A week ago, Friday, I found a group of writers through a twitter friend who free-write to a prompt for five minutes every Friday. I was intrigued and excited to read all of the different thoughts on one word. To set a timer for five and never lift your pen from the page, and just let the words flow. It’s an exercise that is not always easy, but I was compelled to try it just the same.
To find out more about 5-Minute Friday, follow the link or visit www.katemotaung.com
The Prompt for this week is QUIET
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I found myself unexpectedly alone on a Friday night. My husband and oldest son off to an overnight campout with Boy Scouts, my youngest whisked away to his grandparents for the ngiht for an early morning ski date with his grandpa, and my middle son invited for a few hours to a friends house.
Don’t get me wrong, I DREAM about having my house to myself and plunking my introverted mind down for some necessary recharging, but this night it felt out of place. It was dark and cold and too quiet.
When does the quiet get to be too much to handle? How unexpected it was to have to fill the void of my family when it seemed they should be near me.
I longed for their presence in the quiet like I long for God’s comfort in trials. I was at peace knowing that everyone was safe, but uneasy in knowing they were gone. I struggled to find something to do with myself and longed for the comfort of others. Eventually I ended up watching the movie “Hachiko” based on a true story where a Japanese Akita dog meets his master at a train station daily after work. One day the master does not come back, yet the dog returns to wait everyday.
We are not meant to be alone, we are designed for community and comforted by the presence of others.
Loneliness is quiet, but sharing quiet with others is comforting.
“He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” — 2 Corinthians 1:4 (MSG)
STOP