Five Minute Friday - ROOTS

It's Friday and I've taken a day off from all this writing this past month.

So I sat with Lisa-Jo's prompt all day and we'll see what comes out.

Join the fun by clicking over to her site and linking your own

five minutes of unscripted, unedited response to the prompt: ROOTS

GO:

They go down deep into the dusty soil

of southern California,

pushing their strong tendrils

between the valleys

San Fernando and San Gabriel,

finally winding their way

up the coast

to Santa Barbara.

My parents were transplants,

one from the south,

the other from the north.

Together, they built a family

out of love and dust

and work and creative energy.

There was music,

Oh! there was music.

There was laughter,

lots of laughter.

Raucous, earthy, rich with

insight and sometimes tinged

with sarcasm.

Sunday was for church.

Every day was for faith.

Friday night was for popcorn

and giant Hershey's with almonds

and Bubble-Up,

all of us gathered around the TV

or the puzzle table,

or the game board.

There was never a lot of money,

but that did not matter.

With a dad who knew how to fix things,

a mom who could sew anything,

and a desire to enjoy life,

learn,

grow,

celebrate -

life was a party.

Except when it wasn't.

There were sad pieces.

A younger brother who struggled,

a family-wide battle with anxiety,

some hard history

going back a generation.

But mostly,

there was solidity,

security,

there was home.

Thank you,

thank you,

thank you!

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty - Day 20 AND 5 Minute Friday - LOOK!

Every Friday, she pulls one out of the hat.

A word or a short phrase.

And we're supposed to set the timer

and free-write in response to that prompt.

Lisa-Jo Baker is dang good at this prompting business

and a couple of hundred people join in the party

each and every week.

I'm late this week . . . but I'm here, for the first time in several.

Hop on over to her website and check out a few:

Today's prompt?

Look . . .

GO:

Idou -

a tiny Greek part of speech

that imitates an earlier Hebraic one.

A small word that modern translations

don't even bother with, 

but oh! SUCH a good word.

It means . . . LOOK AT THIS!

And it's usually translated, "Behold!"

Think about all the places in scripture

where you've seen that word!

"the handmaiden of the Lord,"

and "I tell you a mystery"

are the first two that spring to my mind

in these five minutes.

The Incarnation

and the Resurrection,

bookends, in a way,

of our faith,

of our story.

And what a beautiful,

mysterious,

glorious story it is.

And you know what?

I think there are evidences of these 'beholds' 

all around us, every dang day.

We are invited to be the incarnate Word

in the lives of our families,

in the neighborhoods in which we live.

We are encouraged to be Easter People,

shining forth hope

of better things ahead.

And if we stop,

if we slow,

if we open our eyes,

and loose our ears,

and tune our minds --

we can not only look,

but SEE.

The Glory of the Lord

is present in our world,

and in every one of us.

Imagine!

Look!

Behold!

Idou!

STOP

 Yes, I thought about this for more than 5 minutes. But I did not write for more than that.

And here, in these pictures, most of them taken with my not-so-smart phone

are some real-life examples of the glory of God made real in this world of ours.

LOOK. SEE. BEHOLD.

A lone young woman, journal in hand, sitting on the wide sand, looking. Looking.

Off in the distance, a cruise ship - 

. . . a reminder that sometimes we might feel invaded

by uninvited tourists making demands

upon our time, energy and resources.

But.

Every person on a cruise ship is also made in the image of God, whether they know and acknowledge that or not.

So maybe I need -- in general -- to be more welcoming,

and gracious to those who feel to me like. . . interlopers?

And sometimes those might even be members of 

my own family?

A wide stretch of sand

on a beautiful sunny day. 

Behold! The goodness of God.

Friends, neighbors and strangers --

out for a walk, just like I am.

Can I be a grace-filled, smiling co-conspirator

in the joys of life?

And that water, lapping on the sand?

Pure refreshment,

reminder of all things good and lovely.

So, hop on board,

set your sail into the wind,

and see where Ruach* takes you next

But never forget that sometimes

the very best adventures of all

happen under a striped umbrella,

alone on a wide beach,

reveling in the beauty around you.

LOOK!

*Ruach is a biblical word for 'wind' or 'spirit.' 

I use it here for Spirit, Holy Spirit, God's Spirit.

5-Minute Friday: GRASP - A Photo Essay

I am sitting on a porch, in a beautiful wooden rocking chair, overlooking the Frio River in the Hill Country of Texas. Gathered at a Writers' Retreat are about 70 people, here to learn more about the creative process, to eat well, watch a little rain fall onto a drought-prone stretch of chapparal, and to marvel at the goodness of God. I am at Laity Lodge for the second year in a row, delighted to be among such good company, with time to laugh, converse, think--even to write. So, this week's 5-Minute Friday will look a little different than most. I'll write first and then give you a 

brief photographic overview of our trip out to the canyon yesterday. 

