It’s Five Minute Friday time! I hope you’ve had a lovely week. Summer is officially here, and we’re soaking up as much sunshine as we can get (while still working, of course). 😉
I know summer can be a more challenging time to write, so well done for showing up!
If you’re new to FMF, a special welcome to you! Learn more about the link-up and how it works here.
Also: Be sure to join the FMF email list for a free gift!
This week’s FMF writing prompt is: AWARE
Setting my timer for five minutes, and . . . GO.
This past week held a special treat for me, as my friend Patrice Gopo was in town to speak at a conference and I got to see her not once, but twice! Patrice and I met 15 years ago in Cape Town through a mutual friend. At the time, I had just given birth to my youngest son (as in, less than three weeks earlier), and didn’t expect I would ever see Patrice again.
Thankfully, I was wrong! Two years later she was in my kitchen in Cape Town decorating cupcakes with blue frosting for my son’s second birthday.
Neither of us even dreamed of writing at that point in our lives, and now here we are, each with traditionally published books and several articles and other writings out in the world.
Little did we know then that a decade and a half after that first Cape Town meeting, we would be celebrating the release of her first picture book, All the Places We Call Home, in my home in Michigan. Of course, we had to have cupcakes!
One thing I love about Patrice and her friendship is that she is often making me aware of different ways to think about things — everything from the writing life to parenting to my relationship with God to
Sometimes when I share a thought about something, she’ll nod in agreement, then circle back at times and offer something like, “Or . . . it could be that this is what was happening.”
Her creativity and curiosity open my eyes to other ways of seeing situations, interactions, and conversations, making me aware of new possibilities to consider — and for that, I’m grateful.
STOP.
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Be sure to check out Patrice’s new book,
From the Amazon listing:
In her first picture book, author Patrice Gopo illuminates how family stories help shape children, help form their identity, and help connect them with the broader world. Her lyrical language, paired with Jenin Mohammed’s richly textured artwork, creates a beautiful, stirring portrait of a child’s deep ties to cultures and communities beyond where she lays her head to sleep.
Save 20% for a limited time when you purchase from Baker Book House!
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Join the link-up with your own five-minute freewrite, then visit your link-up neighbor to read their post and leave an encouraging comment!
Yes, I had to stand and stare
and so remorseful be,
because I had not been aware
that you were just like me,
even though your accent was
weird to tender redneck ears,
and you looked strange, well, because
I had those xenophobic fears,
but when I cry, you do too,
and when I laugh we’re harmony,
and this one thought sticks like glue,
I’m like you, and you’re like me.
I’m glad awareness came in time
to heal my heart, and make this rhyme.
I love how your friend brought awareness. You both look joyful!
Oh, Kate!! This is just the sweetest post. Thank you 🙏🏾 ☺️. I am so grateful for you and the way God would connect our lives. And how delightful to be able to be curious and creative with another. I am grateful for that as well. Such fun to see you AND your family! ☺️
How exciting to help your friend with her book launch.
Such friendships deserve celebrating! How beautiful that God has allowed you to grow in similar ways and influence one another in living and writing.
Beautiful story of the precious gift of friendship. Thank you Kate. I’ll be checking out Patrice’s book because it looks wonderful and Picture books are one of my ‘weaknesses.’ 😀