Five-Minute Friday: Last

This week’s Five Minute Friday prompt is “last.” At Lisa-Jo Baker’s blog, we gather each week to share our nonstop, unedited, five-minute writes. Hope you’ll join us!

Here’s mine:

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The last thing I remember before falling asleep is the peace of hearing you breathing. The last thing I remember before waking up is the remnants of a dream I don’t even remember.

Now that I am wise for my years, I know what is made to last: memories of laughter as a child, the soft beauty of grass under my feet, love that took a lifetime to find. When I drink in an exquisite sunset with its orange symphony, the wonder of colors lingers into the next morning.

When I meditate on the truths that set me free, that bring peace and joy, and grace and mercy, I learn that these are the things that are made to last.

With a humble and quiet heart, I see God’s gifts with new eyes every morning, no matter what dreams disturbed my sleep. I thank God that the last thing I hear is your peaceful breathing, and my thankful prayers.

Bamberger Park Nature Trails

We picked up our cameras and went for a walk this afternoon. Bamberger Park, which has nature trails on 70 acres of land, is a short drive from our home.

Needed peace and nature’s quiet today. Soothe our souls, Lord, and bring us back to the beauty of the present.

In spite of the heat and humidity, we enjoyed this chance to take a deep breath and slow down. To come back to ourselves.

Amazing how distant our struggles seem, how refreshed we feel, when we pay attention.

As John always tells me, “Stay creative!”

Five-Minute Friday: Broken

Here we are at Five-Minute Friday again! This week’s prompt is “broken.” All you have to do is write from the prompt for five nonstop minutes — no edits, just keep writing. Then go to Lisa-Jo Baker’s blog to share your post and read other five-minute writes!

Here we go…

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“The X-ray looks great,” the neurosurgeon smiled during my husband’s 8-week followup. “The bones are fusing as they should…”

I didn’t have to hear more. After the words “looks great,” my attention drifted into comfortable, easygoing gratitude.

But what about the broken pieces of the past two months? The trauma was almost too much to bear for us at times. Changing bandages was a mystery to me those first two weeks. Our hearts broke two or three times, at least, as we negotiated the foreign highways of recovery, walkers, neck braces and pills.

Our cat didn’t miss a beat when John first came home. Ready for a lap, Lucky’s head tilted upward, puzzled. For a cat, a broken routine is not a small thing.

We hand the broken pieces to each other, and then to the One who heals all wounds, and make our plans.

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There! It’s always a pleasure to read other Five-Minute Friday posts. Hope you’ll join the writing party!

 

 

 

 

 

Five-Minute Friday: Belong

On Fridays, we gather at Lisa-Jo Baker’s blog to share our five-minute writes!  All you have to do is write to the prompt for five minutes, no edits. This week’s prompt is “belong.”

Here I go!

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Something about the word “belong”…it started in second grade, when I was old enough to know who belonged and who didn’t. School is a harsh place for the word belonging, especially for a shy, sensitive only child who wanted so badly to belong.

She went home every afternoon, where she could rest and find her haven from the cliques and backbiters. She listened to her parents’ soothing records, and learned to love violin music.

The first place she belonged, outside of home, was in the orchestra, where the conductor did his best to enlighten young artistic minds.

Later, as her hair grayed, she found the Master Artist, who had created her from his own colors, who guided her heart to true love.

With Him we all belong.

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That’s my five-minute write for this week. See you next Friday!

Multitude Monday: 148-155

As I write this, we’re watching the agonizingly slow progression of rain toward our region. Here in South Central Texas, even a hint of rain is a reason for gratitude! Why not celebrate the simple gifts with us at Multitudes on Monday at A Holy Experience?

148. Microwave stopped working. Why am I happy about this? Because I had forgotten how delicious bacon smells when it’s sizzling in a skillet!

149. Cooking dinners with my mom. We’ve enjoyed this since I was a kid, and always will!

150. Thunderstorms in the forecast all week…much needed rain and cooler temperatures (well, cool compared with 100+ degrees!).

