Five Minute Friday: Broken

She thought she had all the facts.  (She didn't.)
Based on incomplete information, she jumped to several incorrect conclusions.

There she stood, in the dark, at the end of my driveway....a total stranger screaming hurtful words--words that were unprovoked, unmerited, and untrue.

And there I stood by the front door, my children at my side...
Confused. Shattered. Broken.

Her words, bitter and sharp, slashed a groove across my heart and mind, like the stylus of a record player across an old vinyl record.  The memory of that scene replays in my mind like a broken record, stuck and skipping.  In my flesh, the pain and sadness mingles with rage at the injustice of what happened and the emotional scar it left behind.

Today is Good Friday.  As I contemplate what Christ did for me, I am reminded that He is my personal savior.  Isaiah described Him as a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.  He understands what it is like to have venomous and untrue insults hurled at Him.  Rather than rage at the injustice though, He responded with

Silence (Isaiah 53:7)
and
Love (Romans 5:8)

Oh to be more like Him...
my Father.
my Savior.


            

Five Minute Friday: Remember

The brain, and its ability to remember, is a gift from the Lord.

Memory:  At the age of seven, I played Marta in a local high school's stage performance of the Sound of Music.  After the bows at the final show, I remember walking back stage and seeing my father standing at the top of the stairs with a huge bouquet of red carnations, just for me.

Gift:  Love

Memory:  Summer visits to my grandparents' farm in northern Idaho.  Feeling the radiating heat of the sun on my face, the smell of hay fields, and hearing the buzz of grasshoppers.

Gift:  Joy

Memory:  Spending a long weekend in a ski lodge in Whistler, B.C.  We were there prior to the opening of ski season, so the resort was deserted.  I sat in a chair by the crackling fire for hours, reading and watching the snow gently fall.

Gift:  Peace

Memories are powerful.  I listed three good memories, but I also have memories of times and events that taught me valuable lessons in life...teachable moments that convicted and instructed.  The ability to remember is a gift from the Lord that can teach willing and humble hearts more about who He is, and who we are to be in Him.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  (John 14:26, NASB)


            

One Thousand Gifts

841.  The plaintive bleating of a flock of lambs

842.  Shoebox dioramas

843.  That my hand is only sprained and bruised, but no broken bones

844.  Helping my husband on a project and gaining a new understanding and appreciation for how hard he works

845.  Free espresso as part of a local bank promotion

846.  Fragrant flowers

847.  Daffodils trumpeting the arrival of spring

848.  A chorus of croaking frogs at twilight

849.  Watching sheep be unloaded from a big semi truck

850.  Standing among 20 children, noses pressed to the fence, watching the sheep be unloaded

851.  Watching the sheep literally jump and leap down the ramp into the pasture

852.  Children squealing with delight when a sheep would leap down the ramp

853.  That my son did an excellent job helping me grocery shop...

854.  ...and did so with a happy heart

855.  Sitting on the front porch at daybreak

856.  Hearing the fluttering wings of two ducks as they flew overhead

857.  Birds singing to their Creator

858.  The long, slow, rhythmic croak of a frog

859.  Rest

860.  The look of confidence in her eyes when she told me she got 100% on her spelling test

861.  Ice cream cake

862.  Old movies that make you laugh

863.  My daughter being selected for the Wall of Honor at school

864.  How much she admires her brother

865.  A new yummy quiche recipe

Five Minute Friday: Rest

A lot can happen in five minutes.

I did something I never do, and took a few moments to sit on the front porch this morning and listen to the neighborhood wake up.

In that time, I:
* heard five different types of birds singing to their Creator
* heard the long, slow, repetitious croak of a frog
* heard the wings flutter from two ducks that flew overhead
* heard the street lamp click off for the day
* heard a dog bark
* felt the cool morning breeze on my face
* saw a flock of birds forming a V
* noticed that the neighbor’s tree is beginning to bloom

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  Weary and heavy laden? Yep, that’s me!  He knows that I have been struggling with my health.  He knows that I am entering a crazy, hectic weekend.  He knows my mind is a blur with details.  He knows that I need

Rest.

As I thought about that verse, the word that stuck out was “give.”  In order to be given something, we have to receive it. I’m so glad I took the time to receive His gift this morning.

          

One Thousand Gifts

[Life has been busy and I have gotten behind on posting, but I'm still counting!]

826.  Homemade valentines

827.  Listening to her chatter while we made valentines

828.  Googly eyes

829.  Cupcake liners

830.  Sunny vacation days

831.  Chocolates on the pillow

832.  Family pictures with Mickey Mouse

833.  Fireworks over Disneyland

834.  Making our flight connection

835.  Ibuprofen

836.  When the doctor's office calls back in a timely manner

837.  Making brownies for him and his classmates

838.  His 13th birthday

839.  Being okay with realizing I'm now the mom of a teenager!  (lol)

840.  Lively discussion in a Bible study