It’s Friday. Take a breath.
Two days of rest are headed toward us like bright and beautiful waves of hope.
Let’s write, shall we? Without wondering if it’s right or not.
Take five minutes and remember what it feels like to weave words together for the simple pleasure of how they sound. Without worrying about how they’re edited or perfected.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Get a little crazy with encouragement for the five minuter who linked up before you.
OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:
Older…
I’m older today. And I find I fit into this woman’s skin better than I did a year ago. I am becoming the surest version of myself. I feel it in my heart. Sometimes I feel it in my tired feet too. But those simply tell me I’ve been busy. Busy with children and their wrangling and wrestling and carrying and tending and it is a soulful kind of busy.
I am not afraid anymore of who I will grow up to be.
There is a friend to fishermen who waits for me in the mornings and I slip small hand into his big rough one and I know the day will be OK. The day, the next year, the seasons still too come.
I feel the wrinkles climbing happy around and about my eyes, my cheeks, testimony to laughter and life. I feel so full of the wonder of being alive. Even on the days I am tired or frustrated or desperate for an hour to myself. I am aware that the God who made me finds me useful and this is a miracle to me.
I want to wink at Him when I’m sitting there in the dark rocking a baby girl in that faded yellow rocker. Because I know He knows this is the good stuff. These are the moments like treasure hidden for us to stub our toes on, since we’re not expecting it.
Boys who bury their heads in my chest and stifle me with their hugs. A baby who gummy grins any time I enter the room. A man who wants to dash out at 9pm after taking the long bus route home to go and buy cake.
This is older. This is better. This is good.
STOP.
OK, your turn – show me what you’ve got.
{ 4 trackbacks }
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
Happy Birthday, Mama!
In honor of your birthday I will enjoy a tasty, hot, chocolatey, peanut buttery s’more tonight! I’ll think of you with the first gooey bite. Haha! Blessings to you on this day and throughout the coming year. You are such a treasure!
happy birthday – enjoy!
Have a happy, wonderful, and memorable birthday!
What a great birthday present to yourself…rest! Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday! Wishing you every happiness always, and thanking you for the good thought gifts you’ve given me in this space!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAMA! May God bless you and keep you always! (And I’m turning into ‘that’ person too! How I love an early bed-time, hee hee! )
Hope you have a wonderful birthday!
An early bedtime – sounds like the perfect birthday gift. Happy day!
Happy Birthday! May your year be filled with the breathless wonder of grace, showers of mercy, a bounty of His holy presence. May harried moments turn into alters of joy and every challenge be an opportunity to see God’s face. May delight brim and joy overflow your cup!
Happy birthday!!
Happy birthday, beautiful friend! Praying this year is one of your best ever…
Happy Birthday chica! Virgo people are the best. My moms and daughter (she’ll be one on September 11!) are both Virgos and have such sweet dispositions. Keep on continuing to spread joy and happiness to those around you and may God continue to bless your family.
HaPPy BirThDaY!!!!
And this is beautiful—for all of us!!
Happy, Happy Birthday to You! Hope you have a super day and the best year yet!
Just beautiful, dear one.
I want to slip in here for a moment and thank you for hosting Five-Minute Friday. It is such an enlivening exercise for the writer, to just … write. I teach journalism writing at a Christian college here in Iowa, and just yesterday, one of my freshman students asked how to combat writers’ block. I shared with her this exercise, this writing-for-five-minutes-and-not-fretting-over-every-word. I told her that no matter how long we’ve been writing, we can run into those blocks, and I shared with her how your exercise had helped invigorate some dry places in my own writing. And I wanted to share that with you as well. So … thank you, birthday girl, for encouraging us in this journey.
Happy birthday. I’m glad God made you.
Happy happy birthday to YOU! May your day be as much of a blessing to you as you are to others!
Happy Birthday! Thanks for inviting us all to this party!
i broke my own rule today (which is not to read others before i’ve written my own) but i saw on the twitter that today is your birthday and wanted to send my well wishes to you for this day and the year ahead, one day at a time.
and congratulations on a life well-lived!
xo
Happy Birthday! Thanks for sharing your gift of writing and your encouraging thoughts with us!
Many blessings to you and your family!
yes! we idolize and glamorize youth, but i’d take the confidence and wisdom of age any day of the week. have a beautiful birthday to match your beautiful heart.
Yes, older is better! Happy birthday!!
Happy Birthday, sweet sister. I hope you feel how very loved you are, and that this next year brings you more blessings than you can hold. I love you!
Happy birthday, Lisa Jo! I know He’s winking at you today.
Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday!! Enjoy and take in all the love!!
Beautiful, beautiful post. I love this: “I feel so full of the wonder of being alive. Even on the days I am tired or frustrated or desperate for an hour to myself. I am aware that the God who made me finds me useful and this is a miracle to me.” And yes, I agree, holding those babies, at whatever hour, is the good stuff!
Happy Birthday!!
Happy Birthday! I love your perspective and am thankful for the encouragement you give to myself and others.
“this is older. this is better.” i love this. i like my life better and better each year. today is my brother’s 50th birthday. i wrote about him for my post. when i told him happy birthday he said, “I don’t feel a day over 60!” love him. happy birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday! I’m getting older tomorrow, too. God is faithful to give us so many good things in this life, sometimes i feel overwhelmed by just how good He is to us!
Wait … So … You and Tsh have the same birthday! Hope it’s a very happy one.
What a truly sweet post! Happy Birthday to you!!! I pray you will continue to enjoy those gummy smiles while they last and all of the hugs you can muster.
Bless you!
Happy happy birthday to you!!! Older = Surer… And I really love what you wrote here… Take care and more wisdom for you as you live a longer and blessed life!
Irene
Beautiful post today. Happy birthday to you!
“These are the moments like treasure hidden for us to stub our toes on, since we’re not expecting it.” That’s gold, right there.
That *is* gold. And so is “I feel the wrinkles climbing happy around and about my eyes, my cheeks, testimony to laughter and life.”
Another great topic. Here I am 46, living out loud all the dreams God has for me in this season, a new grandson and for whatever reason older, but feeling like a kid!!! I’m in a wide open field spinning and twirling like a 6 year-old.
The wrinkles and laugh lines are signs of beauty and growth of His love and acceptance of us…and we of ourselves.
Much love to you Lisa-Jo.
Greetings Lisa-Jo!
I love this engaging Five Minute Friday community. I came to know it thru Lindsey’s blog. I see that people say to “Link up” & join but as I’m new to the blogosphere, I’m not sure as to how to do this. Would you be so kind as to take me by the hand & lead me into this community?
Cheers!
Heather @ Find That Warm Fuzzy Feeling
I keep doing it this way…the long way round. Anyway, here’s my ‘Older’ post:
http://kristawork.blogspot.com/2011/09/five-minute-friday-older.html
Thank you for the encouragement to just write.