Hey everyone ~

So happy to be back with you for another round of Five Minute Friday! I really do adore you guys — you know that, right?

If you’re new to this gig, feel free to click right over here to get the scoop.

I must apologize for not reading or commenting on many posts you’ve linked up in the past three weeks. As some of you know, I fell and split my head at the end of December, and I’m still struggling with some post-concussion symptoms. Sadly, looking at the computer screen tends to aggravate some of the symptoms, hence my limited attention to your beautiful words and my absence from some of the Thursday night #fmfparty Twitter parties! Please accept my humble apologies! I hope to be back to full swing very soon.

In much more exciting news, guess WHAT?? 

Our very own Kaitlyn Bouchillon wrote a book, and it’s now available for pre-order!! I’m SO excited for her, and can’t wait to read it!

It’s called Even If Not: Living, Loving, and Learning in the In Between, and you can pre-order it here! (affiliate link)

I know many of you are on the launch team for this book, and I’ve loved the quotes I’ve seen popping up on social media so far! Well done, Kaitlyn! I pray that the words in this book will bless many and bring much glory to God.

One more happy piece of news before we write:

I’m thrilled to be able to offer a special discount code to you, exclusive to readers of this blog!

Get 10% off ANY Krafty Kash product using the code KATEMOTAUNG

Visit kraftykash.net to check out all your options!

Spread the word! 

[Tweet “Get 10% off ANY @kraftykash product using the code KATEMOTAUNG! kraftykash.net”]

This week’s Five Minute Friday prompt is:

[Tweet “Join us as we write for five minutes on the prompt, QUIET.”]

Setting my timer for five minutes, and … GO.

The month of December didn’t exactly go as I had planned. It started off just fine — with Christmas decorations, and Ann Voskamp’s Advent devotional, including matching ornaments hung on the garland on top of our piano each night.

Then on December 9th, I got sick. As in, sicker than I can ever remember being in my life. I spent two days in the hospital with test after inconclusive test, and the closest guess I got in terms of a diagnosis was a viral heart infection combined with carbon monoxide poisoning. Awesome combination.

On my worst days, I needed help walking ten steps from my bed to the toilet. On my best days, I was strong enough to hold up my phone long enough for a game or two of Candy Crush, but I definitely couldn’t hold a book or type on my computer.

Those were long, helpless days. I grew discouraged. Lying for hours on end without being able to do anything at all was so opposite to my personality. I like to be busy, to be productive, to be doing something. I was supposed to be decorating Christmas cookies, wrapping presents, singing carols. Instead, all I could do was lay flat. Some days, I barely had energy to shift from one side to the other.

I was forced to be still.

And then the verse came to me:

[Tweet “”Be still and know that I am God.” ~ Psalm 46:10″]

And I realized that sometimes, in order to be aware of His still, small voice, I need to be quiet.

Sometimes His best work happens in the waiting. 

STOP.

Time’s up, but I feel I should add my gratitude to the Lord for bringing me out of that valley. The first day that I actually felt pretty good, I stepped outside, fell backwards and split my head open on a brick step. That was a month ago, and I’m still struggling with dizziness and nausea, but starting to have more good days than bad. Nonetheless, it has meant even more days and hours lying very still and flat in the quietness of my room, unable to check of any tasks on my To Do List. Thank you to all who have prayed and shown understanding during this unusual season of quiet! So grateful for each and every one of you!

[Tweet “Come link up your own five minutes of #writing on the word, QUIET.”]

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