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 |    I will be adding stories & reflections as time marches on. Take a gander today! |
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Contest Entries: "The Contest Challenge"  Participant"I Write in 2018" Participant"I Write in 2019" Participant"I Write in 2020" Participant2021: Independent Writing 2122: "I Write: Enter the Second Decade" Participant2123: "Twenty-three in Eleven " ParticipantThis mixed collection contains fiction, non-fiction, prose, and poetry. Entries vary in length from very short to one that is over 3000 words. 53 entries written in 2018: ▼ 53 entries written in 2019: ▼ 43 entries written in 2020 ▼ 2 entries written in 2021 ▼ Entries written in 2022 ▼ NOTE: All Titles with ~ ~ are either non-fiction or based on a true story. |
When I made the decision to write about the two hugs I have in mind, I was once again in the throes of grief. My mother died on New Year's Eve seven years ago. The time has softened the blow but the visceral feelings remain and reared their head again this year. The two hugs took place at her bedside in the hours before her death. Ugliness had happened in 2011 when my father died. It resulted in my being estranged from two of my siblings. As I headed toward Georgia to say goodbye to my mother, I was actually looking forward to reconnecting with my baby sister. She was already there and had come without her husband. He would be coming later but we would have some time together and I was glad. He had been the root of the problems that had happened. I still loved my sister and thought she still loved me. I won't go into detail right now about the moment I entered my mother's hospital room. I will just tell you about the hugs. Actually, it should sort of be three hugs. The first was from my sister I had been on good terms with. If I had been paying attention, that hug would have clued me in. She walked over to greet me but her hug was more of a formality than a hug and I was so focused on my baby sister, I barely acknowledged my "good" sister and ran straight away to the other. I wrapped my arms around my baby sister but to my surprise, I discovered to my chagrin and dismay, I had embraced a stone. She stiffened so much it felt like hugging a statute except that a statute would have been cold and she was burning with anger and rage. It left me stunned. It was then I realized I was not welcome there. In 2011, I had been the injured party. I had forgiven my sister and my brother. I had never expected animosity from them. Even my "good" sister, after having spent a day with them, was giving me a cold shoulder. For the moment there were no more hugs--just tense interactions--and rejection. I opted to leave. I asked for a moment alone to say my goodbyes to Mommy. I told my brother I recognized they did not want me there and let him know I would go after I said those goodbyes. The others were glad to hear of this and left the room. When I was done and stepped out into the hallway, my brother beckoned me back into my mother's room. Stepping out of sight of the others, my brother hugged me. I felt loved. I hugged him back and kissed his cheek. I cherish the memory of that hug.  ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ Word Count: 638 Written for "I Write: Enter the Second Decade" |
~ All the Dreams We Lost ~ Story idea: Seventy-year old woman looking at her reflection in the mirror as she brushes her hair. Her hair is long but she always wears it up in a messy bun of sorts. She thinks as she brushes and we can hear her thoughts—thoughts of things that will never be: A happy marriage... Missed opportunities... Lost relationships... I can paint her dreams with my words and morn with her as she grieves her lost, never-to-be-fulfilled dreams. Of course, the dreams are mine. As I write, perhaps new dreams will be born, dreams that still might have an opportunity to be manifested. Moral: Late in life, as we let go of the dreams from our youth, we can still dream. We can choose to move in the direction of these new dreams and find new hope as we reach for new stars. Written for "The Whatever Contest." Link: "The Whatever Contest -- Closed for Now" Prompt: Write a description/synopsis of a long story or novel you would write (this is a description, not flash fiction) using one of the suggested titles which were obtained from the official NanoWrimo site. Link: https://forums.nanowrimo.org/t/adopt-a-title/1659 Chosen Title: "All the Dreams We Lost" Word Count: 147 Words ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ |
~ He Is Coming Again! ~ Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God. He came to earth Through a virgin birth He lived His life For thirty years Then left that life behind. At a wedding He turned water into wine Another day he gave sight to a man Born Blind He healed many others He raised a man from the dead Ultimately, he was crucified Lifted up from the earth Where he drew all men unto him He died that day Was buried But three days later Was Himself raised from the dead He ascended into heaven And will, one day, come again To gather all His Own To join Him Forever! Written for "Invalid Item" Line count: 25 ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ |
