The Purim Story

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(This article was updated in 2024 and posted on March 22, 2024. Purim 2024 began at sundown on Saturday, March 23rd, and continued through Sunday night, March 24th. The original article was posted on February 25, 2021, and I have left my references to 2021 dates alone rather than rewrite too much.)

I'm pretty late to today's party, but did want to acknowledge the celebration of Purim today! 

If you're not Jewish (I'm not), you may be wondering what this holiday is all about, and you might also be wondering why it might matter to anyone who isn't Jewish. Like me. Well, for me, I'm interested in all kinds of cultural celebrations just because I'm interested in history and other cultures. But I find Jewish holidays especially intriguing because the most important ones are commanded by God, and tell us a lot about God and his relationship to his people. Purim is a celebration that isn't commanded by God, but the story of its origin is in the Bible, and it's also a story of God saving his people. 

 Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Jewish month of Adar. In 2021 that's February 25th. The celebration begins at sundown on Thursday (today), and ends on Friday evening. It's a holiday that dates back to the ancient Persian empire and commemorates the Jewish people being saved from the evil plan of a Persian prime minister to wipe them out. The name comes from the Persian word for "lots" as in casting lots or throwing dice. So what happened? You can read the whole story in the Old Testament book of Esther, but here's my short summary:

The Jewish people were subjects of the Persian Empire during the 4th century BC. During the reign of King Ahasuerus, he deposed his queen and searched for a new queen among his subjects. A Jewish girl named Esther was chosen. She was cousin to Mordecai, a Jewish leader and an advisor to the king, but her Jewish heritage was kept a secret. The Persian prime minister Haman devises a plot to get revenge on his rival Mordecai by killing all the Jews and tricks the king into signing this into law. (This is the part where they cast lots - the purim - to determine the date for this genocide.) Mordecai alerts Esther and challenges her to go to the king. After a period of fasting, Esther risks her life to go to the king and is able to expose Haman's plot and thus save her people.

So on the day that the tables were turned and Haman and his family were executed instead, Jewish people celebrate to remember this event and how they were saved.

On the day before Purim, it's customary to fast because Esther and the Jews fasted before she went to the king. Once the celebration begins, though, it's fun and joyous! Purim celebrations include reading the story from the Megillah (the Hebrew scroll), giving gifts to the poor, feasting and sending gifts of food. Often children dress up in costumes - and sometimes adults do too! During the reading of the story, listeners will boo, stomp their feet, or use noisemakers when the name of Haman is mentioned. He's the bad guy, and his name is to be wiped out. 

Sometimes people wonder why the book of Esther is included in the Bible, since it doesn't mention God by name. I think that the "coincidences" surrounding Mordecai's favor with the king, Haman's plan and the timing of it, and Esther's position in the royal household all point to God's hand at work. Mordecai and Esther are observant Jews - they fast and pray and call upon all the Jews to do the same, and God works on their behalf. I believe the bold and unusual plan Esther used to appeal to the king was put on her heart by God as she fasted and prayed. 

You see, even though she was a royal wife and the queen, she was not supposed to go to the king. She had to wait for him to summon her, which he hadn't done for quite some time. If she went to him, and he wasn't interested, she could be put to death. She actually reminded Mordecai of this fact, and his response to her is one of my favorite lines: "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4.14)

She responds: "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." (Esther 4:16)

What courage! After this persistent calling on God through fasting, she is ready to go to the king. Here's where her plan is crazy brilliant and unexpected. She could be killed just for walking in uninvited, but when the king receives her warmly and says he'll give her anything at all she asks for, she says she just wants to invite him and Haman to dinner. What?! Then at the banquet, the king repeats his generous offer - he is persistent in wanting to honor her! - and she says that they are invited to dinner again the next day. Before that second dinner, Haman winds up having to honor Mordecai at the king's command, and he loathes it. In his fury, he has a gallows made ready thinking he'll get his revenge on Mordecai very soon. But then at the second banquet, Esther makes her request - she asks for her life and the lives of her people, and she reveals that Haman is the villain plotting against the Jews.

The persistence of Esther and Mordecai pays off when God intervenes and turns the tables so that the Jews are allowed to defend themselves and get revenge on their enemies. Despite Haman's persistent hatred, his plans are foiled and he gets what he deserves.

