Some

 

As the birds sing in the day, I think of some success.

Some success in writing – I’ve done a ton, articles, books, stories, press releases, reports, legal documents, poems, lists, a couple contests …

I think of some health gains, getting back into shape, eating healthier, feeling better …

I remember some exciting moments, my wedding, my graduations, my performances, a few memorable trips, my celebrations, a few accidents, a few stays in the hospital, a couple of health scares, an automotive break-down or two …

I think of some honors I have been given, speaking at the local gathering for the National Day of Prayer, receiving a few awards, a book signing, speaking, teaching others …

And prayers answered … some of my prayers have been answered. It feels like lots of my prayers have been answered, but compared to the multitude of prayers I have prayed it could be considered some.

And some is good

Because some is not nothing

 

 

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Five Minute Friday is a group of writers who take a word (some) and write about it for five minutes. It keeps you in the writing habit and offers encouragement that only a fellow writer can give. 

Almost

home

Most of my life has been spent in the Almost. 

It's Almost vacation.

We're Almost there.

It's Almost time to go.

Almost is a hopeful word. It means the waiting is just about over.

But there is still work to do because Almost is an intense space of time between Now and Then.

~

Almost time for the books to arrive.

Then I can take them around to my libraries and pass them out to my friends and send them off to relatives and bring them in to the store that sells them for me.

~

The onions and potatoes are in the ground awaiting the hot sun to urge them to work.

Almost time for planting tomatoes and peppers.

dogwood

It's Almost time to get supper on ... I have to go ...

Announcement

Announcing my newest book of prayer meditations, Before Tea, God. These short meditations might challenge you to view your faith life in a slightly different way. Ponder one a day or several. Suggested Bible readings are included.

A little about the book - I began writing prayers as posts for my Facebook friends. I received comments saying the prayers encouraged them, challenged them, was exactly what they needed for that day. This is a double blessing. I decided to compile some of these prayers into a book for those who may have missed a few or for my friends who do not participate in social media. 

Special thanks to Ole Dog Coffee Culture for carrying my Before Coffee, God, and for all the wonderful encouragement to continue on with these projects. 

~

All my books are available on Amazon.com. My novel, The Porch, is also available at Barnes and Noble.

(Available in paperback and Kindle editions.)

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Lonely

 

 

I’ve been lonely all my life. I only recently discovered why.

I would hug the loneliness to myself and write and listen to music and sit outside and listen to birds and swim in the pool creating stories and imagining where I would end up after I grew up.

Emotionally

My emotions raged, and not just when I was going through the teens. My parents fought so it’s no wonder my brother and I played that out as we looked for treasure throughout the neighborhood. I was lonely for someone to play with who didn’t tell me I was weird. I was lonely.

Psychologically

I felt different from everyone. It seemed like they were all “them” and I was me, in a corner, happy, but not fitting in. I didn’t really like what they liked or talked about what they talked about. I didn’t even like to wear the same clothes (even though my mom forced me to).

In my 40s I took a test and found out I was an INFJ and that all the things I was experiencing were normal. I was normal. Lonely was normal.

Spiritually

I was raised to be extroverted and a leader. I was expected to do tremendous amounts of responsibilities and to excel. This led to sickness, headaches and anxiety. When I learned more about myself, I found that it was normal for extroverts to expect extroverted behavior from others. Once I embraced my introverted self and being who I really was I stopped being so angry, so judgmental, so In-Your-Face about everything. I began to relax and become comfortable with not living up to expectations, disappointing people, and following my own path.

And God was there showing me I felt lonely, not for other INFJs so much as lonely for My Home, the one the Father intended for me, the one Jesus is preparing for me. I was lonely for His rest.

I was lonely for other heaven bound creatures like me, others who found reading the Bible to be a daily adventure and supremely comforting, others who praised God in their pain and prayed for others and worked behind the scenes.

 

Thank You, God for the journey. Thank You for healing me. Thank You for giving me jobs that fit while being challenged to occasionally step out of my comfort zone.

 

Are you lonely? It’s okay.

In heaven that goes away.

 

If you like to write, join us at the Five Minute Friday family. You can post on Facebook, or you can post from your blog. You can even write with us and not share a single word.

 

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Pretty soon I will be announcing the publication of my newest book of prayer meditations, Before Tea, God.