Come join a weekly flash mob of writers at #FiveMinuteFriday <–Click to Tweet this
Where a beautiful crowd spends five minutes all writing on the same topic and then sharing ’em over here. Last week a bunch of us happened to be together at a conference and got to write live and in person – it. was. the. bomb.
How to Join:
Want to know how Five Minute Friday got started and how to participate? All the details are here.
Featured Five Minute Friday:
And every week I’ll pick a post that caught my eye and share it down there in my side bar – see where it says “Featured Five Minute Friday”? Yea -that could be you! Hop on over and visit some folk who make fireworks in just five minutes. They inspire me.
What They’re Saying:
I also have some Five Minute Friday stories from participants I love to share each week – I can never get over the community that has grown up over a five minute writing exercise. This week the story is from me.
Because, as it turns out. Writing regularly and for even five minutes stolen here and there during early mornings or late evenings or during nap times and any fringe moments one can carve out can amount to enough time to write a book.
And I kinda sorta am. I introduced it over here. And believe me, if I can carve out wee stolen moments here and there to write, so can you.
So go ahead, just do the thing. Write the story you’re passionate about. We’ve got your back along the way.
Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..
Oh and Ahem, if you would take pity and turn off comment verification, it would make leaving some love on your post that much easier for folks!
OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::
Roots…
GO
They’re supposed to be in bed. They’re supposed to have been asleep long ago. But when the phone rings them two boys are barking excited that grandpa is just around the corner. He’s been driving 14 hours straight and they are straight up determined not to admit defeat to the sandman until they’ve seen him.
These boys growing up in between countries.
Micah has on the red and black checkered pajama pants and Jackson a football shirt. They are waiting at the window and can’t see through it because their breath has frosted up the glass. They keep rubbing circles. Rubbing and rubbing and grinning so big into the darkness because home is headed their way.
Grandpa hugs and hugs and admires them side by side and Micah tilts his head on edge and eyes this tangible piece of family right there in the living room with a bed already made up on the sofa. I’ve told Jackson he needs to say his hellos in more than just a TShirt and underoos and his shocked answer is that this is my GRANDPA. Like I’m dense. Like how can I possibly not get that blood is thicker than modesty.
They hug and sit and have to read him their favorite books and ask him again and again about how far he drove and then Micah just sits with his arm draped around the big, broad shoulders of the man who is his people. All his midwest American, through and through people.
And I make pizza and can’t get the boys back to sleep and think that this is how you grow into a family with roots that can withstand the storms.
::
STOP
OK, show us what you got! {Subscribers, you can just click here to come over and play along}
Hey there, friend. Missing your smiling face and beautiful voice in real-life, but your video for your book is the next best thing. I love the pictures you have here. I hadn’t seen the group shot yet. It came out awesome! And the other one, what precious memories, even if I do look like I’m 3 feet tall! :)
I am not sure I will be able to post for FiveMinuteFriday. Sadness, I know. I actually have several posts due and would also like to catch up on a couple of hundred comments I have sadly missed replying to, like from all of October!
I love your picture of family you paint for us here, with Roots. I am going to sleep on that word, and see when morning comes, what words come.
Goodnight lovely… What a beautiful gift you are :)
This one might just be one of my favorites of your five-minute posts. Vivid imagery. And this Midwest-American girl feels every syllable here. Great stuff.
Nothing like family who keep investing in the next generation is there? He’s also here to be sure and see Jackson’s last baseball game of the season. 14 hours to see a 7 year old play ball. I love America!
How wonderful, Lisa-Jo… Pictures please? And a post, por favor? You are blessed. I am, too. We have family invested in our families, you know? I talked with a woman this afternoon whose own mother is very distant to her grandchildren — even though her grandchildren need her. I mean they really, really NEED her. But she’s 20 miles away, and shows little interest. So sad. :( …
I grew up without any extended family. Just my parents and my brother. But I married into a large family on both sides and I love seeing my kids settle down into family. I finally get having people. It’s a beautiful thing and you paint it so perfectly for us here.
It was such a huge blessing to hang out with you in real life and I am so very very whoop whoop excited about your book. I’m your biggest fan in a totally non creeper stalking way. I swear. It’s all good. Love you!
Loved this. Blood being thicker than modesty? Of course! Oh, that made me laugh.
And Lisa-Jo… I think I’m starting to get that Five Minute Friday gets all the more wonderful when the writing brush is dipped in the personal and the real. It’s so easy for me to slip into generalities or observations (and I know they’re a good color too), but you encourage me to go vibrant and raw often. Thanks for this beautiful slice of your life.
Yes what a great way to describe it. When we are wiling to paint with our most honest observations, thoughts, emotions, the reader see the picture all the more vividly.
