I’m in South Africa. And sometimes I can barely catch my breath at the ache and the wonder of it. Sometimes it feels like I can barely capture it in words. But I keep trying, with every spare minute.

Want to take five minutes with me and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. Here’s how we do it:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in {you can grab the button code in my right side bar}

3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes for the prompt:

Grateful…

GO:

Grateful for the family and the friends and all the familiar. Grateful for the food and the fruit and the evenings eating biltong with my dad. Grateful for the sleep and the talks and the drives and the plans.

Grateful for the steep, steep drive and the swing at the top of it.

Grateful for the bed and the hot water bottles and the clean sheets and the feet beneath waiting to curl into mine. Grateful for the small boys and the big yawns and the loose limbs all tucked in beside one another. Grateful for the cold nights and the warm days.

Grateful for the five roses tea.

Grateful for the church and the worship and the remembering with old friends. Grateful for the climbing and the swinging and the big kids holding little kids’ hands. Grateful for the soft serve ice cream with flakes.

Grateful for the music and the early morning feeds and the names of three children I get to call mine. Grateful for the words and the Word and chapters I read in my own life. Grateful for you.

And you.

Grateful for you.

STOP.

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