 Please come on over to Lisa-Jo's fine blog, where over 200 folks join in the party each and every week. We are to write for 5 minutes, no editing, no over-thinking -just whatever comes out of our fingertips. It's great fun and often more than a little revealing.

GO:

It's hard to get from Santa Barbara CA to San Antonio TX.

It requires an overnight stay near LAX,

getting up at 3:45 a.m.,

going through airport security before one is fully conscious,

flying one hour to Phoenix,

walking miles through the airport to another terminal

to board another plane for 2 hours to your final destination.

Then you wait for your van-load of compatriots,

some of whom you actually might recognize,

and drive for 2 hours away from civilization

to this amazing place.

I've been here once before,

so I know what to expect.

It's an enriching, challenging,

welcoming experience to land in this space.

And I cannot quite grasp the words to say why.

We're singing with a a grammy-winning worship leader,,

listening to a PhD in neuro-biology tag-teaming with 

a film critic, learning how to write a good sentence

from an award-winning author

and just sort of spreading out on the inside of our souls.

Funny stories, serious questions, shared struggles - 

all of it makes for an enriching, encouraging experience.

There is freedom in this place,

there is welcome.

There is beauty, silence, companionship when desired.

And there is a sense of God's smile everywhere you look.

I sat on a bench by a jogging trail early this morning

and just listened for about 5 minutes.

Do you know what I hear?

Nothing.

Only a far away bird song.

THAT's what this place provides that 

so few places on this earth can - 

the sound of good silence.

STOP

Driving away from the airport.

The contrast of brilliant light and pouring rain off in the distance seen 360 degrees around in Texas.

What you might expect to find in Texas actually can be found in Texas.

Something about these mailboxes seems representative of the wide open spaces and ranch land of this part of the world.

Turning off the highway to the dirt road leading down to the HEB Foundation Camps.

A lovely harbinger of good things ahead.

Reaching the river road that leads to Laity Lodge

This is the only way in and it's remarkable.

The rainbow almost spanning the canyon carved by the Frio.

Looking out over the Frio right after our arrival at about 6 last night.

Hopeful reflections of beauty to come. Thank you, Lord.

5 Minute Friday - Focus

Five minutes. That's the rule. Five minutes for free-writing, whatever comes into your head, whatever the prompt elicits. And it's crazy fun. Come on over to the Gypsy Mama's website - though she goes by Lisa-Jo Baker nowadays - and see for yourselves:

Somedays, I think I look at life like this - just a little bit cock-eyed and slightly out of focus.

Today's prompt: FOCUS

GO:

For me, photography has become a kind of sacramental act. I have a camera with me at all times and frequently annoy my family by poking it in their faces at the most inopportune moments. 

Mostly, however, I use my camera to notice things. 

To pay attention. 

To look more closely, 

     see the details, 

          the angle of the light, 

               the wonder of a baby's laugh, 

                    the cobweb, backlit by morning sunshine, 

     the power of a breaking wave. 

The camera becomes an extension of my eyes, allowing me to slow down a bit - forcing me to slow down a bit, encouraging me to savor, sift, concentrate, focus. 

Looking through the lens requires me to double check and see if things are lining up straight or are slightly askew. Focusing that lens means taking the time to choose where to look first. 

To see this family playing in the water, I had to disarm the auto-focus on the camera because 
it wanted to see the bushes clearly. I did not. I get to choose what I see most clearly.

There are lessons here, lessons beyond the extended ocular sensitivity that my camera provides. Because focus is important in all of life . . . choosing where I'm going to look first. 

Will I look at the Truth or the lie?

Will I look at the Good or the not-so-good?

Will I look at and for the spark of the Spirit in each person I encounter during the day, or will I forget, and allow myself to be distracted, to intentionally turn away? 

Today, I choose to look, 

     to look with intention, commitment, focus. 

Maybe tomorrow, too?

STOP

About one minute over - pictures, captions and formatting added later.

5 Minute Friday - Graceful

Late to the party, but hopefully, not too late. Lisa-Jo issues a weekly 5-minutes-by-the-clock writing prompt and I've loved joining in whenever I can. This weeks prompt has been sitting in the back of my fuzzy, aging brain for 24 hours now and maybe, just maybe, something might come out these fingertips as I let my mind go. It's always fun to try this, so I encourage you to hop over to Lisa-Jo's beautiful, encouraging blog and check out the other party animals - there's a whole lotta them.

