5 Minute Friday ~ Beyond

Joining up with Lisa-Jo @ Gypsy Mama because...

"It’s Five Minute Friday free write time!

Where a flash mob of folks spend five minutes all writing on the same topic and then share ‘em over here.

Want to know how Five Minute Friday got started and how to participate? All the details are here. 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!

Because, as we all know, the most important rule of Five Minute Friday is leaving an encouraging comment for the person who linked up before you. So getting to feature one of your fine posts is like frosting as far as I’m concerned.

So, 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..

OK, are you ready? Please give me your best five minutes on..."

Beyond…

"How much do you love me?"

Every kid asks that question sometime, I think. All eight of mine have. If we're honest, we all keep asking that question the entirety of our lives. We want to know that someone, somewhere out there, loves us. We want to be reassured.

"How much do you love me?"

My husband made a game of it. "I love you 7 billion 2 hundred and 43 thousand one hundred and sixty-two!" said teasingly. It was always some number, crazy complicated and silly crazy huge. And then child comes up with something equally, sweetly confuse. 

Every single one of our eight children love this game... still; it's code for "I love you, Daddy. I want your attention and a hug, too."

As we've home-schooled, read books, watched movies, we've added new phrases. So if you ever pop over for a cup of late morning tea and a chat, you might hear...

"I love you all the way to the moon!"

"I love you all the way to the moon, around it five times and back!"

"I love you all the way to the moon and back 75 times today."

"I love you all the way to the moon and back 75 times today and every day for the next 75 years."

"I love you till all the fur's rubbed off and a fairy makes you real."

"I love you forever and ever and its a very long time!"

"Take that bit of fluff out of your ear and listen to me tell you just how much Iove you..."

"I love you to infinity and beyond."

Then littlest one sleepily whispered one evening... "I love you to inifinity and beyond and then all the way back home to our couch for a little 'nuggle."

She's too young to grasp the significance of what she said, but she put into words for me an attempt to wrap in words the kind of love God has and enables His own to share.

Think about it:

"I love you to inifinity and beyond and then all the way back home to our couch for a little 'nuggle."

"I don’t think we always know what it is that causes hearts to connect and click and for [love] to grow. But... to endure, you have to learn to love the other not just because of the wonderful things you see or in spite of the frustrating, annoying things. I think you also have to let those annoying and frustrating things become dear to you, too – because they are part and parcel... it is also in those areas, sometimes, where it is easiest to see God working…" **

Because love travels with the one loved to infinity and beyond... and then comes back to the nitty gritty of every day real life and continues to hang out, there, too.

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**Words I wrote, jjust the other day, to my lovely friend.