A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Poem

The Noise Came Loudly

By 4 Comments

The noise came loudly is the result of an incident that happened this week.  I still haven’t quite forgiven Miss Ivy for being such a fierce warrior cat, but since I don’t know HOW she managed to do the trick, I can’t completely blame her either.  When I brought in a different litter of kits tonight (it’s supposed to be rather cold again overnight),  I made a point of adding additional barriers to the locked door.   I’ll not forget to do that again (addled sick brain or not). 

So welcome to this week’s five minute Friday post (written a couple days late). 

image of person crying. Text, the noise came loudly

The Noise Came Loudly

there it was
the noise came loudly
an eruption of sound.

tears and anger
and a lot of anguish
from a body tired of illness

the suddenness of the shock
brought all those emotions
to the fore front in a blast.

the tears and sobbing
unexpected as it’s not the
first time this loss occurred

but the tiredness and sickness
and the annoyance all combined
into an explosion of regret and hurt.

a young cat ran
(a good thing that)
as a tearful, angry owner

cleaned up a mess from
a huntress’ prowess
three young kits gone

a hubby hovered bravely
nearby, obstensibly
“loading the dishwasher”

but in hindsight
minding his wife who
kinda fell apart

as hopes and dreams for
a lost litter vanished
in the blink of an eye.

how did a locked door
because unlocked by a young cat
allowing her unwanted entrance?

this question will never
be answered, a mystery unsolved,
but the aftermath is still bitter.

Do Me A Favour

By 6 Comments

The five minute Friday word prompt this week is favor (american spelling) but we’ll use the correct spelling in this poem Do Me A Favour.  I so wanted to just have fun with this word and I think I sorta did, but not completely.  It’s been a week with a broken toe, some felt “slaps”, a battle with a young cat, and some weird days at work. 

Right now I’m waiting for my son to come home (though I won’t wait up much longer).  I’m not waiting up cause I’m worried, it’s more that I’ve hardly seen him today and wanted to say “hey, how’s life going my young adult son?  Is all good in your world?”  But that might have to wait until tomorrow…. If he gets home safely!  🙂  Mama’s hearts eh?   

text do me a favour, image of party hat favour

Do Me a Favour

Do me a favour if you please
spell it correctly please oh please
this American spelling trying to take over
the “u’s” are important the world over!

“Hey mom, can I borrow the car?
you see my gal needs me to pick
her up after work, so can you
help me out so I can help her out?”

Do me a favour, if you might,
can you pick up this, right now, tonight?
you see I have this thing so I don’t
have time, but if you could, so much delight!

“HUN!!!!!” The yell comes from the
back door. “Can you open it please?
My hands are full and well…
help would be swell!”

So I have a favour to beg of you,
Since you are going to that town,
could you stop on the way home and
pick up some bananas? I’ve a hankering.

“So rabbit friend of mine, I have this darling
young rabbit, who doesn’t want to become
rabbit stew. She’s pretty and well-behaved
and could you take her in free of charge?

A request if I might.
Could you do this job for me
before you go home today from work?
I ran out of time to do it so… Please?

So many favours, some phrased as such
and others as requests or questions
or hollers for help! What does it cost us
to meet those calls for assistance?

Considering how much we’ve been given
even before we knew enough to call out for help,
or despite the fact that we would NEVER call out
for help. Jesus acted.

So what stops us from acting?
From extending that same grace to others in
their time of need, or sometimes even
before they know the need exists?

So act now or not?
but ask yourself why.
Regardless of what your decision is,
it’s good be reflective eh?





It Takes Effort

By 4 Comments

So I completed this word prompt over a couple of days.  Writing at night and falling asleep necessitated such a decision.    But it’s good to take time to write you know?  Keep my brain moving forward. The word prompt this week is Effort, so I turned that into It Takes Effort. 

It Takes effort, text with image of man standing with head against a wall.

It Takes Effort

it takes effort to be successful
and it takes effort to be unsuccessful
isn’t it funny how success or failure is
marked by the same thing?
Effort.

Some might say lack of effort is
the reason for failure.
but if one stops to think about it
one has to make a choice to not do something, or
to not research, think things through, etc.

It’s just a different type
of effort don’t you think?
it’s the effort of not doing, of not
thinking you are good enough, or even of choosing
to be content with where you are in life.

Taking some time to consider effort,
particularly in light of Sunday’s message
on Ephesians Two being reminded of what
I used to be, and how grace has been applied
to me in the life I live.

It took effort on the part of Christ to
extend grace to us. He could have chosen not
to be beaten, made fun of, carry a cross,
die on a cross, have nails and a spear stuck
into him, and then to defeat death.

Imagine for a moment the effort it took.

