It's Five Minute Friday when I link up with other writers. We are given a one-word prompt and get to write for five minutes flat. Our word for this week is: LOVED . START Oh, to be loved! I remember my mom used to tell me I was in love with love. I had all these romantic aspirations. Words of love and affirmation, flowers, candlelit dinners ... you get the picture. But love doesn't always play out that way. The pain of rejection and unfulfilled promises can cause people to shut down emotionally. How thankful I am to have a husband who loves me the…

Is your life busy? Are there enough hours in the day to get everything done on your to-do list? The conversation often goes like this: How are you? Fine What are you up to? So much. I'm so busy. Busy, busy seems to be a mantra I hear all the time from women. It almost begins to sound like a badge of honor. But do we really need to be so busy? Why do we fill our schedules with so many activities? Sometimes I say yes to things because: I don't want to disappoint someone I'm afraid of missing out I want to keep up with the crowd I know it will be …

For many years, I cultivated the habit of rising early to exercise on my treadmill. I didn't think about it. I just did it. But along the way, stress interfered, and my habit got thrown to the wayside. Instead of getting up early, I stayed in bed. Over time, I almost forgot. Instead, I gained twenty-four pounds and felt sluggish. My clothes didn't fit anymore. This didn't happen overnight. But slowly my lack of discipline showed up in ways I didn't like. According to the dictionary, a habit is 'a settled or regular tendency or pract…