GRACEFUL

GO:

I used to think about gracefulness like this:

delicate,

beautiful,

breakable,

fragile,

hold-your-breath-watch-in-awe.

But the longer I've lived, 

the more people I've come to love,

the wider my world has become,

the less those words seem to apply to what 

graceful

is really all about.

My husband plays tennis,

really, really well.

And he is graceful when he does.

Strong,

swift,

accurate,

powerful,

concentrated.

My grandchildren play a wide variety of games,

engage in fascinating conversations with one another,

and broaden their thinking and their horizons with

every passing year.

They are

open,

eager to learn,

generous with their encouragement,

quick to laugh,

lit from the inside with life.

So I wonder.

All my life, I have felt entirely graceless.

I am physically uncoordinated,

cannot play a sport to save my life,

am large and carry too many pounds,

and feel like an elephant in

most situations.

But maybe, maybe...

grace is not about how I move

or even how I look.

Maybe grace is about

strength,

courage,

adaptability,

openness,

honesty,

commitment,

being able to laugh out loud

at myself,

at life,

at the wonder of it all.

And if that's true,

then graceful

is attainable.

Graceful

is

gift

and

reward.

Graceful

is how we grow in life

in faith,

in wonder,

in delight,

in the fear of the Lord.

STOP

 My husband inadvertently interrupted me, so this might have gone about 1 minute over the time...

Things Change. . . A Mixed Media Post

Life has gotten interesting of late. And I haven't had as much opportunity to join with Lisa-Jo as I'd like. But when I saw this week's prompt, I went to my draft pile and pulled this one up. I started to write it a week ago, to note what feels like a great, big, massive change in our lives - our youngest grandchild will no longer require our weekly care.

Gasp. She begins pre-school next week. How can this be??

So, you'll see where I began the timed part of this post - and I surprised myself with where I went from there. Isn't that always the way with 5 Minute Friday?? 

(Pictures added both before and after the 5 minutes!)

Lilly - one-hour old

About 10 months old.

Feeding the bluejays with Poppy.

Tough girl pose - 15 months.

Playing doctor, 18 months.

Sweetness at 22 months.

Just a little uncertainty, also 22 months.

A series of wild-hair shots. Oh, my - yes. About 2 years old.

At her 2nd birthday party.

Under some semblance of control with Aunt Lisa, just past her 2nd birthday.

Lilly at 2 years, 6 months - how can it be?

A little dress-up play, three weeks ago.

Perhaps a cell phone would have been simpler for this little jaunt??

Every Wednesday since June of 2010,

she has come to our house to play.

And eat.

And sleep.

She was four months old when we began,

and I was just weeks out of the hospital,

and more tired than I knew.

So when nap time came,

I would put her down on the bed next to me.

I'd run the TV softly to create a little white noise,

 and sit next to her while she slept,

my computer on my lap.

During those first months,

I would do email,

research for teaching or preaching,

and wonder what the looming world

of retirement would be like.

Since the end of that year,

I've used Lilly's nap time to

read blogs,

check Facebook,

think about posts,

write posts,
and watch her while she sleeps.

START:
Two days ago marked the end of an era for us,
an end to babies.
First there were our own three,
each of them remarkable,
unique,
full of fun and curiosity and determination.
Then those three grew up,
met some pretty amazing partners,
and started having babies of their own.
Three boys from daughter number one -
one, two, three.
Three boys from daughter number two - 
one, two, three.
Loud, rough-and tumble,
some more than others -
wonderful promise of sturdy men to come.
Then, just one month after that last boy,
our boy and his wife had a GIRL.
Glory be.
And nearly four years and one miscarriage later,
another girl.
And now, they tell me, they are done.
Their family is complete.
So.
Will I live to see great-grandbabies?
It's within the realm of possibility -
our eldest is 21.
But I'm not sure it's within the realm
of probability.

Everyone waits theses days.
We married young,
had kids while we were kids.
Not so much anymore.
There is education to be gotten,
jobs to be found,
houses to be bought,
lives to be lived.
And that's all wonderful. . .
but . . .
I wouldn't change a thing about our journey.
I loved growing up TOGETHER,
hanging on by a shoestring,
having babies before we had the money for them,
and loving every (well, almost every!) minute of it.
So,
change comes.
And we?
We roll with it,
or
it rolls right over us.

STOP.

Maybe I won't miss this mess every week  . . .

. . . and maybe I won't miss this weekly menagerie as I tried to get a very sleep-resistant girl to acquiesce . . .

But this?

(at 15 months old)

And this? (last week)

And yes, THIS (two days ago) I will most definitely miss.
She now covers almost the entire bed . . .

. . . and sometimes adjusts herself to make contact, her head on my leg as I type.
Sigh.