Spend five minutes today and write - don't worry about what others might think as you write, just do it!  You'll feel better!




So even as I read the prompt - Wide - my thoughts were consumed with so many emotions I didn't really know how to start. I mean wide should be like an ocean description, or a grassy field or something... at least that is my first image...

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Yet the idea of writing for five minutes on Wide just wasn't  happening in my head. and the deal is that we don't think too much about what we are going to write, right?

So I sat down to write.

Then the baby cried - 5 minutes on hold.

It is amazing how the feelings in life can be so wide, so encompassing. We, as responsible adults, know that we should not be rule by our emotions. That such behavior is childish.

And yet emotions become that wide, large part of our thoughts and words all day, every day.

Sure there are great emotions to get lost in - love, joy, hope.

And even the less fun ones have a purpose. I mean a fear of some spiders or poisonous snakes could safe lives!

Yet we know that any emotion that takes over all our thoughts and actions is not healthy. There needs to be a balance. And finding that balance is the hidden secret I think most people search their whole lives for.

What if that secret is right in front of us?

What if we are making the worse decision when we grit our teeth and just try harder?

What if the wide open arms of a Savior, standing silently beside us is that secret?

All the way through school there were many assignments that teachers gave that I dreaded - any thing that involved standing up and speaking in front of the class was torture (to stand in front of the whole school for some things was unthinkable!). There was always one assignment though that I loved - I looked forward to it. The free writing assignments. You know the ones where you got to write anything you wanted.  You could make up a story, characters, setting - the whole thing was in your control.

I realize not everyone loved that assignment.



For some, the moment the art supplies came out was pure freedom - the ability to create thrilled some (not me... but I know those who loved them).

Why do we, as people, have such desire to create? Why?

Children's Corner

With school now in full swing for so many, I keep hearing parents lamenting how their kids simply have no desire to read, or write for that matter.  They discuss how their kids simply want to watch movies and cartoons, or play video games.  Granted some say how their kids would rather be outside playing, and hey, I'm all for the outside time.  But let's be honest, there takes a level of intentionality when it comes to raising children who do want to read and write.



That purpose and focus on raising kids who love books starts young.  Take the time to really look through some books, at your library or local bookstore, and find books that will engage your youngest kids.  Really as soon as kids can sit in your lap, they can start to listen to books as you read to them.  Find books that engage them.  Books where you can help them touch the pictures and feel textures, books that have flaps... or books that allow them to trace!

The Motion Adds

The Options (well some of them)

**If you are considering purchasing any of these books, please consider using the affiliate link here or above, and support Reading List in the process. Thank you!

Linking up with these great hops:

I've got the privilege to share with you another fun book this season.  I'm very excited, as this was a surprise read for me.  I didn't expect it from a self-published writer, but still I enjoyed every second of the book.  At the very end of the post I've included my personal favorite excerpt from the book to give you a sneak peak.  I know there are a million books out there to fill your time with, and you must be selective.  But if you are looking for a fun read that will pull you into a new world, this should be one you add to your list!

And don't miss the giveaway at near the end - I mean who couldn't use a $25 gift card for Amazon this close to the holidays?  I know right!

5 Wonderfully Interactive Books for Toddlers

Guess Who Books on Children's Corner

Granted these are really just life-the-flap books - and there are so many of those out there.  Yet somehow, these fun books have the right amount of text per page to keep a toddler interested... and the famous characters probably help too!

About the Book

Why We Like It

**If you are considering purchasing this book, please consider using the affiliate link here and support Reading List in the process.

Somehow I found the time to write for five minutes today - I've missed it recently.

Here's to another Friday - have to admit I don't quite see them the same now that I am SAHM, but still weekends are always fun. And another day to just write, why not? Topic of the week: Identity  (Thanks Gypsy Mama). So here goes:

Identity

Knowing who I am has been a process. And I am many things, a mom, a wife, a college-degree holder, a friend, the list can go on and on. Mostly, right now, in this moment, I'm feeling like the adopted daughter I am.

Now some are probably ready to hear about my Christan faith right now, and yes that is who I am. But I am adopted.

I have a birth mom, and an adopted mom.

And as Mother's Day approaches I'm reminded of both of my moms.

I feel grateful to my birth mom, for taking care of me for those months as God wove me together. I am grateful she was wise enough to give me to my parents.

My identity is strongly tied to the fact that I have the parents I have. The mom I have.

I was placed into a particular family so that I would be the person God wanted me to be, and I couldn't be happier about such a path. My identity has become interlaced with a large, loud Italian family. That family is a great identity to have.

Sure there are moments of wondering over what it would have been like if, but "if" didn't happen. This did. And I am fitting in just perfectly still to this day, as I am part of my own littler family. That original family has prepared me, and stands next to me now, reminding me of who I am.


This song came to mind while I was writing so I hope you enjoy








Wanna join in the fun? Have five minutes to write - just write, no editing, no research, no hard thinking. Let the words flow- it's fun!!

Head over to Gypsy Mama, and join the party! Oh and tell me about it so I can party with you.

I remember when summer was full of endless days that I got to fill however I wanted... do you remember those days?

I would fill them with my own imaginings - some times alone, other times I would imagine with friends, and then we would create, usually with words, that world or event we had imagined.

But where do we learn that art of imagining? Are we born with it? Why do some people seem to day dream and imagine while others don't?

I'm not sure it's wrong to day dream and imagine. In fact I'm sure it's part of the process of all successful people (financially or not...).

I blog because I've loved to write for decades. I was writing stories with my friends as a young child.  Creative writing assignments were my favorite in school.  And that is why whenever I can I stop by Lisa-Jo's Five Minute Friday community on Fridays.  She shares a single word, and a ton of us write what comes to mind for five minutes.  That's it.  And it is fun!

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There are so many times when I'm reading a main-stream book and I see the power of God in them, even though the author didn't mean to write it in.  Of course this happens often with movies too!  I've decided it's because the Creator designed us with His truth ingrained in our hearts, and when we, as people, try to express our feelings in creating, that Truth finds it's way into our creation.

After stumbling across The Gypsy Mama today I knew that spending five minutes of my Friday to just write was a perfect idea. Obviously I love writing (why else would I have two blogs?); and an excuse to just write, no editing, or fear of judgment, sounds good to me. So here's to Five Minute Fridays.

Community

GO

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Community for me is support.

Not always physical support, or even vocal support. But that presence that comes with being around other people who know you well enough that words aren't needed. Just being is enough.

That way as the words flow you don't feel concerned, or judged. Just supported.

Although I've grown up in the same area I live in now, I'm just starting to really build up a close community of peers that are in the same life stages as me and my immediate family. It is a process.

Community doesn't just happen. You have to work at it. You have to make the decision to grow relationships with certain people, and be around them, physically, on a regular basis. Sometimes that means being silent and listening to them, other times that means you get to pour out all your thoughts (well within reason of course).

There is something about this process that strengthens us. That process is community.

And to think that after all the work at building your community, they are there for you. You are there for them. What joy that brings.

I can't wait until I'm so close to this new community that I can see them as the people I turn to, and know that they will turn to me. Blessings.

STOP

Ready to spend five minutes releasing those thoughts bouncing around your head? Spent five minutes writing about community, then head over to Gypsy Mama and join the party.