Choosing to do the hard.
To push through to be better than.
Christ is our example of what it means
to make the effort to be more than expected.
Don’t you think?

Satisfaction Reduces Bitterness

By 9 Comments

ah, the break is over!  We are back to writing our five minute Friday posts!   Today the word is Satisfied. I thought I would do a play off the word satisfied.  You see I was watching a youtube short earlier this week and a guy said “bitterness is a poison meant for someone else that you take yourself”.   I thought that was such an interesting statement and it’s just been sitting with me. So here’s my Satisfaction reduces bitterness post for you. 

image of lady smiling and looking up. text Satisfaction Reduces Bitterness

Satisfaction Reduces Bitterness

A statement made in a random video short
“bitterness is a poison meant for
someone else that you take yourself”.
Isn’t that an interesting statement?

What causes bitterness?
and Why is it a poison you willingly take?
When I think of bitterness I think of people
who are self-centred and wanting things a certain way
or people that have a hardness in their heart.
Perhaps not one they intended to have, but
one that just rather crept up on them until
it became a habit.

But I got to thinking that perhaps, perhaps
I wasn’t getting the full picture. So I went to
google and it told me the following.

Bitterness is the result of

+ Being hurt by someone, especially someone you love and trust.
+ Betrayal within a romantic relationship or parental abuse.
+ Feeling mistreated or a sense of injustice.
+ Not forgiving others or yourself.
+ Holding others to a higher standard than yourself.
+ Believing that things will never get better.
+ Overgeneralizing.

man hands holding perfume
Photo by حثل on Pexels.com

God on Bitterness

In Hebrews 12 we are warned to not
let a root of bitterness creep into our lives.

And in Matthew 6 bitterness is linked to a
lack of forgiveness.

Romans 3 tells us that the man without God
is full of bitterness and all sorts of things
lacking in goodness.

Bitterness the result of complaints within us
tells Job 10. While Proverbs 10 sneaks in the
thought of a lack of joy being a causal factor.

So it’s more than what the world would tell us,
it’s a heart and mindset issue.
It’s a thing that takes us away from having
satisfaction in God.

lady in beach silhouette during daytime photography
Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com

How to increase our satisfaction!

Do you see the repeated refrain
on how bitterness is the
result of anger, lack of joy,
lack of forgiveness, and not leaving room for God. 

So how can we find more room for God?
Ah, take the time to see HIM in those
things that make you angry.

Find moments of joy regardless of
how small they are!

As corny as it might sound, consider
where Jesus might be in a scenario that
has you steaming a bit at the seams.

And take the time to breathe.
Breathe and remember whose you are
and what he’s called you to be.

Seriously, bitterness can be a tough one
to battle. It’s so instinctive at times you know?
To see the hurt, to remember it, and to think
GAH, not again!!!

But you need to do better!
“I” need to do better!!! Seriously.
God wants more from me and you than for
us to willingly take poison that only hurts us.

Shall we move forward together?


 

Come Thou Long-expected

By 3 Comments

You know what?   I am SO GLAD I double-check what this last word prompt of the year would be.  I’ve been contemplating the word loud most of the day.  As I sat here tonight it was like.. Loud… what the heck kind of word is that for the end of the year?   But then I saw the word was actually Long, and I immediately thought of the song Come thou Long-expected Jesus… and words started coming to me. 

text: Come thou long-expected Image: woman in black dress pregnant

Come Thou Long-expected

Come thou
long-expected Jesus
born to set thy people free.
These words echo through my mind
as I contemplate a simple word.

Come
It’s a word of action you know?
Like people don’t just drop in
at the grocery store. They come with
intent. Something to do (work) or
something to get (food, supplies).
Often seen is a list in hand.

Thou
It’s an old word you know?
Thou. it’s the archaic or dialect form of you
Makes sense for a song from the past
our church history showing forth.
but it’s used for people you know?
thou beastie isn’t oft heard,
but thou person, yes indeedy

Long-expected
Do you hear it?
the mournfulness, the longing
this strong desire for more
And what is that more?

Jesus.
God saves. Our saviour.
God’s son! The one we waited for.
The one the whole world groaned
for in expectation.
The one that in some ways
we are still waiting for.
One day he will return.
The old becomes new again
Won’t that be a sight, and a surprise?

people at theater
Photo by Monica Silvestre on Pexels.com

Oh my lands…. the words I had running through my brain were SO different than what came out of my fingertips!   I was going to talk about the length of the year, and the anticipation this time of the year holds, and how it’s a fitting end.   Instead…. I waxed poetic differently.  🙂 I find it so funny/odd when that happens, it’s like my fingertips have a mind of their own.   But that’s the Long-expected I came up with!