151. My husband John is getting stronger almost 2 months after surgery…finally able to enjoy photography again, like he did in this picture from before surgery 🙂

153. Looking forward to traveling with John and visiting friends…praying that we can do this later his year.

154. Quiet Sunday afternoon, enjoying crochet instead of the computer!

155. Studying for my social media professional certification…fun!

Five-Minute Friday: Beautiful

“Beautiful,” I’ve thought in recent weeks. The way the flag snaps in the breeze on a summer afternoon, reminds me of school days just before summer vacation, when my attention was drawn outside, where the flag waved in the sunny schoolyard.

“Beautiful,” I realize, and I pick up the camera because my husband reminds me to take beautiful pictures.

It’s a long holiday weekend, spent recalling our shared sacrifices that forged a nation. We eat picnic food and watch fireworks…how beautiful the shimmering sparkles look against the spreading haze of smoke…the smokey halo around the Washington Monument as the 1812 Overture blasts in celebration.

Wounded warriors — some with invisible wounds — salute the flag without fail. My husband proudly puts up the flag every morning, even as he heals from his own wounds as a Veteran.

The sun shines on a long holiday weekend, and heroes from two centuries ago smile on us. What do they see from their vantage point?

Beautiful!

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Written for Five-Minute Friday, hosted by Lisa-Jo Baker. This week’s prompt is “Beautiful”…hope you will join us and write for 5-minutes — nonstop with no editing. Fun!

John’s Secret Spaghetti Sauce Recipe: No Longer Secret!

I’m honored to post my husband’s spaghetti sauce recipe…you’ll want to try it! It’s a vegetarian recipe, so he uses textured vegetable protein (TVP) instead of ground meat. You can find TVP at Bob’s Red Mill, or at your local health food store.

Ingredients:

Two 15-oz cans sauce

One 10-oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles

6-oz tomato paste

Dried Italian herbs

1/2 cup sliced lack olives

¼ cup brandy or red wine

2 Bay leaves

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 serrano peppers, diced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped

6 scallions, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

3 strips bacon, chopped

Apple cider vinegar

Dash of seasoned salt

Onion powder

2 tbsp sugar or sweetener

Olive oil

1 cup water

1/2 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)

Directions:

Place all ingredients except for italian herbs, onion powder, seasoned salt, TVP and water in a large pot. Stir to combine. Sprinkle a layer each of onion powder and Italian herbs. Drizzle some olive oil over the ingredients and stir to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add a cup of water. You can add more water as the sauce cooks, if necessary.

Bring ingredients to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let it cook for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add a little water if the sauce becomes too thick. Feel free to sample on a piece of fresh baked bread!

About 30 mintes before the sauce is finished cooking, stir in the TVP. Cover and simmer another 30 minutes.

Done! Serve on pasta with grated cheese. This sauce freezes well, too!

Shared with Thursday’s Favorite Things…join us!

 

Multitude Monday: 122-127

Most of this week’s Multitude Monday is about my husband John’s neck surgery last week. All is well now, and I have many reasons to thank God. Thanks to Multitudes on Mondays at A Holy Experience, I can share my gratitude with others.

122) “He’s fine.” Those were the first words that John’s surgeon said to John’s mother and me after we had sat in the waiting room for four hours. I had prayed for those words for the past two months after learning that John would need spinal surgery.

123) “You can stay as long as you need to.” The hospital even provided a comfortable recliner for me so that I could stay the whole time with John. John heard many encouraging, kind words from the nurses and PCA’s as we stayed at the hospital for four nights after his surgery.

124) “It’s French toast today.” The first day, I bought lunch at the hospital cafeteria, but later learned that they would bring me a guest tray in John’s room for every meal. The meals were delicious — especially the French toast — and kept my energy levels going. Nurses and PCA’s brought John ice cream and other cooling snacks whenever he needed them.