God has always kept his promises. He will always save his people, and he will always be in control. That's one of the lessons to learn from Esther - be persistent in faith and obedience to God.

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For more about Purim and the book of Esther, see these valuable resources:

Chabad.org - Purim

Jews for Jesus - Esther, Purim, and Why it All (Still) Matters

Jews for Jesus - A Clue in the Book of Esther

Jews for Jesus - Esther is the Real Hero of Purim

Proverbial Homemaker - Celebrate the Feast of Purim this Year

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There are a lot of foods associated with Purim celebrations, but the best known is the cookie called Hamentaschen. These are three-cornered pastries or cookies with a sweet filling. They are often given as gifts. Here's one of the recipes I've used before:

Hamentaschen (adapted from America the Beautiful)

2 2/3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup cold butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg plus 1 egg white

cherry, strawberry or apricot preserves

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.  Cut butter into small pieces and blend into flour mixture using a pastry blender.  Mix egg, egg white and sugar together, then blend into flour mixture.  Mix to a stiff dough.  Divide into two discs, wrap each in plastic and chill for about 30 minutes.  Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness.  (The original recipe suggested doing this between two sheets of waxed paper.  I used a floured pastry board, but did find that a sheet of waxed paper on top kept the dough from sticking to the rolling pin without incorporating more flour into the dough.)  Using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, cut dough out into circles about 2-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.  Spoon about a quarter-sized drop of preserves onto each circle.  Fold the edges in to form a triangle, overlapping the corners and pinching them a little.  Bake about 1 inch apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a 350* oven, for about 15 minutes.  The preserves will start to bubble and the cookies will be a light golden brown when done.  Cool on a wire rack before serving.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

 

This is from my article: Hamentaschen

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The original post was part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. All my posts for the challenge are listed here: Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge - Disappointed

This article is linked at the Sweet Tea & Friends Monthly Link-up Party hosted by Grace-Filled Moments

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 ©2006-2024 Homeschool Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The Ides of March

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. 

I'm participating in the Wednesday Quotes link-up hosted by Marsha at Always Write. And although the Ides of March is almost over by now, that's what I'll be writing about.

Beware the Ides of March. ~William Shakespeare

What is the Ides of March, and why should anyone be wary of it? We all quote the line, and I think a lot of us know it's from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, but I suspect that might be all we know about it. I sure don't know much more than that, so I thought I'd find out.

Although some of the months in our calendar come from Roman names, the Romans didn't use quite the same calendar, and they didn't number the days like we do. They had three set points in each month, and it was based more on the moon. The Ides was the first full moon of each month. The Nones is the 5th or 7th or 8th days before the Ides, and the Kalends is the first day of the following month. The Ides falls on the 13th of most months, but on the 15th in four months, including . . . you guessed it! . . . in March. The Ides of March would be first full moon of a new year, and was the beginning of spring, which naturally meant feasting and celebrating. 

On the Ides is held the jovial feast of Anna Perenna . . . The common folk come, and scattered here and there over the green grass they drink, every lad reclining beside his lass, Some camp under the open sky; a few pitch tents; some make a leafy hut of boughs, Others set up reeds in place of rigid pillars, and stretching out their robes place them upon the reeds,But they grow warm with sun and wine, and they pray for as many years as they take cups, and they count the cups they drink. ~Ovid

by night only crazy things

like the full moon and the whippoorwill

and us, are busy. ~Charles Olson

Does the full moon affect people's behavior, you ask? Yup. It makes people think the full moon affects people's behavior. ~Neil deGrasse Tyson

He made the moon to mark the seasons,

and the sun knows when to go down.

~Psalm 104:19~

The Ides of March was also the day that consuls (state officials) took office. At least until 153BC when, for some reason, the consuls started their terms on the first day of January. And then, along came Julius Caesar and in 46BC he changed the Roman calendar to establish January 1st as the start of the New Year. 

Julius Caesar didn't get to celebrate very many New Years before he was assassinated. He was stabbed to death in the Senate house by a group of conspirators led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus on the Ides of March in the year 44BC, and of course that's how the date came to be such a well-known one. And it was obviously a huge event that changed the course of Roman history. Following his death there were a series of Roman civil wars that finally ended with the rise to power of Octavian, Caesar's adopted heir. In 27BC Octavian became the emperor Augustus, and that was the end of the Roman Republic. 

