5 minute friday :: hard love

it’s been a few weeks but i’m linking up again with the gypsy mama for five minute friday! here’s the deal: write for 5 minutes on the assigned topic – no editing! – then stop. add your linky love and spread some love to the post before. easy-peasy.

and GO!

“for God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”
~john 3:16

that’s some serious love, right. can you imagine giving up your child?? for anything??!! nope. not even a little bit. but God did that. for me. ridiculous, right?

loving myself is a hard love. SO difficult. i’m lacking and i fall short in so many ways. i should be a better mother, a better wife, a better person. i should accomplish more in my day. i should give more of myself. how can i possibly be satisfied with who i am, let alone love myself?

but my husband loves me. my son loves me. my mother loves me. do they just not know any better? thankfully, God has given us all the capacity to love. to see beyond the shortcomings and love deeply and truly.

most importantly, He loves me. He made me in His image. and i will remind myself of that daily, hourly, minute by minute so that i can embrace His creation and call myself worthy.

STOP

please be sure to visit the other bloggers – such a great way to make a new friend! :-)

five minute friday :: a few of my favorite things

once again hooking up with the gypsy mama for five minutes of my day! the rules are simple: write for 5 minutes unedited. then add your link and show some love to those who have come before you.

and……….GO

those times when he’s still my little man and loves to cuddle with his mama.

i love that my husband knows how to make my coffee and that i occasionally get coffee in bed.

hours-long conversations or visits with mel, always picking up where we left off like no time has passed at all. that unspoken knowledge that we are family and always will be there for each other

“c-a-t spells cat!” says the little man. trying so hard to read and spell on his own. i love his love for learning.

the bond that has grown between the freimuths and the scopinos – so awesome that each of us has each of them in our lives.

hubby passed up opening day yankees tickets to spend my birthday with me (that’s huge!). i love that the most important things to him are God and family.

TIME

this one was difficult for me. definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. yesterday was my birthday (41. yikes!) and the day didn’t really go as i’d hoped. i had planned to make up for it this morning – a little mama time – but school was cancelled. (snow. seriously??) feeling sorry for myself so happy thoughts did not immediately come to mind. whine, whine, whine.

so i’ll spend some time re-reading my post, focusing on the blessings i have in my life. seeing how far God has brought me and how far He has brought my family. and i’ll get over myself. eventually ;-)

what are a few of your favorite things?

five minute friday :: waking up

it’s that time again! time to write without reservation (i love alliterations!!). once again, i’m linking up with the gypsy mama to let the words flow. write for five minutes and five minutes only on the assigned topic. no forethought, no edits and no do-overs. today’s topic: “waking up”.

ready, set……

GO..

the days go by in a flurry of activity……school, appointments, schedules, play dates. pick up toys. don’t put your fingers in your mouth. because i said so. that’s not nice. mama, look at me! mama,watch this! temper tantrums, messy rooms, misbehavior. boy, oh boy, does that little man aggravate me! i am ever so grateful at the end of the day – bedtime. peaceful time. quiet time. no one’s calling my name, no one’s demanding my attention. just before that end-of-the-day time, i find myself wondering how on earth i’m going to do this all again. what was i thinking? then he sleeps. and in the morning, he wakes. mama! with a smile on his face. with love in his heart. renewed, refreshed. ready for cuddles. and we do it all again :-)

and STOP.

that’s it. five minutes not sure if i’m quite on topic but i followed the rules!

what’s your first thought when you wake up in the morning?

 

five minute friday :: on waiting

here’s the deal: i’m linking up with thegypsymama for five minute friday. rules: write for five minutes on the chosen subject. no editing. no over-thinkiing. just let it flow. at the end of five minutes, stop writing. easy as pie.

READY, SET, GO!

i’ve always been an impatient sort of person. big surprise, huh? *grin* at 18, i was impatient to find the love of my life. didn’t happen. at 23, i was anxious to get married and have a double wedding with my best friend. didn’t happen. in my early thirties, everyone around me was married and having babies. children? ugh. i wasn’t sure that was for me.

fast forward to 36. met and married the love of my life within 6 months. and was expecting our one and only little bundle of joy. some people think i waited until the timing was right for me. but did i really? was i intentionally waiting? i don’t think so. i know that it was God’s intention for me to wait. wait patiently and focus on Him. trust in Him to bring me to where he wanted me to be. but i didn’t do that. cuz i’m an impatient sort of person. thankfully, God imposed His timing on me and didn’t let me take the reins. i didn’t wait. but God waited on me ;-)

AND STOP!

much better flow this week, yes? so go check out the other participants and then come back and tell me:

what are you waiting on?

5 minute friday :: i feel the most loved when….

it’s that time again! linking up with the gypsy mama for five minutes of unedited writing! be sure to head over and check out the other responses!

START

i feel the most loved when:

…my husband looks around at all that is undone and all that is left to do and, instead of rolling his eyes, he says “what can i do to help"?”

…my little man comes to our bedroom in the morning for cuddles

…my friends read my blog ;-)

…(by God) when listening to praise & worship or gospel music

…(by myself) when i’m on time and meeting deadlines with a (relatively) clean house and wearing a decent outfit  - there’s that disparity, again!

…my friends & family pay enough attention to know the answers to some of the questions before they ask. and when they ask to be sure they know the answer ;-)

END

okay, so i’m not a writer. thankfully, i’ve no aspirations to become a writer ;-) but i’m enjoying this weekly task because the topics are interesting, hopefully you learn a little bit more about me and, surprisingly (or maybe not so much), i’m learning a little bit more about myself!

so tell me, when do you feel the most loved?

five minute friday:: when i look in the mirror i see {& giveaway winner!}

so here’s the deal. i’m hooking up with the gypsy mama for five minute fridays. rules: write for five minutes on the assigned topic. no more, no less and no  editing. so here goes:

START

when i look in the mirror, i see a woman who is not yet complete – a work in progress.

i see a woman who yelled at a disobedient child this morning. a woman who chose anger over patience and love.

i see the visual after-effects of graves disease.

i see no makeup, no fancy hairstyle and no contact lenses. and it bugs me. superficial, i know. but honest!

i see my dad. for many years, one person after another commented on how much i looked like him but i didn’t see it. now that he’s gone, i see it everyday and i miss him. everyday.

when i look in the mirror, right now i see a hot mess. seriously. but i hear the whisper of God’s grace. thankfully.

DONE

well. that’s not so easy. and i had a few backspaces so i may have cheated a bit on my first go-round but i’ll do better next time. (note: links and photos were added after the time was up)

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and it’s time to announce the name of the person to be entered into the ME project giveaway! that person is:

thegiveawaydiva!! (sending an email your way!) you’ll be entered into the march 7th drawing to win the starbucks gift basket. i did mention that there might be a surprise along with this announcement and so there shall be. you’ll also receive a 25% discount to my etsy shop or bonhomie charms! (see, dontcha wish you entered??)

congratulations!