Welcome to the first Five Minute Friday link-up of November! You’re invited to set a timer for five minutes and freewrite without overthinking . . . You could share your work below if you have a website or social media profile, leave your entry in the comments section, or keep it to yourself in a paper journal! 🙂 The main point is for you to write.
If you’re new to Five Minute Friday, click here to learn more about the link-up and how it works.
This week’s Five Minute Friday writing prompt is: UNEXPECTED
Setting my timer for five minutes, and . . . GO.Â
If you read my post last week, you’ll know that my 17-year-old son lost his best friend in an accident less than two weeks ago. The days have been so long and emotionally taxing since then, it feels as if a whole month has passed.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been so kind to offer prayer support, text messages, blog post and social media comments, emails, cards, and sympathy gifts. It has meant so much to us.
This past Sunday (eight days after the accident), I gave a sympathy card to someone at church who had lost his grandpa. He said thank you, then offered his condolences to our family as well for my son’s loss. “Mine was expected,” he said. “Yours was not.”
Besides the completely unexpected and shocking news, there have been unexpected mercies along the way as well. Like when my 19-year-old daughter drove three hours home from college to support her younger brother as he spoke at the funeral. And when she invited him back to campus with her for the weekend so they could have time together.
And the way she remembered something she had read in my memoir six years ago (when she was just thirteen years old!) that shaped the way she responded to her brother’s loss. Completely unforeseen, and such a full-circle moment for me. To think that words I had written prior to 2018 would be used more than six years later by my daughter so she could be a blessing to her brother? I never could have seen that one coming.
Yes, it has been immeasurably painful. And yes, the Lord has been sustaining us.
STOP.
I wrote another social media post about these early, raw, unfiltered days of grief and will share it here in case it resonates with you:
Thank you again for your support.
xx Kate (and family)
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101 Prayers for Comfort in Difficult Times
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Join the link-up with your own five-minute freewrite below, then visit your link-up neighbor to read their post and leave an encouraging comment:
Sometimes you get blindsided
by those who have to die,
and though you want to hide it,
you just want to cry
and beat your fists upon God’s knees
(does He know you’re there?),
and you want task Him, PLEASE
just tell me that you care!
Yeah, Your ways are not our ways
(we heard that line before),
and if this is the way it plays
I’m heading for the door
only to find that it’s true
that my escape leads back to you.
Four minutes.
Beautiful, Andrew. Thank you.
always count on you for a smile and chuckle. Thanks!
Kate, I am saddened by the death of your son’s best friend–the loss that you are experiencing as a family. And I am glad you are seeing mercies & grace. What a blessing that your daughter has taken your words to heart!
Firstly I want to say how much I enjoyed that artical on gardening and grief, it really touched my heart.
Secondly, for some reason, I can’t find where to add my link to the link-up. It’s odd because I usually can find it, but this week and last week I have not been able to, so I’m putting my link here:
https://aheartfullofsong.wordpress.com/2024/11/02/unexpected-answers-to-prayer-fmfparty/
Yes, the unexpected death is a grief we cannot prepare for. Love and blessings to you all as you navigate the mourning as a family and community.