But back to Caesar and the Ides of March . . . Ovid wrote about Caesar's murder as an act of sacrilege. On the fourth anniversary of his death, Octavian executed 300 senators and others as a way to avenge Caesar. Beware the Ides of March, indeed!

I hope your Ides of March has been a good one, with nothing to beware of, and no bad moon rising other than the enjoyment of this classic song!

The LORD watches over you―

the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm―

he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.

~Psalm 121:5-8~

This post appears first on A Fresh Cup of Coffee.

Wednesday Quotes 2024 is hosted by Marsha at Always Write. The original version of this post is linked at #WQ #164: Actions/Ides of March/Settling Debts

Sources for this article include: History.com and Imperium Romanum

 Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to HS Coffee Break by email 

 ©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli (Review and Giveaway) #TheJourneyTBNMIN

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. 

The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli - Coming to theaters April 2-9, 2023 (Dates extended!)

See THE JOURNEY in theaters starting April 2nd! Buy tickets at: TheJourney.movie

"We journeyed by horse for over 300 kilometers along a path that was not always easy to travel, but absolutely beautiful, made of meadows and forests; sacred places filled with lasting testimonies of faith, full of art of incredible beauty, and views in front of which one can't but ponder about creation and the miraculous work of our Heavenly Father." ~Andrea Bocelli, talking about his movie, THE JOURNEY, in theaters beginning Palm Sunday, April 2.

What is Andrea Bocelli's hope for you when you see THE JOURNEY? "My wish is that the movie can offer an invitation to fully live and recognize our daily miracles."

Synopsis: Combining world-class musical performances with intimate conversations across the awe-inspiring Italian countryside, THE JOURNEY: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli is an exploration of moments that define us, songs that inspire us, and relationships that connect us to what matters most in life.

From TBN comes THE JOURNEY, a sacred pilgrimage of hope, beauty, and song featuring Andrea Bocelli and other great artists. In addition to Bocelli, THE JOURNEY features Michael W. Smith, Tori Kelly, Tauren Wells, TAYA, and many others in amazing musical performances across majestic locations. You'll be swept away by the beauty of THE JOURNEY. Experience the awe of the music, the Italian landscape, meaningful conversations, and the reality of hope, faith, and love. Get your tickets at TheJourney.movie.  

This special theatrical event opens on Palm Sunday and continues through Holy Week: April 2nd through April 9th.

My thoughts:  I love Andrea Bocelli's voice and couldn't pass up the opportunity to hear him along with other wonderful musicians like Tori Kelly and Michael W. Smith. To also get a glimpse of some of the beautiful buildings and landscapes along Italy's Via Francigena and be introduced to musical artists I wasn't familiar with made it even more special. 

Andrea and his wife Veronica begin their journey along this ancient road of pilgrimage in Rome, and as they travel, they talk with each other and with some of the guest artists about their own personal journeys of faith. Childhood memories and experiences that shaped them, and how God worked to give them hope and purpose, and what they want to share with the world through their music. Bocelli's children, Matteo and Virginia, make appearances as well, and both of those segments are very moving. Bocelli singing his own "Ave Maria" while joined by his daughter is breathtaking.

There are mini-concerts throughout the movie's journey, with Tori Kelly, Tauren Wells, TAYA, Michael W. Smith, and Clara Barbier Serrano performing on their own and with Bocelli. Two instrumental groups that I hadn't heard before joined in as accompanists and performers. 2CELLOS is a Croatian cello duo, and 40 Fingers is an Italian guitar quartet. It was intriguing to see a young lady conducting the orchestra. Her name is Beatrice Venezi, and she is one of the few female conductors on the international stage. British soloist Katherine Jenkins joined Bocelli at the end of the journey performing a couple of beautiful songs. 

The music ranges from Schubert's "Ave Maria" to a version of Bernstein's "Hallelujah", and each artist brings their own style and composition to share as well. I especially loved the set with Katherine Jenkins near the end, and the very moving closing song that featured all of the artists singing "Amazing Grace".

See The Journey in theaters April 2nd through April 9th!

