Five Minute Friday: Reflect

Wow, its been about 6 weeks since I last wrote a post. Today seems like the perfect time to write. All is quiet besides the birds chirping outside and fresh rains have soaked the earth this morning.

Yes, time to reflect...

Its been a different year with different challenges but on the whole I am grateful for God's provision, guidance, grace and goodness. 

Our girl has finished her home education journey and she did exceedingly well in art, coming first in her class. Next year she will be able to pursue her passions without the stress of school assignments and exams...yay!

Our eldest has gone from strength to strength at work and is an asset to the company he works for. I love seeing him enjoy his work and studies. 

Our youngest has grown in character and is a blessing to have around. I love seeing him "come into his own". Can't believe that I have just one more to home educate!

Hubby has had a really busy year at work and traveled a bit over the last while. I am grateful for his dedication and provision for our family.

I have had the opportunity to work with little people. Three precious little girls who bring joy to me. It's been lovely to work a little outside the home spending time with the cutie pies and earn a little pocket money. 

I am grateful for travelling mercies for hubby, our girl and extended family; my extended family who have stuck together through thick and thin, always there for one another despite miles that may separate us; new friends and old friends and our wonderful church family. 

31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes - Day 31 Almost

Almost...yes, precious daughter, you are almost there.

 Almost at the end of your home school journey. I can scarcely believe it.

 I am immensely proud of you and the way you have diligently applied yourself even when it has been tough and the deadlines have come thick and fast.

 Just four more exams and you are done! 

It has been my joy to walk this journey beside you and watch you grow over these years. 

A sweet little thing who loved to play with dollies and tea sets and get muddy and dirty too, now a talented, confident, God and people loving young woman.

 One who is always up for the challenge of something new....

 (as we have seen with all your great and fantastical hair colors and cuts over the last year)

......and with the attitude of I can do it!

Yes, some of your first words were, "I'm do it!"

 Keep that attitude and it will get you places my girl!

I am so thankful for the precious journey to adulthood that I have shared with you. 

I am so excited to see what God has in store for you in the coming year.

 I smile because you are my girl!

Five Minute Friday: Bacon

Just add bacon!

Mmmm, if you have never eaten it before you don't know what you are missing! Peanut butter and bacon is something I learned to love in my childhood home and all my kids love it too. Some of mine even have their eggs with peanut butter and bacon. I prefer to skip the eggs and have lashings of preferably crunchy peanut butter and butter and loads of bacon! Good thing I don't do it too often as I am sure all that fat is not too good for me, but hey...you gotta enjoy some things in life!

31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes - Day 29 Sea

Sea....all my life I have lived close to the sea. I love the scent of the sea air and the soothing sound of waves as they rhythmically roll onto the shore. Sea air refreshes and calms me.

My fondest memories of the sea are of our days in Dar es Salaam. The water always turquoise blue and so warm. Long strolls searching for sand dollars and my little browned beach babes having a whale of a time swimming for hours on end. 

My daughter and I have a memory imprinted in our minds of a particular day when we were far out in those warm Indian Ocean waters. As we looked back to shore the water stretched out before us and we took a mental photograph of the magnificent view. Pristine beach with countless coconut palms and little beach huts known as bandas. Something similar to the image below but more beautiful...

Neither of us has forgotten that day or that mental image we captured.

 Some days I long to return to that precious and beautiful moment forever captured in time....

31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes - Day 28 Hope

Life has been busy, birthdays, exams, work and keeping house so I have not been able too keep up with the writing challenge but I figured I will just do today's challenge and if I feel I can , go back and do the ones I missed out on. 

Hope....hope is something we hold on to and for me it goes well with faith...believing in what we cannot see. Without hope, life could be very dismal. I have learned much about hope this year. Some good lessons and some difficult lessons but I am thankful that there is hope. 

Early in the year there was a situation I was facing and many around me were convinced that there really was not much hope for any change. I clung to hope and cried out to God and He came through in an amazing way. The naysayers could not kill the hope I had regarding that particular situation. I hoped, trusted and believed and the situation turned around. 

I do believe that sometimes hope can blind us to reality though. In a different situation I have had hope for a long time and that hope did not serve me well. Even while hoping, the hoping made me very unsettled and anxious. Sometimes we have to accept that there is no hope in a particular situation and we have to close a chapter and move on for our own good.

 Sometimes the answer for what he are hoping for is no or not now.....

31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes - Day 19 Honour

Honor...the Greek word, timao, translated to honor means "to prize (fix a value upon), to revere". Showing honor is then treating others respectfully because we value them highly. 

What comes to mind is the commandment to honor our parents and the promise that comes with this. A promise that your days may be long in the land He has given you. Imagine if all children were taught to honor their parents....imagine the impact on relationships with others if honor was taught at a young age.

As parents we can treat our children with honor too. 

How do we discipline them?

 Are we treating them with respect and dignity? 

Do we honor the aged among us and treat them with respect too? 

Do we honor the people who serve us at the shops or the petrol attendant? 

Honor does not depend on how we feel at the time. Perhaps their issues are greater than yours. Perhaps you are the ray of light that is needed to brighten their day.

Imagine a world where we all humbled ourselves in order to honor one another at all times.

Who can you show honor to today?  

31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes - Day 18 Worth

Yes, you are worth infinitely more than what others may think of you or say about you.

 You are worth so much more than the numbers on the scale and more than your scores on those tests or results....

Too often we place too much value in anothers inability to see our worth.

 We need to know who we are in Him. Loved, blessed and precious and worth it.

Numbers, yes numbers can make one feel worthless too...the numbers on the scale do not define you. Whats in your heart is so much more important. 

Those scores that we are all forced to face at some point do not determine your value and worth. 

Too much value can be placed on those scores. We are all different and all blessed with varying talents and gifts . What you do with those gifts is much more important than a score.