Five Minute Friday: Tender

There’s a silent strength associated with tenderness.  Society, in general has skewed the idea of tender to the point where it’s almost a negative attribute to have.  That sensitivity and softness are completely inappropriate for most people today, lest you stick out as some sort of wimp. 

Time to change that false concept.  Why not redesign tender and encourage more of it?

Tender is used to describe that delightful bite of meat, cooked perfectly yet so full of flavour.  Tender is a precious newborn baby, unable to even hold up their own head, yet have you watched the force that a nurse uses with this little human? 

I see examples of strength in tenderness in the Bible.  The same power that created the world by speaking used a finger to write on stone.  The same power that caused an earthquake also spoke with a quiet tone.  The same power was able to sleep in the midst of a violent storm, the possibility of death imminent, but used words stopped the storm in time.  The same power showed no fear to tormentors, yet touched and helped everyone possible.

Oh to be tender towards everyone, including those I can’t stand.  Oh to be sensitive to give people the benefit of the doubt more often.  Oh to be more compassionate…

*************************************************************
Alrighty, and there we have another edition of five minute Friday.  Click below to join in.  As Lisa-Jo says:
We write because we want to, not because we have to.  We write for fun, for joy, for discovery.  We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.
There’s so much freedom in that.  

No One Warned Me About Time

Homeschooling: a great consumer of time.  I had no clue when I first started that my time would be distributed differently, yet again.  No one told me about this issue.  So, let me be sure to share it with you.

There was mention in numerous places that homeschooling kindergarten doesn’t need to take long.  Maybe a couple hours each day.  Enough to cover the basics–math, reading, writing.  Depending on the child, you could use more or less time.  And there’s a bit of time that goes into lesson planning, which varies with your curriculum choices.  That time usage was expected.  I’m talking about the time that’s left over in the day for the rest of life.  Or rather, what’s no longer left over.

I choose to sit with my daughter for the bulk of her lesson time.  She struggles a bit with starting immediately.  I don’t mean rushing through assignments.  Just that I’ll point out something for her to do, and then she usually focuses her attention elsewhere until I get after her enough times.  How many times does a girl need to drop her pencil off the table and work to acrobatically pick it up off the floor?  So, what I planned to only spend a short time doing takes double the amount with her antics.

By the time schooling is done, it’s lunch time.  Then come the big dilemmas–do I cook dinner or do I play with the kids?  Is there time to actually scrub the powder room baseboards or do I stick with my regular clean up?  Oh, is there time for me to grab a quick bite to eat?  What can fit on the back burner for bit and what needs my immediate attention?  Do I work endlessly from the moment I awake to the moment I collapse in bed or is it okay to take a mental break here and there during the day?

The trials and errors never stop during the homeschooling adventure.  The kids do help with some chores, but they also needs lots of fun time still.  They’re kids– I want them to enjoy this stage of life as they learn while growing.  I realize that this is only temporary.  My time won’t always be needed in this way forever.  As the girls grow and mature, they’ll soon be able to do their lessons more independently and I’ll be using my time differently, yet again.

I need to remember to make the most of what I have today.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed and I refuse to put regrets on the back burner for later.

Five Minute Friday: Vivid

Being vivid is not my forté.  I’m not intentional about standing out, sticking out as someone memorable.  I remember being overwhelmed at my birthday party the year I turned 10.  Suddenly this “nobody” (based on the treatment of my peers) had all the attention on her and it was beyond strange and uncomfortable.  I didn’t want too many parties after that one.

Yet, as I look around, I see lots of vividness.  Attitudes and mentalities.  False beliefs proclaimed with such a boldness.  Wrong choices being made and encouraged of others.  That’s vivid–the harsh reality to which society tends to place their standards.

The contrast to that is the vivid lives of those who choose to rise above.  Those who go above and beyond a typical job description.  Not because it’s going to get them up the next rung of the ladder.  But because it’s the right thing to do. 

God is very vivid.  His Word is filled with meticulous details about everything, right down to knowing how many hairs are currently on my head now and how many will be there tomorrow after my girls play hairstylist with me.  The things He does in my life are vivid (they certainly aren’t dull).

*****************************************************************
Your turn.  5 minutes.  Give it a shot.  Click the link below to link up.

Five Minute Friday: Awake

Good thing I was already awake.  My day had long started.  Then came the text message from my husband.

There were job cuts going on today.  More of them.  They first made cuts late last year, after a huge corporate change up.  Today’s cuts were probably to be twice that amount.  Eeek!

