I haven’t posted with Five Minute Friday in years, but I’ve decided to restart it this month. You can check out the linkup and read more posts here: https://fiveminutefriday.com/2020/11/12/fmf-writing-prompt-link-up-cancel/ Each week a prompt is posted, and you set a timer and write for five minutes. No editing. No rethinking. Just five minutes of writing. Below is my response to “cancel.”
It feels like life itself was canceled this year. Graduations. Birthday parties. Competitions. Church. Work. Everything put on hold while a virus ravaged the world.
I’ve alway been an introvert, I’ve always found peace and solace in being alone. But this…this is different. I hate this kind of alone. I hate not being able to worship with everyone at our church because we need to protect people. I hate not being able to see my sons compete in Fine Arts because it was all canceled.
But some things can’t be canceled, and I’m trying to hang onto those. Sunrises and sunsets. Walks down our quiet country roads. Taking care of my chickens and gathering eggs every day. Writing my list of 1,000 gifts in my gratitude journal. Reading. Putting up our Christmas tree early, because we desperately need more light and hope in the world.
And hope itself…that can never be canceled. My faith in Jesus…that isn’t canceled, either. Hope is real, and we need that even more in the middle of a canceled year. So this year, this Christmas season, I’m hanging onto the things that a pandemic and a year of loss can’t take away.
Amanda Holland 
I have been really leaning in to all that isn’t cancelled. Walks around the neighborhood, baking cookies, and admiring my children’s artwork on a Saturday afternoon are definitely not cancelled. Thank you for your encouraging words. I am stopping by from Five Minute Friday.
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Our hope can never be cancelled. Glory to God. And, HOPE CHANGES EVERYTHING. #7 welcome back to FMF
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Beautiful post…hope can never be cancelled…love that! Visiting from FMF, thank you for sharing.
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So good to see you back, Amanda! Y’all inspired this sonnet. I hope you like it.
The bosses think they can forbid
the things they think support our faith,
but others tried, and never did
suppress hope rising like a wraith
and taking solid fighting form
to rise again from Empty Tomb,
for secular is not the norm,
and tyranny will not be doom
of the core beliefs we hold,
of the knowledge of the Son,
of events that were foretold
of how history must run
through the bloodbath and the pain
ere the King will come again.
#1 at FMF this week.
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Loved this post, and I can so relate.
Thanks for sharing.
(Visiting from #36)
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