Purchase tickets at: TheJourney.movie

As part of this promotion, Momentum is generously allowing me to host this giveaway of a $10 Amazon gift card. Please note: This giveaway is open to US only, opens on April 2nd and closes on April 9th. The same giveaway form appears here and on A Fresh Cup of Coffee and Just A Second.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hashtags: #TheJourneyTBNMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork

Disclosure: Many thanks to TBN for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

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 ©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Adapt and Grow

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. 

Usually on Fridays I share and link up a Five Minute Friday post, but that link-up is taking a holiday break for three weeks. Oddly, as it turns out, I discovered that I missed writing on three words way back in February when I did the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge. My theme was Coping With Change, and it also turns out those three words are perfect for the most recent changes in life that I've been coping with. Bonus words to write about for five minutes (or more) during the holidays.

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One word. Five minutes to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is today's free-writing post.

adapt and adjust

adapt to suit

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The measure of intelligence is the ability to change. ~Albert Einstein

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often. ~Winston Churchill

Why do I tend to feel sorry for myself when I'm the one that is expected to adapt and adjust? Maybe we all tend to be a bit disgruntled when we are expected the change something that we hadn't planned on. It's not fair to be the inflexible, immovable person all the time either, and so we all do what we need to do. We all give a little bit and negotiate a bit and change happens. And sometimes change happens whether we're on board or not, and we are forced to adapt just to survive. 

Adaptability is a survival skill, I suppose. Being able to adapt our skill sets helps us succeed in a changing job market. Being able to adapt our communication and relational style helps us maintain good relationships with family and friends. Being able to adjust our expectations helps us stay reasonable and grounded.

To survive and even thrive in a changing world, nature offers another great lesson: the survivors are those who at the least adapt to change, or even better learn to benefit from change and grow intellectually and personally. That means careful listening and constant learning. ~Frances Arnold

Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live. ~Marcus Aurelius

Sometimes, though, there's a fine line between adapting and giving in. Between adapting and compromising. Healthy adapting shouldn't mean conforming to what everyone else is doing, going along with the crowd, or giving up our own identity or principles so we can fit in. 

The world around me has changed, and I have learned to adapt but not change. But I'm changing into the woman I am meant to be. ~Aurora

I have been adjusting my expectations of what my life would look like at this stage. I'm adjusting my expectations of what my home will look like and how I'll spend my time. I've been trying to adjust my attitude when I find myself feeling grumpy or like I've been hard done by. Adapting to change by making the little course adjustments when needed but not abandoning ship. I'm learning more and more that I need to allow the Holy Spirit to show me what needs changing, so that the adaptations will make me a better person and more like Jesus.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

~Romans 12:1-2~

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

~II Corinthians 3:17-18~

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You know I wasn't going to end without at least one more humorous quote, right? I have no idea who this guy is, a singer or a comedian probably, but I got a kick out of the quote.

Adapt to yourself, bro. What I wanna say is don't let nobody tell you that you should stay in your lane, bro. ~Ski Mask the Slump God

Which led me to include this bonus music video:

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For the recent Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge, I had decided to explore the theme of living well and with purpose during times of change. A few years ago, as I neared the end of my years as a homeschool mom, I realized my world would change when my youngest graduated. My roles in the homeschool community and in my social circles were affected. Things changed in the workplace. Things are ever changing at church. And as my children grew up and the nest has begun to empty, family dynamics are changing. To our surprise, my husband's job ended at the very beginning of 2022, which brought another round of changes to consider! (He started a new position in February, and moving was a change we did not have to deal with after all!) Fast forward to the fall of 2022, and the new job ended, and we did have to make a move and cope with a lot of changes! I know very well that writing about coping with change is not the same as having all the answers. I'll do my best to share what I'm learning and experiencing, and I'd love to hear from others in the comments. I didn't finish writing and posting everything at the tail end of the challenge, so I think maybe these last couple of prompts were serendipitously left for me to write about now, as I'm reflecting on the most recent changes I've had to cope with.

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2022 challenge here: 28 Days of Coping With Change

Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better. ~Sydney J. Harris

Although not linked at Five Minute Friday due to the holiday break, this post more or less follows my usual Five Minute Friday format.