But I was awake.  Being awake meant my first thought was to whisper a prayer instead of crying out in panic.  I was able to trust instead of torture myself with all kinds of wild thoughts.  (Boy, this vivid imagination can sometimes create all variety of scenarios, except the ones that really count.)  Being awake meant feeling at peace instead of at war.

What a blessing.  What a difference it is to be awake, and alert.  Aware of my surroundings.  Most importantly–awake of my control in these surroundings.  The situation was beyond me.  That’s alright.

The One who is fully in control of it all has the situation and its future, nestled in the very palm of His mighty hand.  Plus, He never slumbers nor sleeps.

He’s always awake.

*******************************************************************
Another edition of five minute Friday.  Another opportunity for you to join in the fun.  Take 5 minutes and just write whatever comes to mind.  Pour it all out on screen (or paper).  Click below to link up and share it.  Click below to also read the words of others.  

"Blitz!!!"

Dutch Blitz as a math lesson?!  Yes–what a blast!  This is part of the joys of homeschooling.  There is room for creativity.

If you’re unfamiliar with Dutch Blitz, it’s a fast-moving card game where players make piles of cards in ascending order from 1-10.  It also requires you to be alert, watching not only what’s in your own piles to play, but what to add to the general game area as well.  In other words, it’s a fantastic brain workout too.

Jamayia knows her numbers and is very comfortable with their order.  She had watched the adults play this game at a family dinner recently, so she had a simple understanding of what should happen.  We went slow.  I helped her out a wee bit and she actually won both rounds.

It was neat to watch her little hands and eyes and mind at work.  Each time she’d flip over a card in her “wood pile”, she’s scan the “dutch piles” to see if there was a place for that card.  If not, she’d flip again and again until she found a card.  At the end, of the round, she would help sort out the cards and then she counted her own cards for scoring.

This girl loves math.  I’m trying to show her that math is used regularly, as a part of everyday life.  Playing games, cooking, telling time, and just about anything you can think of.

I’m aware that math won’t always be so enjoyable and that difficult concepts are looming in the future with algebra, trigonometry and the like.  My hope is that she’ll always remember the fun and the usefulness of math, so that these pleasant memories carry her through the rougher times.

Five Minute Friday: Roar

Ha ha ha!  This prompt made me laugh, almost roar, with laughter.

I’m working to intentionally tone down all roaring in my life.  At least in the areas where I have control.  I don’t need to be roaring angrily at my children, no matter how mentally tired or frustrated or unsure I may be.  I’d rather enjoy the roar of their giggles and shrieks of delight.

The days of being busy from the first seconds I awake until I literally drop into my bed at night are few and far between.  That’s my goal.  I don’t need the loudness of business and constant stream of sounds.  In fact, sometimes I’m too busy to hear the sounds properly–they usually just go in one ear and out the other.  I’d prefer the roar of silence.  More stillness, more serenity.

I tend of think of loud, vocal noise when I hear “roar”.  I’m not loud.  Yet, I’m realize that the way I live my life, the love I show to those around me, the choices I make are indeed loud. 

My actions are a roar.

*****************************************************************
First post of 2012.  Join us this year.  You’re free to jump in at any time.  All you need is 5 minutes to pour yourself out in written format.  Typos, incorrect grammar and odd phrasing are welcome.

Five Minute Friday: Open

A nourished seed cracks and the green leaves start to grow.  Slowly, yet steadily, buds appear.  As they uncurl from their tightness, the petals of a flower open up to reveal beauty.  They give colour, aroma and themselves.

That was my first image when I saw today’s writing prompt “open”. 

To be open is to be vulnerable and brave, during a uncertain time.  Everything’s stripped away and you’re there unhidden for all to see.  Open to not only give but to receive.  Open implies a release of control.  You’ve put yourself out there.  Now stand back and watch the adventure unfold ahead of you. 

The faith journey is best experienced by one who’s open.  Yet many times I try and for some silly reason, I keep trying to do it with a close-mind…as in on my own terms.  To be open means relinquishing and letting God lead.  To me, that’s faith.  It’s being open to the unknown, trusting God because of Who He is and not because of what I think He’ll do for me.

This is not the smoothest ride, but it’s definitely the best-guided experience…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How fitting that “open” be the word for the final five-minute Friday phenomenon of 2011.  I’m eager to see the prompts that Lisa-Jo has in store for 2012.  Click below to read more posts on today’s topic.  Please leave comment on the posts you do read.  You’re more than welcome to link up your own post.  Blessings to all of you this new year. 