Great five minutes Lisa-Jo! This was fun…glad I found you; and it’s actually harder than you think to hit ‘publish’ and not tweak it for an hour! Blessings, Leah x
Oh I love this, your boys clammoring for Grandpa… what a treasure, what a memory. Just love you, my friend.
LOVE how our kids love on their grandparents. And I’m so grateful they have GREAT grandparents still alive as well! The legacy, heritage, RICHNESS of Christian roots…is a blessing I take for granted far too often. Thank you for this space Lisa Jo, and I’m so glad I stumbled accidentally into the FMF Party last week – I wasn’t planning on being there, figuring I’d be too tired, in bed, and write in the morning. But God orchestrated it for me to be there, inspired by all the women reading, meeting new and old friends, hearing their hearts bared. Just thank you :0)
Those women are fantastic!
I love the picture you paint…as much as I love you and that’s a LOT! And this may be one of my favorite 5 minute Friday post of yours. Beautiful…just lovely. I love the picture of boys at the window fogging it up with their breath…waiting in anticipation. Love it!
“Blood is thicker than modesty” Love that.
I can just see the joy and anticipation on their precious faces. Mine do that even though our family is just a few minutes down the road. I can’t imagine what it would be like if they lived 14 hours away. It makes me excited to become a grandmother… someday, waaaayyy down the road.
Loved the picture of all of us celebrating being together. Is that what heaven will be like? Hmmm, I think it may be so.
There is nothing quite like a little boy waiting for his Papaw (our word) to arrive after a long drive. Can just see those two little guys nearly bouncing out of their skin waiting.
As for your photos.. did you steal that from Vogues cover shoot?? What glamourous beauties. And they are. Every one of them. Those are new roots I’m growing and every week they go a little deeper into my heart. Last week was some mighty fine fertilizer. Miss the nearness and brushing shoulders. Thank you for being our word mama and giving us this special family.
ROOTS
There was a storm here recently . . . there was a storm *everywhere recently, okay not everywhere, but her reaches were far extending, that Sandy. I write from Canada, Ontario. The storm, on the East Coast of the United States was able to affect even us, over here, amazing how that happens, the ripple effect of a wave, especially a few, really big ones.
I have a tree out front of my house, a big and tall red, maple. Every time I look at that tree, from my kitchen window or a bedroom window or when I walk out my front door, or I’m walking home, my heartsmiles *that is many opportunities! The tree is a gift to me. It’s beauty and strength, it’s naturalness, it never pretends to be anything that it is not. It is always a tree *as I know it to be with my little feeble words. Some fences blew over during the storm, okay, I’m not complaining here, I realize how lucky we are to happen to be located in this position from the storm. However, I wondered how bad it was going to be. I wondered if this tree would weather this storm the way she had so many others. She has good support. Is well taken care of. And for this week, she is still standing, and growing, healthy and strong.
Ahh, the joy and strength of family, grandchildren and their grandparents, nothing like it. I esepcially love Jackson’s comfort in his tee-sirt and underoos but mostly in knowing his relationship his grandpa and youthful perspective of just how family works. Genuine.
This was my first FMF, challenging but I loved it.
Your little t-shirt and undies fellow made me chuckle because that is exactly my little middle one, completely at home in that attire.
Your description of the waiting and the greeting filled me with longings for the dear grandparents that came to me through marriage and the moments of being loved by them.
Love this. I immediately flashed to my mom. Love how tangled it can be as to who are the roots and who is the tree over time. Happy friday!
Is it wrong that one of the reasons I want to go to Allume is just to jump into the photo boothe? It always looks so fun!
As always, thanks for being the hostess with the mostess.
I am still sad that I didn’t join the in person FMFparty at Allume–I was certainly there in spirit, but I was trying to be a good girl and get some sleep! ;) So good to see you again and hear your voice. Thank you for encouraging our voices!!
Hello. I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, off and on, and I just wanted to say that I appreciate you and the things you write about. I enjoy it and it often brings a lot of encouragement. So thank you!
awww.. I love this post!! So beautiful and brilliant.. really it is..
I missed this through October… when I was trying to write on a theme every single day (ugh)… and still managed to stop 4 days before the end! I am so back this week!
Hi Lisa-Jo, I thought I would share the journey your word “root” took me on over the last few days. Thank you for your word prompts. So many times, God has used them to challenge and to grow me. http://eileenknowles.com/jesus-help-us-be-good-soil/
Lisa-Jo, thank you for being the icing on a cake. Seriously! You are such a treat and I am so glad to be part of your Thursday girls’ night. Love your roots story and thank you for giving me a space to share mine :)
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