This post will be linked at Inspire Me Monday, at the Sweet Tea & Friends Monthly Link-up Party hosted by Simply Coffee & Jesus, and at Let's Have Coffee hosted by Joanne Viola: Days and Thoughts

Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to HS Coffee Break by email 

 ©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Strength When We're Tired

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. 

Usually on Fridays I share and link up a Five Minute Friday post, but that link-up is taking a holiday break for three weeks. Oddly, as it turns out, I discovered that I missed writing on three words way back in February when I did the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge. My theme was Coping With Change, and it also turns out those three words are perfect for the most recent changes in life that I've been coping with. Bonus words to write about for five minutes (or more) during the holidays.

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One word. Five minutes to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is today's free-writing post.

sick and tired

too tired to care

bone tired

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Life is one long process of getting tired. ~Samuel Butler

This has been quite a year. So many ups and downs and unexpected twists and turns on this roller coaster of life. And honestly, I'm just tired. Some days I'm just exhausted and weary and not sure how I'll find the motivation to do what needs to be done. I think we all experience that one way or another, and some of us suffer more than others.

We get bone tired. Physically tired and achy. Our bodies have limits and as we age or deal with health problems, we just start to wear out and few of us have as much energy as we did when we were in our twenties.

We get tired of trying. Emotionally drained. It feels like nothing is going right or that we somehow keep getting the short end of the stick. We keep trying to do better, to mend a relationship rift, to find joy and purpose, but we can easily get discouraged and lose our motivation.

Tired minds don't plan well. Sleep first, plan later. ~Walter Reisch

Physical changes, circumstantial changes, emotional upheaval can all combine to make us feel tired. And perhaps right after Christmas, we feel it even more. I often do, and I certainly do this year! It's cold and my joints ache, and gloomy weather makes me feel sleepy. I'm emotionally rather worn down by all the things related to the move and trying to settle into a new home. And we don't yet have friends or a church home locally to help with the burdens. And so, I feel tired, and even discouraged.

But when I am weak, Christ is strong. When I can't, he has already made a way. When I'm weary, he does provide rest and renewed strength.

We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength. ~Charles Stanley

I'm reminded of the disciples gathering around Jesus to report all their ministry successes, being interrupted and bothered by a crowd, and Jesus says, "You need to get some rest." He knows what we need.

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 

"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

~Mark 6:30-31~

When I'm tired of all the change and all the trying, Jesus offers rest and renewal. 

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strenght.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

~Isaiah 40:28-31~

Perhaps here, at the end of the year, is a good time to rest. To pause and reflect. To remember all the times God has been faithful and carried us through. Use our tiredness as a reminder to stop and rest in him, and to receive the renewal we need to head into a new year. Selah. 

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See my related posts: Ease The Burden and Dear Homeschool Mom . . . Come To A Quiet Place

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For the recent Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge, I had decided to explore the theme of living well and with purpose during times of change. A few years ago, as I neared the end of my years as a homeschool mom, I realized my world would change when my youngest graduated. My roles in the homeschool community and in my social circles were affected. Things changed in the workplace. Things are ever changing at church. And as my children grew up and the nest has begun to empty, family dynamics are changing. To our surprise, my husband's job ended at the very beginning of 2022, which brought another round of changes to consider! (He started a new position in February, and moving was a change we did not have to deal with after all!) Fast forward to the fall of 2022, and the new job ended, and we did have to make a move and cope with a lot of changes! I know very well that writing about coping with change is not the same as having all the answers. I'll do my best to share what I'm learning and experiencing, and I'd love to hear from others in the comments. I didn't finish writing and posting everything at the tail end of the challenge, so I think maybe these last couple of prompts were serendipitously left for me to write about now, as I'm reflecting on the most recent changes I've had to cope with.

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2022 challenge here: 28 Days of Coping With Change

Although not linked at Five Minute Friday due to the holiday break, this post more or less follows my usual Five Minute Friday format.

This post will be linked at Inspire Me Monday and at Let's Have Coffee hosted by Joanne Viola: Days and Thoughts

 

Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to HS Coffee Break by email 

 ©2006-2022 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Unexpected Changes

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. 