I’ll Keep on Blogging

Thank you to my loyal readers.  Some of you I have yet to “meet”.  Yet, I know you read this blog regularly.  To those who have left comments–I appreciate your kind words and your encouragement.  Your words, your acknowledgement of what I’d written have helped me feel like I’m not the only one who sees life in this way.

So much has gone on this past year.  There’s been a lot of reflecting time all over, and in the blogosphere in particular.  During these last few days of December, many people are linking up to posts and/or bloggers that have impacted them.  Others are reflecting on their own favourite self-productions from 2011.  Still others reliving the memories of what they’ve experienced and learned. 

I have written some memorable posts.  I have read many more that have helped to reshape my thinking.  With gentle encouragement and coaxing, I’ve been stretched.  In some spots, things are so taut, so tightly pulled that there’s a risk of snapping.  While I’ve come close, I have not broken.

I have a whole slew of other posts which are pretty much non-existent.  I never wrote them.  For a mix of reasons, there were moments in 2011 where I held back from revealing too much.  I believe that in a few cases, I could’ve shared generalities of my experiences, without harm to anyone or anything else.  While others may have been involved, I feel as though I should be able to share my viewpoint if I so desire.

What matters is how I choose to share.

If I point fingers, call names, go on personal rants in a public setting which could be misconstrued for attacks, I’d be doing nothing but setting little fires here and there.  I’d be like a pyromaniac, who has no discretion when it comes to flames.  My words could get me charged with verbal arson.  That’s not my intent.

My hope, my aim is to encourage my readers.  Sometimes with humour, mostly by sharing my life lessons.  I don’t know everything–I don’t even know a fraction of much.  But I don’t think that people are looking to know everything either.  They just want real stories, from real people, and how they really coped in a real situation.  The good, the bad and the ugly…

…and then some.

There Are Two Students In Our School

Did I mention that homeschooling is good for the teacher too?  Not only is my young student learning, but so am I.  Let me tell you a little secret.  Ready?

I don’t know everything.  

In fact, there’s a lot of things I don’t remember.  I don’t remember the moment I first learned how to read or any of the tricks I was taught myself.  I don’t remember how basic math concepts stuck or how I started speaking french rather fluently in Kindergarten.  (I was a French immersion student.) And sometimes these forgotten memories are a good thing.  It means that my children get a fresh slate as I teach them.  I don’t find myself saying “well, I did it this way, so you must…” 

One of the biggest topics you learn is your child.  Yes, you’ve studied them quite well from the pre-natal days.  As they’ve grown day by day, you learn even more.  Yet, there’s another aspect to the learning path when you’re now involved in their academic learning.  As a teacher-parent, you’re now stretched as you look for ways to try and teach them new concepts.  Not just so they’ll complete worksheets and pass the grade level, but so that the concepts actually stick with them for life.

Now to figure out how to squeeze in a few lessons during our Christmas break.  The best part is that we’ll leave all books closed and get creative with whiteboards and counting and reading.  Things that she’ll remember and not begrudge.

Five Minute Friday: Connected

To connect is very closely linked to trust.

Being connected is work.  Staying connected is even harder.  How can begin connecting without different levels of trust in place?

I think everyone desires to be connected, in some way, shape, and/or form.  When God created the world, His intention was not for humans to be isolated.  Yet, we disconnect ourselves from everyone and everything, usually whenever we get a chance.

We’re always working to get away.  Get away from the office, from the kids, from the spouse, from the mall, from the thoughts in your head, from the bad habits, from sin.  We need alone time.  Time to stop and breathe.  Maybe even to smell the roses or just to be still.  Despite all that, we still work hard at connecting with someone.  Efforts are made to find that one person who truly understands you, who feels you down to your core without saying a word.  That person with whom you can have the deepest of conversations, just by looking into their eyes.  That person who ignores your appearance, your size, your junk, your everything bad, and just loves you for you.

Problem is that that person is often hard to find.  It’s like searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Some of us are blessed to find those friends, those connections.  Others work hard, put forth effort and hope that things go well.  Until our images are shattered.

Part of why it’s hard to connect is because it’s hard to trust.  I’m guilty of this.  My preference is that you show my yourself first, while I feed little pieces of myself.  When I feel comfortable, I share more and more, yet there’s still so much that I guard. 

While I may be fooling myself into thinking that I’m “playing it safe”, I’m really just playing.  I can’t complain about not being connected if I’m not willing to connect for myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your turn.  Some weeks, I question whether or not 5 minutes is truly long enough.  Today, it wasn’t.  So, I went a wee bit over, but I did stop myself.  Go at it for 5 minutes straight, through all caution to the wind.  Click below if you’d like to get “connected” this week.