Why am I writing about my 2021 writing successes? Well, children's author Julie Hedlund challenged participants of her 12 Days of Christmas for Writers series to post SUCCESSES (rather than resolutions) on our blogs this year. She believes the way New Year's resolutions are traditionally made comes from a place…
a psalm of thankfulness in modern America in the style (and some of the words of) Psalm 136 by RLS Hoff Give thanks to the LORD for he is good His love endures forever To him who alone does great wonders His love endures forever Who thought up galaxies and…
When I was young, my mother would tell me stories about her sister, an agile, world-famous, circus performer. My mother didn’t hold her in much esteem. But I soaked up the stories with incredulous reverence, never able to quench my thirst for news of her.My eccentric aunt would sporadically send…
The Tree by Katie Hoff Congratulations to our Spring 2021 Teeny Tiny Writing Contest Winner: Katie Hoff. Here's her lovely poem:The Treeby Katie Hoff Deep within a forestIn a clearing stands a treeShorter than the rest of themOut of all the eye could see This tree had weaker barkAnd was plainer tooWith…
His hands are strong and gentlepushing lawn mowersopening jarssoothing babies His fingers, long and sensitivetyping codeuntangling knotswiping away tears His heart is large and growingleaking lovedispensing comfortserving allThis is an attempt at a poem in response to a prompt from my Sunday School class, Imago Dei: Make an artistic representation of humility.…
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You areThe sun I turn towardThe rain that quenches my thirstThe earth that stabilizesmeAnd not only meBut also every flowerin this fieldin this world.You are. This is an attempt at a poem in response to the prompt given in my Sunday School class, Imago Dei, this week: “Write a poem, story,…
I wrote a picture book manuscript a while back about a girl named Emma who gets into a bit of trouble with a magical slipper. So, this is me trying my hand at drawing Emma.
a poem, inspired by conversation with my middle child (the one who is all into programming and mathematics)Neither randomNor entirely orderedSpiralsAnd DotsSyncedIn DancingRhythmicProgression
Children’s author Julie Hedlund challenged participants of her 12 Days of Christmas for Writers series to post 2020 SUCCESSES (rather than resolutions) on our blogs this year. She believes traditional New Year’s resolutions come from a place of negativity. They focus on what DIDN’T get done or achieved in the…
Magic LibraryMore powerful than crowns.Twitter introduced me to six word stories (Specifically, @MQuigley1963 did. Wonderful author to follow. She’s so encouraging.)She usually starts them with a picture, and asks people to write a #sixwordstory or a a poem about it. She also writes her own (often quite good) stories and…
I love maps, of course.My middle child has a beautiful one that came with his collection of Lloyd Alexander books (His favorite books, btw). It folds out into a gorgeous poster-sized thing that looks like it ought to be framed (if you could somehow get the creases out).My maps don’t…
This character sketch is literally a sketch. This girl (woman?) came to me a couple of days ago. I don’t know who she is yet, but I think she wants her story told.
“Hey! Who ate the last piece of hamburger onion pie?” Shannon shouted into the bowels of the refrigerator. She turned, slamming the refrigerator door, and bumped into Damon, who was holding the metal pie plate in his right hand. It was dotted with crumbs and held a fork and a…
Becca is a fictionalized account of what it was like to grow up with one of my brilliant, imaginative, sisters. This is my memory. My sister might retell this rather differently. Becca propped her elbows in the top rack of the dishwasher, fitting them neatly between the green plastic spikes. She…
"Your Will, Not Mine, Lord" is a song I wrote while waiting for the rest of my Sunday School class to be finished with their music practice.Try to raise my kids to love the LordTry to teach my kids to do their choresTo become loving, respectful, powerful, wise, adults. They argue,…