A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Five Minute Friday

Don’t Know How to Pivot

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The question facing us in someways. Now that mom is gone, who will draw us together? Family gatherings have fallen to the wayside over the past couple of years since mom has been declining. So what happens now?  Will someone in the family pivot to cover the gap? Or will things happen as does in other families… the mom/dad dies and the family just falls apart?   I would hope not.  But I’m not quite sure how to do about rebuilding community in my family…  Let’s explore this a bit perhaps eh? Because sometimes I don’t know how to pivot.

image: pivot spelled out in blocks text: don't know how to pivot

Don’t Know How to Pivot

Introverted, sensitive
to noise, and not handling
crowds well. Anything more
than one is a crowd.

So can one pivot from
how they are to be
something more for the
sake of togetherness?

I don’t know?

Does it have to be me
to pivot or can I be a
cog in the wheel of change?
Calling folks to plan?

If so, how does one
do that? I’m not a
planner so figuring the
logistics cause inward screams.

So I don’t know how

Is there a book, a
podcast, or youtube
that gives hints or a
step by step?

That would be helpful,
It’s not that I don’t know
how to pivot, it’s something
one does in life.

How to learn?

the pivoting with
unnamed/unlearned skills
seems a bit out
on a tree limb.

Maybe I’m getting
ahead of the game and
my sis, younger than,
will step into the gap?

Hope arises….

Chocolate Eaters Unite!

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So I’ve originally entitled this post Chocolate Eaters Unite!  But I’m not sure that I like that title so it may change, time will tell eh?  Andrew, who normally puts together a post using poetry, has been gracious to cover Kate’s absence.  She’s on medical leave until the New Year, so for the next couple of months I’ll miss Andrew’s poetry as he puts together a basic FMF post.   The word prompt this week is Chocolate. 

Chocolate Eaters Unite! (text) plate of chocolates pictured.

Chocolate Eaters Unite!

Chocolate eaters unite!
The rallying call!
Women everywhere smile.
They know the draw.

Creamy smoothness,
Dark, milk, semi-sweet,
and if desperate even white!
Chocolate can’t be beat!

Salty snacks desired?
Take a chip,
Melt a pot,
Then take a dip!

Craving something crunchy,
add some bits and nuts,
almonds, peanuts, cheerios, toffee,
Be brave, have some guts!

Extra creamy,
might fit your groove,
nutella, peanut butter,
ganache, it’s your move.

Nibble while you watch TV,
Nibble while you cook,
don’t forget to nibble,
whilst in your reading nook!

Just make your chocolate
your morning, afternoon,
and evening delight.
in every situation, a boon!

m m s chocolates in bowl
Photo by Caio on Pexels.com

Well, looky that!  All finished, and my chosen title “Chocolate Eaters Unite!” still works!   I will say it took an hour to complete because…. I didn’t have my evening chocolate, and thusly fell asleep.  Hubs woke me when he decided to go to bed, and thought perhaps I’d want to follow him.  I told him I’ll eat some chocolate, so I can finish up my post and be up in a bit.  He laughed, “Don’t fall asleep again!”.   

Oh, I’ve written about chocolate before

So tell me, how do you like your chocolate best?   

Coffee and Me

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I had hoped last Thursday to join in with the Five minute Friday write up that Andrew usually puts up early.  BUT… I didn’t make it and mentally I had a fun post done.  After all the word prompt was Coffee and well… That’s an easy fun post for me.  What I came up with was different then what I intended, perhaps a tad more serious than fun, but still was quick, fun write up for me.  Come and discover the relationship between coffee and me! 

text coffee and me, image fancy coffee in a white cup

Coffee and Me

Coffee and me
we’re such good friends.
I admittedly tell a lie!

Three times in life we’ve met
face to face and well
let’s coffee comes to me to die.

A plowed field, oops I tripped!
The houseplant was thirsty, really!
and well, it’s much too cold to drink
now, perhaps a cup of tea instead?

My hubby loves his coffee
and as I meander down the stairs,
wondering at the stench
and if the cats did something I’d
rather not know about.

I spotted coffee dip ice cream
just the other day wondered
“WHY? Why ruin a delicious treat!!!”
Coffee crisp, mocha cream,
coffee wine, and so much more.

This flavouring of food
with an obnoxious stench
I’ll never understand.
It’s almost as bad as dill!

cup of coffee on saucer
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

A faith element

Each cup of coffee ever offered to me was made by someone determined to give me the perfect brew.  The fact that I can’t stand the smell of coffee isn’t their fault.  This morning in church we were reminded that the more we remember God’s faithfulness, the more our faith is strengthened. 

Just like a cup of coffee, brewed to my hubby’s likes, strengthens him for the day.  The brew of God’s remembered faithfulness in our lives, strengthens us for our journey of faith.   Therefore, let this godly “coffee” be a good smell in our noses that causes us to want more eh?  🙂 

Recognize the Truth

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Recognize the Truth is a poem for a word prompt provided by Miss Kate.  Once a week she lays forth an idea so we can practice our writing skills.   Tonight I was talking with a friend and she called me a wordsmith.  Isn’t that a neat term? As defined by the Cambridge dictionary a wordsmith is “a person who has skill with using words, especially in writing”.    What I know is I like words, but I tend to go for simple words when writing to make it easy for folks.  And writing is fun!  🙂  I don’t know how skillful I am, I write to have fun.  🙂 

people dressed up as minions and Gru. Text: recognize the truth

Recognize the Truth

This morning at work I was
forced to recognize the truth.
A costume designer I am not.

