Rest

It has been way too long since I linked up with The Gypsy Mama for 5 Minute Fridays and after a timely prompt from a friend I have decided this is the perfect week to get back to that. For those of you who forgot or are new to this, this is the time where we take five minutes to just write. No interruptions, to edits, just write.

This week's topic: Rest. Ready? Go!

Can I tell you honestly that when I hear the word rest I just want to laugh. Maybe laugh isn't the right word...snort, roll my eyes, chuckle all at once might be a more appropriate description. As a mom of 3 boys ages 5 and under I really have to wonder if I remember what true rest is. Between staying up too late to hold onto every second of my "alone" time to being woken up by someone with a need in the middle of the night on more occasions then not to being woken up at some ridiculous hour in the morning, if I had to take a guess I would say I average about 5 hours of sleep a night. Not all of that is because of my kids but I do attribute my overall tired state to them.

As you can see I instantly connect the word rest with sleep. That isn't the only kind of rest I am missing. There is a rest that comes when you are at peace. When your soul is at rest if you will. I have to be honest and say that it has been awhile since I have had a truly rested soul. Not because I don't know how to get it and not because it isn't readily available for the taking, but because I choose the other path. I choose to worry, to overload my plate, to focus on the tasks instead of the outcomes. To make it about me when it really isn't.

And then Matthew 11:28 resonates in my mind - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Yes Lord, I hear you. Yes Lord, I want that kind of rest. Help me stop and refocus on you so that everything else falls into place.

And DONE.

Want to join us? Head over to The Gypsy Mama and link up:

Motherhood should come with...

Almost forgot about 5 minute Friday. We started out this morning in a whirl which makes me even more excited to stop and write if even for only 5 minutes.

Today I am joining They Gypsy Mama for five minutes of writing without thinking, without stopping, without editing. What's today's topic? What else...Motherhood!

Ready, set, GO:

Motherhood should come with: A warning label. Maybe even a list of side effects. Yes there is abundant joy and unconditional love but you may want to know that with that comes vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches.

Motherhood should come with: A warranty. Insurance. Something that would guarantee that everything would work out exactly how it should and in the case of some unforeseen disaster, it would all be taken care of.

Motherhood should come with: A reward's card. Every positive parenting moment earns you reward points, extra points would be earned for times when your kids are sick, teething, terrible twoing, teenaging, etc. Points could be redeemed for mom necessities like coffee, pedicures, shopping trips, and week long secluded vacations.

Motherhood should come with: Customer service. Maybe a 1-800 number to call when you just don't have the answers. Some one who is available 24 hours a day to come out and "service" what ever is broken. A drop off service station where your kids come out reprogrammed and in the condition you first brought them home in.

STOP!!

That's all I got time for today. Can you tell what kind of week it has been in my house? I hard week for momma! Had this post came at a different time it might have looked different, might have had a touch of sentiment to it. I guess that speaks to the job of motherhood...it looks completely different from week to week.

Want to join in? Head on over and link up at The Gypsy Mama:

http://thegypsymama.com/2011/05/five-minute-friday-motherhood-should-come-with/

If I knew I could, I would...

It's a very early 5 Minute Friday this week. Go figure that the one night Isaiah slept through the night in weeks is when the other boys got up at 5:30. The life of a mom!

Anyway, you know the drill by now. This week's topic is: If I knew I could, I would...

GO!

If I knew that I could change the world, I would. I would get up every day and live it like it was the most important day of my life. I wouldn't hold back. I wouldn't give anything less than my best. I would know I had a purpose and live like it mattered.

If I knew that I could change a life, I would. I would pour my heart in soul into that person. I would make them feel loved and special. I would give them all of my heart and use all of my resources. I would know that I had a purpose and love like it mattered.

If I knew that I could change myself, I would. I would change the negative thoughts that keep me down and only let the positive ones sit in my head. I would take care of my mind and body. I would live like Jesus and be a light. I would know that I had a purpose and live like I mattered.

I know that I can change the world. I know that I can change a life. I know that I can change myself. If I know I can, I will.

STOP!

