Gayl Wright

PIPEDREAM OR REALITY We all have ideas of what we’d like our “someday” to be – getting that book published, finding our dream job, having an organized home with no clutter, etc. Someday is the word prompt for #FiveMinuteFriday . (I’m sure I took longer than 5 minutes). One of the first things that came to mind was a song from a Disney movie – Someday My Prince Will Come. Well, we all know there is no such thing on earth as a prince that will fulfill all our dreams. With a human being, it is not possible. We are all flawed, and when we look to other humans to satisfy our longings we will always be disappointed. Sure, we may be able to encourage and lift each other, but we can never fulfill all the needs of one another. Only God can fulfill our every need. He will never fail, and His love will never end. Because He loves us and knows what is best for us, He doesn’t always give us what we think we want. Yet, He always does what is best for us even if we don’t understand it at the ti

photo taken April 2024 at Redington Shores, Florida SOME OR ALL? The word some is the #FiveMinuteFriday prompt. Some is a simple word but can be paired with other words like – somewhere, somehow, someone, sometime, something, and probably many more. The word some does not include all. That means when we choose one thing, we are not choosing other things.     We may choose some people to be our close friends and others remain acquaintances. Yet, whether close friends, acquaintances, or strangers - we can treat them all with kindness. Every person is created in the image of God and therefore has worth.    Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith. Galatians 6:9-10   a portion of an art journal page We may be tempted sometimes to treat people differently, depending on how they treat us. Jesus tells

CREATIVELY ENGAGING WITH MY #ONEWORD My heart is moved by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; Psalm 45:1a In the #oneword2024 Facebook group, Lisa Burgess reminds us to engage creatively with our chosen words. She gives a variety of suggestions to help us. One suggestion was to write poetry in different styles. Since I wrote an acrostic in my last post, I wanted to pursue other poetry styles. In this post, I will share three different kinds of poetry – limerick, haiku, and a blessing/prayer. LIMERICK One of the suggestions was to write a limerick. Now, most limericks I’ve heard are silly or humorous, so to write one about stillness was quite challenging. I would write a few lines and then scrap it. Nothing seemed to sound quite right. Finally, I came up with one that also reflects some of my thoughts about stillness in the post, A New Look at Stillness . When searching for stillness I found That noises and chaos abound What a joy to find Stillness of a kind That

ARE YOU LONELY? The prompt word for Five Minute Friday this week is lonely . I first tried to write a poem, but I saw it would take more than five minutes. So, I decided to save it to share at the end of the post and just write some thoughts that came to mind as I pondered the word. I'm also scattering a few sunset photos from the evening of April 18, 2024, at Redington Shores, Florida.   What does it mean to be lonely? Sometimes being alone is nice, but that is not the same as being lonely. We were not meant to be loners or completely independent, as illustrated in Ecclesiastes 4:-12 :   Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.   We

Audio of this post VACATION TIME Every year, we try to make a trip to Florida to visit other family members. Traveling from South Carolina, we mostly like to take backroads. They are in such a contrast to the interstate, which has many lanes and zooming traffic. Though it may take a little longer to reach our destination, we arrive much more relaxed when we travel the country roads. Often, our destination is Redington Shores, Florida, where my husband's siblings gather once a year for a week at the beach. We leave our home a few days early to stop in Jacksonville, FL, to visit my brother and sister-in-law, my aunt, and sometimes a few friends. After Jacksonville, we travel to Brandon, Florida, to visit my other brother and his wife. Finally, we go across Tampa Bay to a condo rented and shared by family members in Redington Shores.  We try to walk every day while at the beach. I love walking barefoot through the sand as we make our way down to the water. We walk along the edge, some

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.  1 Peter 1:3-4   Birth and Death, the Beginning and the End -- Or is it? The day I gave birth to my first son was exciting for my husband, myself, and our four daughters. When he was ten years old, he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Years passed, and he did well for a while. Later, he developed congestive heart failure. Then, just five days after his 29th birthday, he died. We were blessed with his life, which was a gift to us for those years. As I think about it, he was only four years younger than Jesus when he died. Jesus was born in Bethlehem many years ago to a virgin named Mary. Joseph, a poor carpenter, was his adoptive father. His birth was a miracle and a big step down for Him. Our C