I admittedly tried, but
the antennae I made, in an
effort to copy Gru’s dog, failed.

Failed miserably I might add.
My manager laughed and then
applauded me for trying, since….

it is much much more than I
would ever do for a holiday I think
of only as Candy Day.

She then did her best to
turn me into a minion, and,
instead of antennae, wild hair!

Some minions I guess have a
wild hair day, and today was one
of those days!

When I got home, there was a survey
awaiting me from the pastor of our church
asking questions about matters of faith.

I had to recognize the truth that
I struggle as a believer at times to
carve out the time needed for God.

To spend time in his word, to
talk with him daily, and to just
take the time needed to deepen.

Lack of planning and the lovely
ability of being distracted by
everything else in life to blame.

You want to know what other truth
I must recognize? Trying to write a
five minute post when

the world series of baseball
and Candy night coincide is
not very doable!!!

Five minutes has stretched out
into bits of time over the
past hour! BUT DONE!!!

Capacity Reached

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Capacity reached is written in response to a word prompt provided by Miss Kate over at Five Minute Friday.  Sometimes, life gets to be a bit too much you know?  

text: capacity reached image: picture mounted on a wall

Capacity Reached

it happened,
just the other day,
too much happening,
the world felt too busy,
with me locked inside my head.

tears came,
unbidden they were,
hot and fast with shallow
breaths that made talking hard
but slowed down the busyness of my head.

a child listened,
“mom, how can I help?”
“what do you need done first?”
and slowly, it seemed too slowly,
the words came and furniture moved,

a picture went up,
and a landing was tidied,
which lends to a new bedroom
to be finished, which meant that
the office to now by a play room for

Puzzling, and lego,
with a CD player coming
for listening, reading, and
just general relaxation for bodies
too busy living, and needing to chill.

and so,
capacity reached,
led to communication and
help received, and life being
lived better by everyone living within.

Let Me Explain

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It’s been a while since I’ve joined in with Five Minute Friday.  Today’s post of Let me Explain gives you a glimpse into why.   Boy am I tired!  So much in life to keep a body busy!!!  I still have things to keep me “entertained” but overall, I can see a finish line. 

It was fun the other day, putting on spotify and listening to Fernando Ortega most of the day, and other days listening to books.  I listened to Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill.  This is a fantasy novel with an interesting quest and a weird twist at the end.  But it turned out well (I was quite concerned for a while that the ending would be bad), but that twist made it all work out. 

Text Let Me Explain, image of paper being shredded

Let Me Explain

Let me Explain,
give me a moment or two
to give you the reason
absent I’ve been.

You see first it was
the rabbitry, needing a roof,
and the rebuilding of shelves
and sanctions for cages to rest upon.

Then it was the yard,
massive yard waste to
clear up and take to the
local dump.

And then the lad’s girlfriend,
living with us is,
needing a room to call her own,
instead residing the library in.

Noting as things moved,
two much stuff this house has,
so removing furniture and
accumulated life.

The end is in sight,
the “to be shredded” pile in half,
two file cabinets, one writing desk,
and a shelf to be taken away.

Just some pictures to hang,
an office to tidy,
and hubby to sort through
his stuff and

Just in time for bible
study to start, when
I’m feeling like I might
actually have time!

Unexplainable Jesus by Erica Wiggenhorn

What is the bible study I’m joining in on?   Unexplainable Jesus by Erica Wiggenhorn.  I won’t be actually going to the study but will be doing it at home. I find that going out at night, I start to fall asleep and I don’t like feeling dangerous on the road. So I am doing it at home, and that will be good.   

Anyways, the study.  We’ll looking at Jesus through the book of Luke. Five lessons per week over an 8-week period.  So just a bit to study over five nights in a week (so highly doable).  Videos to watch. And just learning more.  It’s a good thing no?   Perhaps you’ll want to join iU

What We Perceive

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Okay, that was weird.  I went to Kate’s blog as I always do and the word Path seemed to be the latest word prompt, but that seemed off.  Her email to me that this word perception, but the latest blog post was on the word path.  So I considered The Path Ahead, but apparently I should have been focused on what we perceive…

what we perceive

What we Perceive

The word is perception or
so I’ve been told, finding
the post not as easy or bold.

It makes me remember that perception
is not always as easy as one makes out.
What we perceive is influenced
by more than sight.

I’m reading a book in which
magical items can strengthen the
senses and physical well-being
of the one bearing it. But as the
wearer learns, the item (usually a blade)
has their own agendas and pushes them
constantly and one must be on-guard.

The world we live in has an agenda
all it’s own. And truth be told, not
always the agenda we want. It seems
so often that strife is what the
world wants. Division and discord
the name of the game.

So in our perceptions of the
world around
us, are we challenging
what we perceive? Are we looking
for the good or only seeing that
which divides? That which causes
us to think negatively?

It’s a battle we all face you know?
To fight against the pressures
of the world and seek after
the good. To seek after
the things eternally right.
It’s part of our path that lies ahead. 🙂

an artist s illustration of artificial intelligence ai this illustration depicts language models which generate text it was created by wes cockx as part of the visualising ai project l
Photo by Google DeepMind on Pexels.com

God’s word on perception

1 Corinthians 2:14-16  14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.