment and encourage the person who linked up before you.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:

Awake…

Start

It is the middle of the night and I am warm and sleeping in my bed when the girls rush into my room.  "Mom, Mom, hurry, Nora threw up".  It takes a moment for my body to respond and I get up and go into the other room.  Nora has been sleeping with the girls.  She is three and away from her mom for a couple of days with Grammy.  I quickly take in the situation and start the older girls on the bedroom clean up, while I take a sobbing child into my bathroom for a shower and a good soap.  

I am now so awake.  So is she.  She is still crying though.  She doesn't feel good.  I clean her up, dry her off, dress her in clean clothes and gather her into a big fluffy blanket to snuggle tight against me.  We rock as I put her gently back to sleep.  

I help the girls finish the room, put clean sheets on the bed and get them settled again for the night.  They go swiftly to sleep.  I hold the baby against me and remember so many times before holding her mother just like this.  I can still feel the silkiness of her mother's hair, the softness of her baby skin.  

My sweet grand-daughter reminds me that goodness comes in the service of a mother in the night.  Memories are made in the hard times, as well as the fun times.  The deepness of the night surrounds us, the quiet darkness holds us close.  We rock, and I am still awake.  I cherish this moment of time when I have this child with me.  I know how swiftly time flies and how soon they grow up.  I know that the day will come when she will no longer need my arms around her.

Soon, she won't need my rocking.  Soon, she will be big.  Soon, she will be independent.  Soon, she will be grown and this nightly awake time will be gone.  

So today, I hold on to my memories.   I hold onto this fleeting, flying moment.  I hold tightly to soft skin and wispy hair and butterfly kisses.  I hold tightly to love.  I hold fast to the awake. 

  

STOP 

Now it is your turn.  What can you write in just five minutes?