Want to join in the fun? Head on over to The Gypsy Mama to link up:

The hardest love

5 Minute Friday is upon us again. This week as we approach Easter it seems fitting to just write...to not hold back anything but just let what is within flow out. So here we go, the topic is The Hard Love:

You look down at the world that you created in seven days and while not surprised at the mess they have made, your heart is saddened. Why have your children chose the hard path? Why have they chose sin and living in the flesh when they could have it all if they just followed you? There is only one solution. One that you have known for all of time but that you have saved for this perfect moment. You send your son, your flesh and blood, to walk this Earth. To remind us of what it is all supposed to look like. To be grace and mercy. To give of himself until the very end. To sacrifice it all so that we can be saved. On that final day he walked the Earth he had to carry his own cross. The same cross that we would nail his hands and feet to until he took his final breath.

Talk about the hardest love. To love something so much that you give the ultimate sacrifice. Your own life. The life of your child. He did that. God did that for us. How could we ever deserve that kind of love? The truth is we don't. But he gives it anyway. So even though sometimes it feels hard to try to follow in the footsteps of that man who walked the earth over 2000 years ago, I will do it. I will gladly to it because I want to be a part of that kind of love. The hardest love.


Want to read other amazing thoughts on the hard love and maybe contribute your own? Head on over to The Gypsy Mama:

Distance

It's 5 Minute Fridays over at The Gypsy Mama again. I glanced at the topic earlier in the day but didn't have time to sit down and write. I know, it's only 5 minutes, but that was what my morning looked like!

Now that I have a little more time I am ready for my 5 minutes of writing without thinking, without editing. This week's topic: Distance.

Go!

What do I think of when I hear the word distance?
-The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. (You would think I had just left math class!)
-Distance makes the heart grow fonder. (I don't know if this is true or not...seems like it's one of those things people say obligatorily when you are being forced into a long-distance relationship)).
-The lyric's to Cake's song "Going the Distance" pops into my head. (Thanks college roomy for your never ending stream of Cake playing during road trips!)

While you have now seen the random, inner-workings of my mind, I am no closer to a topic to write about for 5 minutes! Mostly distance makes me think of being apart from people I love. Right now that would apply to my parents who live two states away and who I can't just pop over and see at any given moment. That just depresses me. So I think I will leave you circling on my first thoughts instead.

All I can say is that I hope for all of your sake that the topic next week elicits something more meaningful on my end!

Time's Up!
Want to join in the fun? Head on over and link up at The Gypsy Mama:

If you met me...

It's 5 Minute Fridays at The Gypsy Mama again. Friday's are quickly becoming one of my favorite blogging days. I don't have to think, I don't have to spend a lot of time. Someone tells me what to write, I set the timer and then let it all out. I guess I partly like it because it is easy. But even more so, because it forces me to let go and to just be me. To be okay with whatever comes out. That feels good!

Anyway, back to the task at hand. Today's topic "If you met me...."

GO!

If you met me...
- You would think that you are seeing someone who hasn't put herself first in awhile and you would be right.
- You wouldn't know that I am silly and witty and like to have fun...probably not the first time we meet anyways. That's because I can be shy at first. But if you kept coming around you would know that I let go!
- You would see that not everything is perfect. And that sometimes that makes me insecure. But that mostly I am learning to let go and be happy with what I have and what I am capable of.
- I would hope that you can tell right away that I have a heart for others. That if you were to ask me for something or mention a need, that no matter how long we had known each other I would give it to you if I could.
- It would quickly become obvious that I am a mom of 3 boys. Whether it is because they are with me, one attached at the hip and the other two running circles around me or because I can't help but bring them up in every conversation. And then when you learned their ages you would shake your head and tell me that I have my hands full. At least that's what most people do.
- You might notice my deep brown eyes. The ones that came from my mom and dad and that I have passed down to two of my three boys. The eyes that I used to wish and pray would magically turn blue. But upen the realization that they really are one of my best features and that blue eyes or brown really holds no weight in who I am, I have learned to love them just the way they are.

STOP!

Want to join in? Head on over and link up!

A few of my favorite things....

