Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Five Minute Friday: PENGUINS

This week's Five Minute Friday prompt is PENGUINS.

Oh, why not?

Penguins of the cold Antarctic

find that one of their lives' flaws

is that they don't get the magic

of a life with Santa Claus,

for they and that elf so jolly

have been placed far poles apart;

not even mistletoe and holly

can fill the hole in feathered heart

that they are banished from the lands

where the Christmas toys are made.

"Is it 'cause we have no hands?

Did you teach polar bears that trade,

dear Santa, to restock your shelves,

even though they eat your elves?"

"Penguins are one of the best antidotes for despair that I know," - Charles Bergman

"I have taken the liberty of quoting at length throughout from the gospels of the Emperor penguins. To them I owe a special debt of gratitude for their remarkable patience." - Donald Finkel

"It's practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry." - Joe Moore

"You can't train a penguin to act. You kind of have to take what you get." - James Tupper

"I think penguins are the most human of all the birds, which may be why people love them. They're cute, they stand upright and they look like they're wearing tuxedos." - Shia LaBeouf

Sylvia would gladly share ice cream with a penguin.

Thursday, November 13, 2025

Five Minute Friday: CHOCOLATE

Some prefer Godiva,

and some plump for Cadbury,

but I have got to tell ya,

Hershey's fine with me.

Some quotes on CHOCOLATE...

"The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain." - Thomas Jefferson

"Never mind about 1066 William the Conqueror, 1087 William the Second. Such things are not going to affect one?s life ... but 1932 the Mars Bar and 1936 Maltesers and 1937 the Kit Kat - these dates are milestones in history and should be seared into the memory of every child in the country." - Roald Dahl

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." - Dave Barry

"Strength is the capacity to break a Hershey bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces." - Judith Viorst

The 12-step chocoholics program: NEVER BE MORE THAN 12 STEPS AWAY FROM CHOCOLATE! -Terry Moore

Much to Sylvia's disgust,dogs aren't supposed to eat chocolate.

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Five Minute Friday: COFFEE

The Five Minute Friday prompt this week is COFFEE.

What's your favourite kind? Jamaican Blue Mountain for me, thanks.

Here are some nice coffee-quotes...enjoy!

“In Seattle, you haven’t had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it’s running.” - Jeff Bezos

"A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems.” -Albert Einstein

"I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now." - Louisa May Alcott

"It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity." - Dave Barry

"I don't really like coffee, she said, but I don't really like it when my head hits my desk when I fall asleep either." - Brian Andreas

Your turn!

Yes, Sylvia likes coffee -flavoured ice cream.

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Idiot Actors (Tell His Story)

Are you really tired of actors talking politics?

I wonder why the actors think

that we care about their views.

Those not red are surely pink,

and most really hate the Jews.

Some rail on 'bout climate change;

"Follow science!" is their cry,

but they aren't going to rearrange

the private jets on which they fly.

Maybe they should really stick

to the job for which they're paid,

but do they do the poli-schtick

because deep down they are afraid

that when youth's good looks are spent

they'll find themselves irrelevant?

This linkup will close on November 6, at 7pm MST. I'm going to be standing in for Kate Motaung at Five Minute Friday through the end of the year, and so FMF and Tell His Story will co-locate. The posts will go live

each Thursday at 8pm MST, and will be announced on Facebook (Andrew Budek) and X (@BudekSchmeisser)

In January Tell His Story will return to the usual Tuesday morning schedule.

I hope you'll join me; I have some nice writing prompts planned.

Sylvia prefers Shrek.

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Five Minute Fridaying, Starting Next Week...

It's strange how time just flies on by,

and how each week we greet

folks we'll never see by eye,

never touch, nor ever meet,

but these people are quite real

with hopes and dreams and cares,

and I know them enough to feel

that they don't put on airs.

Some will score the modern world,

to say the Internet doth isolate,

but I don't think I'll be deterred,

and surely will not hesitate

to love these faceless distant friends

with honesty, and no pretence.

The Five Minute Friday prompt this week is RECOGNIZE.

I don't recognize the man I see

when I behold the looking-glass,

because, in truth, I used to be

a cad, a boor, an...uh, donkey.

But now there is a look of peace

peering through the biker beard,

something of the heart's release,

and that's really, really weird,

for cancer's tearing me apart,

I puke, and hit the floor on pain,

but I see a happy heart

in the mirror, to remain

through the days through which I roam

until the day God calls me home.

To repeat the announcement from last week...

As you know, Kate won't be hosting FMF through November and December.

I offered to stand in, and she accepted. I can't begin to describe how honoured I am.

You won't be getting her emails announcing posts, but I will let you know on X (@BudekSchmeisser) and Facebook (Andrew Budek).

I don't spam these platforms. Just the blog, my Substack site, and an occasional uplifting quote.

The posts will go live on Thursday nights at 8pm Mountain Time.

I'll do things a little differently, since I'm not nearly the writer Kate is. I already have a list of words, and I'll give myself five minutes to find a good quote (or several) that fits the prompt. I think the prompts will be fun.

And none of my poetry, because this is about being a placeholder for Kate.

The dates will be:

November 7

November 14

November 21

November 28

December 5

December 12

December 19

December 26

January 2

I really hope you'll join me.

So does Sylvia. She's the brains behind all this.

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

For The Lonely, And A Coming Schedule Change (Tell His Story)

This is a sonnet for the lonely and desperate. It is not my life.

Please don't walk away from me,
I didn't mean to get so ill
and I really try to be
the person that I once was, still,
but I can hardly walk there days,
my speech and thoughts are slow.
It takes me time to coin a phrase,
but please, my friend, don't go!
Please remember who I was
in a broader, brighter place.
Please stay here with me because
I really need to see you face
to hear your laugh, enjoy your smile,
to let me know I'm still worthwhile.

Sylvia says this applies to old and sick dogs and cats, as well.

There will be a temporary change of schedule for Tell His Story, posting on Thursdays at 8 pm Mountain Time through November (starting November 7) and December, and January 2.

Kate Motaung, the host for Five Minute Friday, will be off for that time, and I will be stepping in with prompts.

I invite you to do a five minute write, or to link a favourite post.

I hope you'll be with me!

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Stepping Into A Giant's Shoes

Dear Five Minute Friday People,