My Jim is at a DND meeting tonight.  They meet once a month for a time of male-bonding.  Tomorrow we hopefully finish the tree, and possibly some website work (for me), and I dunno what else before heading out for a night out.  He’s preaching in a church about 2 hours away so we’ve booked a night at a place near where we have to be.  Means a not as early start on Sunday.  It also means time away where we can just chat and hang out together for a bit.  The kids will mind the cats and bunnies for us and hopefully get the laundry done!  🙂  Time will tell eh?   

Ah, he’s home!   He’ll be going to bed soon which means soon I’ll start snoozing in my chair until I wake up enough to go to bed.  I’ll finish up here so as to avoid all that!  🙂   Cheers! 

Stuff Invades

By 8 Comments

This week’s five minute Friday word prompt focuses on the word Stuff.   I came up with this poem Stuff Invades as I’ve been tidying the house.  I’ve been mentally and physically stressed this week and cleaning up stuff helps to settle my brain (as will a good night’s sleep) as I’ve kept myself fairly busy today.   let’s dig in shall we?

text: stuff invades image: lady cleaning a faucet

Stuff Invades

stuff invades our lives
filling all the empty spaces
sometimes so much so that
where there should be holes
we can’t find any

do we need to do the
marie kondo approach
removing items,
seeking after that which
makes us happy?

perhaps we should remove
anything we haven’t used
for six months, or a year,
because obviously if we haven’t
used it that long, do we need it?

yet i have to wonder,
if we take either approach
how much good will be left
with or how much bad will
we have?

for instance, if we only keep
that which makes us happy, will dishes
and cutlery remain, or a
hubby’s treasures, or a son’s joys,
if i am the one making decisions?

or what about tools that are needed
but only rarely used,
or treasures of the past, rarely
viewed because they are treasures,
kept safe for special times.

so if stuff is what is seen,
maybe it is easier to deal with
what is seen, but the deeper issue
within might be tougher to solve,
it’s easier to hide.

why the stuff?

perhaps there’s an unsettled
need within to hold tight to what you
have lest it be taken away by the uncaring,
or a need to hold to memories of family
since time passes quickly.

or it’s just a matter of living,
one lives life well and over time stuff
shows up and gets added into the
overall flow of how you live because
you have the space.

should we examine our stuff?
for sure we should! i have a friend
who helps people get rid of their
stuff as they age. it can be
such a hard process to let go.

i’ve watched as parents on both
sides go through this process
each with their own mindset about
the how’s, where’s, and why’s, both
different in their viewings on their stuff

what to do

so, what do we do when those
holes appear again? what will we
fill them with or should we even
try? Should we let that emptiness sit
and somehow let them be filled with more?

not more stuff but more contentment
and satisfaction, and desire to be
one with God himself? forgiveness,
mercy, seeking to be more than
what we currently are.

What Will You Give in Trade?

By 8 Comments

What will you give in trade is my response to Miss Kate’s five minute Friday word prompt. This is one of those posts that started off one way and then took a turn. I like the turn but am not completely sure the theology is spot on, but at this time of night….. I don’t have the brain to rewrite.  🙂 

What would you give in trade text with picture of guinea pig

What will you give in trade?

What will you give in trade?
Will it be for better or worse?
Is the trade one that will make
me feel good in the end, or that you
just wanted to rip me off?

Some people don’t quite understand
the value of an item and thereby offer
less than what a thing is worth.

I often have mice, rabbits, and
now guinea pigs available for new homes,
and I’ve done a number of good trades
over the years.

Maple syrup, hay, nestbox builds,
other rabbits, and such like.
Those are trades I accepted.

There have been many others I’ve
turned down like pots, pans,
old water bottles, and ratty cages.

What is the cost?

It makes me wonder about the cost paid right?
A little baby born into squalid conditions
A manger, critters around,
not the best room around for sure.

Parents were poor, from a small town,
travelled by donkey, and on foot.

Grew up having to travel around
avoiding much danger, and then
his dad settled down into a
wood-working business.

At 12 he learned more about
being about his father’s business,
not his carpenter father mind, but
in the process his mama was worried sick.

At 30 some years things got a bit tough
with false accusations, and agenda set by
men in charge. It did not, for all earthly
intents and purposes turn out well,

except for one little detail.
Three days later there was an
empty tomb. an unbelievable thing,
you see
A trade happened.

A trade that bridged a gap,
that covered the cost of grievous wrong.
Was the trade equitable?
Does it make sense
for God’s lad to die for something
I am guilty of?

Even though it was the only option,
such as when a firm price is set
on an item for sale like a casserole
dish, highball glass or more.

It is God’s mercy in action,
his sovereign plan, of redemption,
a trade/pay-off that benefits us
and rebuilds relationship.

A firm price, no trade really,
redemption set, and so the
price is fully paid. Are you
willing to make things with
the sovereign one of the universe?