125) “We’re here if you need anything”. John’s daughter Vanessa drove us to the hospital Friday morning and Mark and his wife Susan kindly picked us up the following Tuesday. Lots of prayer and encouragement from family and friends the whole time!

126) Home and healing. John is gradually healing and gaining strength at home. His favorite books are nearby to nourish his spirit, and he has been writing, reading and walking better every day. We have a couch that reclines on each end, so nights are spent with John sleeping at one end of the couch and me sleeping at the other end. If his next med dosage is at 2 or 3 AM, we watch TV until we fall asleep again.

127) Back with my small group. Now that John is doing better, I will rejoin my small group from my church. Can’t wait to study, share and pray with this wonderful group of women!

Colossians 3:15 – And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (KJV)

Multitude Monday: 117-121

I’ll search one more time, I thought  last night. We moved a lot of boxes last month so maybe it’s in the hall closet. Sure enough, the familiar box containing our favorite CDs sat at the bottom of the closet. Within a few minutes, I was sitting in the living room, listening to the music I had missed. I was the only one still up, so I sat back and just let the music wash over me.

It’s the beginning of a challenging week, and I’m glad to be part of Multitudes on Mondays at A Holy Experience:

117. Found a box containing our favorite CDs. We had misplaced the box about a month ago, and I found it this weekend. My husband’s favorite CDs, as well as CDs from some of my good friends, are in that box, and we missed our music so. “Soaking ” in some worship music as I write and as I prepare my heart for a challenging week.

118. My husband John’s hopeful spirits as he prepares for surgery later this week.  Can’t say enough about how much this means to me as we look forward to the challenges of recovery and then the promise of better days ahead.

119. Encouragement from John’s family. Just as I was feeling overwhelmed and inadequate, my brother-in-law’s wife Susan called to offer support. We even had a few laughs…meant a lot to me!

120. Discerning new callings. Just as I had settled into a quiet, somewhat predictable life as a freelance writer, there is much shifting and reassessing as the Lord puts a new call on my heart.

121. Good books. As I’ve said before, books are like oxygen for me. Right now I’m reading Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick, and The Fourth Fisherman by Joe Kissack. The Bunker Hill book is a birthday/anniversary gift from John, who knows I love American Revolution history!

Thanks for visiting…hope to see you at Multitudes on Mondays…have a blessed week!

Multitude Monday: 101-108

It’s Monday again, and what better way to start the week than by participating in Multitudes on Mondays at A Holy Experience…won’t you join us? Here’s my gratitude list for this week:

101) A scenic drive into the Texas Hill Country with my husband John. We visited Garner State Park and had a chance to use our cameras. The scenery was beautiful at the park and during the drive. Best of all, we had a fun day together!

Old meets new at Garner State Park.

102) The company of books. Books — as I have often said — are like oxygen to me, and I have a ready supply by my nightstand. I’ve lost many hours of sleep this summer, reading wonderful novels — new and not so new — such as The Help and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I just finished John Grisham’s The Litigators, and am currently reading Wally Lamb’s She’s Come Undone. Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees is next!

103) Getting together with new friends and neighbors. It takes me a while to make friends, and I do appreciate the friends I have…including my online writer and blogger friends.

104) Finally success at losing a few pounds and inches. I just couldn’t stick with it until I tried those meal shakes and bars. Now I just have to get back to the gym!

105) My mom and I put flea meds on our cat Lucky and lived through it. lol!

106) Relaxing at the end of the day, watching TV with John and Lucky. Usually, it’s the Food or Travel Channels.

Lucky keeps us company while we watch TV.

107) Going shopping with my mom. We still take a break in the middle of shopping to have a cheeseburger, just like when I was a kid! I do treasure these times.

108) Knowing that my husband still finds joy in creativity, whether it’s poetry or photography. Hearing him say his favorite advice — “Stay creative!”

I’ve enjoyed writing and sharing my list. It’s a great way to start the week…and I’ve been remiss for quite a few weeks. Have a blessed week!