It's 5 minute Friday again. That time of the week where I just sit down and write for 5 minutes straight. No editing, no planning. Just writing.

This weeks topic: A few of my favorite things.

GO!

That first cup of coffee in the morning. Silky sweet creamer meets rich strong coffee....what a wonderful way to start the day.

Looking at my 3 boys and knowing that while it wasn't the way I would have planned it, God's plan was SO MUCH BETTER.

Laughing my head off with my husband. Takes me back to the beginning when I was head over heels in love with him and everything he did made me smile.

Time with girlfriends. They just get it like no one else. In an hours time you can discuss everything from grocery deals, to birth stories to your deepest darkest secret. It isn't uncommon for tears and laughter to occur in one sitting.

My baby's laugh. Especially when it is initiated because of something silly his bigger brothers are doing. Nothing tops that!

Random acts of kindness. Seeing someone else be nice for the sake of being nice, not expecting anything in return. Warms my heart.

God's word. The perfect life manual, God breathed, applicable yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Time's Up.

Want to try? Head on over to The Gypsy Mama for more info. Happy writing!

Also linking up at Finding Joy. Come on over and get filled up:

Waking Up...

It's that time again...Five Minute Friday. A little late this week as I both forgot and spent must of the day on the couch sick. This weeks topic is Waking Up.

Ready? Here goes:

"Waking up is so hard to dooooo!" Okay, maybe that's not quite how the song goes but it sure sounds good to me. I know that I have never been much of a morning person. I remember in college thinking that it was ludicrous that they even had 8 o'clock classes. 'Who comes up with this?' I would wonder. Needless to say more days than not I was barely making it out of bed for lunch. What with all that late night studying and all (insert wink here).

And then I had kids. And life as I knew it changed in more ways than one. Waking up past 6:00 am was a thing of the past. I literally cannot remember the last time I truly slept in. Probably almost 5 years ago. But you know what...it really isn't all that bad. Getting to wake up with the sun, sip my coffee while the birds chirp. And some mornings I just lie in bed listening to the chatter of my children. Nothing like a 4 year old's logic to give you a good giggle first thing in the morning!

I guess waking up isn't all that hard anymore. I do have 3 mostly chipper faces to greet me when I get up. And each day is truly a new adventure. I can't help but think of all the things I missed out on by wasting away my mornings back in the day. Then again, sleeping past sunrise sounds appealing every now and again!

DONE! You know what, this time 5 minutes actually felt long. I went into it remembering how short the time felt last time and expected to the timer to go off at any second. Actually, I had plenty of time to write this week.

Want to join in on the fun? Go visit The Gypsy Mama to get the rules (if you can even call them that) and to link up with the other participating bloggers.

Waiting...

Taking part in my first 5 minute Friday over at The Gypsy Mama. This is the place where once a week we take the chance to just write, and not worry if it’s just right or not. For five minutes flat. Here’s how the game works: you simply stop, drop and write. Set your words free. Don’t edit them, don’t fret over them, don’t try to make them perfect. 


This week's topic is waiting. So here we go....

It seems that from a very young age we are forced to wait. Starting with our parents telling us, "Wait until your older," or "Wait until I'm done!" This continues into our teenage years when we are waiting for that cute boy to ask us to the dance or the college of our dreams to send an acceptance letter. As an adult we anxiously await our wedding date, due date of our baby, that call saying we got the job.

It is no wonder most people have grown to hate waiting. It is often seen as a bad thing. But as I have gotten older I have come to realize that there is a reason that we spend so much time waiting. It is what we do with our self during that time that defines who we are and how we are going to fare in life. Do we get impatient, try to rush things along and make them happen in our own time? Or do we practice patience, busying our self and learning what we can from the process? I think the answer to this depends on where you are in life. Age, wisdom, situation and faith all play a role.

BEEEP. Yup, time's up. I never thought 5 minutes could go by so fast!! It really makes me realize how long winded I am as I have at least two more paragraphs rolling around in my head. Anyway, this was a fun exercise. If you would like to give it a go you should hop on over to The Gypsy Mama and link up with the others who have taken 5 minutes to write about waiting.