COLLECT: Five Minute Friday

Five Minute Friday. Time to free-write again to develop better writing discipline.  The word prompt for today is COLLECT. Here goes . . .

 

FIVE MINUTES

 

START

 

COLLECT

He was just a little tike with little chubby legs and hands. We would walk in the yard and pick up sticks, rocks, Autumn leaves — and then go inside and put them in his “treasure” box. Acorns, too. And many of those treasures are still there almost 8 years later. Oh, and pinecones. As we walked, we admired the beauty of creation, the feel of grass between our toes, the “ouchy” of rocks. We played in the dirt.

 

As he collected treasures, I was collecting memories.

 

God’s a collector, too. He collects our tears in a bottle. Our hurts, the things that concern us… He notices and is willing to respond — just as this Nonna responded when Little Man found something new to collect.

 

It’s a beautiful cycle.

 

Love someone, walk with them, collect with them, put away the memories for future remembering. Relationship built. Repeat.

 

Collect the good stuff.

 

Too much becomes visual and mental clutter.

 

But a few “treasures”? That’s perfect!

 

STOP

 

You have kept count of my tossings;
    put my tears in your bottle.
    Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back
    in the day when I call.
    This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?

Psalm 56:8-11

 

 

Is there a favorite something—or two or ten— you collect? Leave a comment and tell us. I always love to know what people collect!

 

Until next time . . . Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Be sure to collect a few memories!

 

Linking to Five Minute Friday. It’s a weekly writing exercise, and you’re welcome to join anytime!

 

Comments

  1. Collect the Good Stuff! YES! All to often we hold on to the bad, the negative. But the good stuff, that’s worth holding on to! Thank you for sharing beautiful words today. Glad to be joining you from the 24th spot at FMF.

  2. We keep treasures in recycled jars. Feathers, snippets of rope, stones, shells. The collection decorates my bookshelves. Now that my kids are older, sometimes we borrow the contents to make nature fairies or animals. I love having them there to remember our journeys.

  3. Susan, I am so glad you stopped to leave a comment. I was blessed to read this post as the word prompt brought to mind such similar thoughts to you 🙂 I love when God works that way. Our granddaughters have collected rocks and pinecones and sticks and leaves depending on the season. To watch how they treasure that which they have collected is so precious. And today you made me realize that God treasures our tears in that very same way. Love the imagery you brought for me today! I am grateful even more so to have made a new friend 🙂

  4. “We played in the dirt.”

    No one played in the dirt with me when I was a kid, and your words brought tears to my eyes. Good tears.

    #1 at FMF this week.

    https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/07/your-dying-spouse-339-revelation-and.html

  5. Wonderful – your 5 minute writing ! Rocks, sticks, pinecones, leaves, sand, – there is so much beauty in these simple things.