Welcome to this week’s “Five Minute Friday.” Our instructions, via creator Kate Motaung: “Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation.” Today’s prompt: BLESSING.
This week, I picked my daughter up from Jacksonville (about 2.5 hours away) when she arrived home from a friend’s wedding. That was Monday night.
Tuesday, we celebrated her 21st birthday (which had been Monday) and returned home to Tallahassee. During all of that, my father-in-law was moved to Hospice House from our House.
Wayne (husband) remarked that night “it’s so great to have all four of us home, just ourselves” on the day he was moved.
It was true and serendipitous.
When we’ve been driving around, Tenley and I have been listening to the Waitress soundtrack.
My earworm has been the song “You matter to me.”
It applies in so many ways. So. Many.
Blessings-wise, it has been my privilege to try to tell my father in law through my actions “you matter to me” and it is a blessing to have so many people in my life who have made it a point to let me know I matter to them.
It’s a beautiful song. I can’t even remember the scene details from the play. But the song will bring back the memories of this week in our lives, and the passages (my son turns 18 Saturday as well), for a long time. I hope I always embrace the blessings and acknowledge them. They aren’t to be taken for granted.
Blessings come in so many different forms. This time around, some of the biggest have manifested in small ways – a hug, a text, a message. A kind ear and a blind eye to the horrible state of our house. I love small blessings, and trying to create them for others. To show them “you matter to me.”
My daughter had her wisdom teeth out – a blessing to have dental insurance and to have her with me this week.
This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday linkup.
Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.
What a blessing you were able to be to your father-in-law. “You matter to me.” Love your post, Paula. I’m your neighbor at #fiveminutefriday. Have a blessed weekend, friend.
Thanks, Carolina. It’s hard to really capture everything in five minutes (as I’m sure you know!) and I don’t know how to say it without using a cliche but I think in the long run we will realize that we were the ones who got the biggest blessings.
This is excellent, Paula, and the grace you extended to your father-in-law is outstanding.
And “You matter to me!” are the most important words in the English language.
#1 at FMF this week.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/06/your-dying-spouse-330-this-is-how-you.html
If I’m going to have an earworm, I guess “you matter to me” is pretty good one to have! As I mentioned to Carolina, five minutes is a drop in the bucket of portraying what has gone one for this past three years. I can write about as many times when I did not extend the grace he was due as the times I (hopefully) did. But even when imperfect, it has all been done with love.
What a beautiful post, Paula. I admire your family bonds and wistfully treasure the memories of my own, always focusing on those good times. I will hold your family in my prayers as you prepare for the next steps in your FIL’s journey to the other side. Peace be with you, my friend.
Thank you, Colleen.
Thanks for the reminder to stop and count our blessings. They come in many forms – both yes and no answers to prayers. Thanks for sharing yours!
They truly do. Thanks for stopping by!
Great post. Always amazing to remember to be grateful and/or count our blessings! I am blessed right now with a daughter having a fully social friend filled summer, a son who passed math and can enjoy his summer as well, a loving, caring, supportive husband… and many other blessings this week for me! Thanks!
Oh wow that’s a blessing trifecta! At least! Thx for visiting.
Lovely reminder to take the time a tell others that they matter. I’ll make sure to find special ways to do that tomorrow!
I think you’ll have a great day then! Thx for stopping by.