Here’s the deal. Five Minute Friday. You go find the little prompt at the wonderful Lisa-Jo’s blog, set the time and write for five minutes, and then just stop. Where you are, no edits, just publish raw words.
START
STORY…
Water balloons. Little girls with dog-ear pigtails. Hands raised high. The cackle of a laughing child. Arms wrapped around a friends waist. Tears leaking out of eyes. Clapping and shouting to a favorite song. Sitting on the dock with a book. A stolen look across the room. A post-it filled with the tiny scratch of a new found quote with old meaning. Scratches on the wall. Scratches on your heart. Plane rides with rainbows out the window. Pictures yellowed, pages with words underlined. An encouraging word from a friend at just the right moment. Dancing and skipping for a friend returned. Kneeling and weeping for a relationship that remains broken. Licking popsicles and planting flowers together. Packing and unpacking. A drum beat, voices raised, knees bent, palms open, puddles on the floor and wet cheeks, all while smiles grace faces.
All of it, a Story. Each and every one are pieces and chapters in the book that is our life.
Every life tells a Story because Story is life.
The good moments and the gritted teeth, tears dripping off eyelashes moments, these are the Stories we live and breathe.
We must, absolutely must, share these moments with each other because as the pieces weave together, we find that though the chapters are different, the joy is the same and the struggles are common.
We all have Stories to tell, because each life tells a Story. A gloriously boring, broken, redeemed Story.
It would be a shame if we never got to read yours. One of the best gifts you can give is the gift of your Story.
STOP