Usually on Fridays I share and link up a Five Minute Friday post, but that link-up is taking a holiday break for three weeks. Oddly, as it turns out, I discovered that I missed writing on three words way back in February when I did the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge. My theme was Coping With Change, and it also turns out those three words are perfect for the most recent changes in life that I've been coping with. Bonus words to write about for five minutes (or more) during the holidays.

********************

One word. Five minutes to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is today's free-writing post.

this is unexpected

an unexpected blessing

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Back in February, when I started the Write 28 Days challenge, my husband had just unexpectedly lost his job, and to our surprise he was able to find something else that allowed us to stay in our house and not move. An unexpected blessing! But once again, we faced an unexpected job loss at the end of September, and at that time, we did accept a new job offer that meant a move. And all of that was unexpected. A lot happened, and a lot changed, and all very quickly! A lot of change to cope with!

Often the most unexpected, unpredictable moments in life are the ones that leave the biggest impression and that teach us to roll with the punches. ~Natalya Neidhart

Although the suddenness presented a lot of challenges, in some ways I think it did make it easier for me as well. I didn't have time to mentally and emotionally prepare for it, so the feelings of grief and loss hit hard and sometimes at unexpected moments. But I also didn't have the dubious luxury of indulging in long pity parties or wallowing in my sorrow at moving away from my kids and friends and beloved home. We didn't have time to do a lot of planning and preparation for the logistics of the move either, so we've had to just complete moving tasks as we thought of them or as they came up. That has been unsettling and worrisome, but again, without time to overthink and second-guess everything, we've just gone ahead and got it done. It also forced me out of my default position of procrastinating on tasks that intimidated me.

If you so choose, even the unexpected setbacks can bring new and positive possibilities. If you so choose, you can find value and fulfillment in every circumstance. ~Ralph Marston

I won't sugarcoat it - I have cried more tears than I thought possible, because I am not a crier by nature. The feelings of loss and loneliness have been overwhelming at times. This has been HARD. But my family and my friends - and most importantly, my God - have been proven faithful and loving. Because I've learned to trust God, I've been trained to be willing to follow his leading and to look for the good he has for me. The unexpected blessings.

Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me. ~Carl Sandburg

Sometimes life drops blessings in your lap without your lifting a finger. Serendipity, they call it. ~Charlton Heston

 Most of us are celebrating Christmas this week, and thinking about how the Son of God entered the world as a baby. How unexpected! For his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph - what unexpected hardships and challenges, but what blessings and honor! The shepherds were given a very unexpected announcement from the angel, and their astonishment at finding everything just as the angel said must have been great. The wise men who traveled so far to find a new king must have been surprised to see the star stop over an ordinary house in which there was a humble young couple and their little child. How unexpected! 

God often doesn't do things the way we expect. But he always does things the way he has planned. It's unexpected to us, but never a surprise to him.

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts;

neither are your ways my ways,"

declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return to it without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,

and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

This will be for the LORD's renown,

for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever."

~Isaiah 55:6-13~

Whatever unexpected challenges or blessings come your way this season, remember that you are in God's capable hands. Trust him to lead you through the challenges, and give him glory for the blessings.

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For the recent Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge, I had decided to explore the theme of living well and with purpose during times of change. A few years ago, as I neared the end of my years as a homeschool mom, I realized my world would change when my youngest graduated. My roles in the homeschool community and in my social circles were affected. Things changed in the workplace. Things are ever changing at church. And as my children grew up and the nest has begun to empty, family dynamics are changing. To our surprise, my husband's job ended at the very beginning of 2022, which brought another round of changes to consider! (He started a new position in February, and moving was a change we did not have to deal with after all!) Fast forward to the fall of 2022, and the new job ended, and we did have to make a move and cope with a lot of changes! I know very well that writing about coping with change is not the same as having all the answers. I'll do my best to share what I'm learning and experiencing, and I'd love to hear from others in the comments. I didn't finish writing and posting everything at the tail end of the challenge, so I think maybe these last couple of prompts were serendipitously left for me to write about now, as I'm reflecting on the most recent changes I've had to cope with.

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2022 challenge here: 28 Days of Coping With Change

Although not linked at Five Minute Friday due to the holiday break, this post more or less follows my usual Five Minute Friday format.

This post will be linked at Inspire Me Monday.

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