~ SURPRISE ~ I remember being so excited when, as a twelve year old, I planned a surprise birthday party for my mother. I managed to talk to a few of her friends without her knowledge and arranged with a neighbor to let me make the cake and a gelatin dessert at her house. I actually don't remember the cake but I remember that gelatin dessert. Maybe I made it more for me than for the party: gelatin stirred up with whipped creme—yummy! Sadly, the surprise aspect fell through. I can't remember what exactly happened but I do remember I got cornered and had to let my mother in the surprise. She was FURIOUS. Now, that was not the reaction I expected. I guess my mother was not thrilled at the aspect of some of these folks showing up at her home unannounced lest they should find a speck of dust on the mantel or something. After she thoroughly chewed me out, she helped me get the house ready for company and acted surprised when her friends showed up. The two things I remember about the day: Mommy's angry response and the yummy lime gelatin/whipped creme dessert. It was years before I dared to throw another surprise birthday party for my mother! Thankfully, the second surprise party was a huge success. Picturing Mommy's delight at her second surprise birthday party brings a smile to my face as I look back at it today. This time, the guests were me, my five kids, their mates, and however many grandchildren I had at the time. Unbeknownst to my mother, I arranged for a private dining room—I think it was at a Golden Corral eating place. Mommy thought I was taking her out for dinner on her birthday. The kids all got there before we did. They took seats at the long table with a seat at the head of the table reserved for the guest of honor. Everybody brought gifts. Her great-grandchildren shopped at the Dollar Store and each of them bought at least five gifts for her. The presents were all wrapped separately and then stacked in a huge mountain at her end of the table waiting for her to revel in the glitter and bows... And revel she did! She was the center of attention in a huge group of people who loved and accepted her. The day was filled with laughs, smiles, good food and lots of hugs. A good birthday memory—for her and for me! ♡♡♡ Written for "Verfabula: A Creative Nonfiction Contest" Prompt: Birthday Word Count: 425 Words ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ |
~ My Supplication ~ God, I cry out For intimacy With you. God, Through Your Son, Through Your Holy Spirit, I can know You. God, I want to know you Just as You know us I want to truly know You. Written for The Whatever Contest ▼ Prompt: Write a lipogram poem with no E's. Line Count: 12 ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ |
| For the back story, please see "~ A True Story ~" . Alone in her living room She knelt by the sofa. Tears flowed As she bowed her head And prayed. She was so unhappy. She felt so hopeless. She felt unloved. She felt alone. In an empty marriage. "God," she cried, "I feel hopeless." As she sobbed, A Bible verse Came to her mind. My people perish For a lack of... Vision. She was perishing Without hope. "God, I have no vision. No hope For a brighter future With this man. Please help me." She asked for Hope. She was given A vision A hope-inspiring vision... Eyes still closed In prayer She saw a scene Unfold on a stage Behind her eyelids. Her husband was On that stage. He stood before A congregation Of young people. The group Watching and listening Were seated On folding chairs. Before the stage. Her husband Speaking to them Held up A book A special book. It was a Bible With a special binding Sewn in such a way That could be folded Completely inside out. He held up that Bible As he declared, "The answers to all Your problems Are in here." And then He turned And summoned her To join him On that stage. He put his arm Around her waist And said to the crowd, "I thank God For this woman." He then went on Thanking God for The fruit of The Spirit He saw in her. Lost in the Spirit, She had to admit This fruit was Not yet fully Manifest in her. The vision ended. What did it mean? Drying her tears, She embraced it As a promise of hope. She believed God had shown her Something precious: A loving husband And happiness ahead. She held onto That vision. She never let go Of the hope It would come to pass. Even now Years later Promise unfulfilled She remembers Her vision of hope. Written for: "Invalid Item" Line Count: 100 Lines NOTE: The verse referenced is Proverbs 29:18 ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ |
As I have walked the path of life, I have stumbled upon a few things that have made my life a better place to be. Some may sound silly. Others are more serious. All of these strategies work for me and might just work for you, too. Let's start with a silly one: smile. It sounds simple enough, eh? "Smile, it releases endorphins." is a saying my kids have heard me say hundreds of times. Why? Simply because it works. The act of putting my facial muscles in the shape of a smile releases feel-good chemicals into my system and helps me to feel good! Another action that has consistently helped me to feel better is: to be quiet—inside my head. The Bible tells us to take every thought into captivity. I have learned I can better control my thoughts when I take time to regularly be quiet. Some might call it meditating. I just see it as exercising the ability to choose what I think about. Focusing on my own thoughts, my own words and my own actions versus what other people are saying and doing has been one of the most freeing things I have done in my life. I get to choose to act rather than react. It helps me to function within the principles of the Serenity Prayer—recognizing the difference between what I can change and what I can't. Serenity comes to me every time I choose to practice these three things. Peace that passes understanding is mine because the three stategies actually serve to put a real smile on my face. It is more than an exercise. It is a way of life. Written for "Write An Essay About..." .Prompt: Write an essay about YOU. Three Things: 1. Smile 2. Be quiet inside my head. 3. Focus on my own thoughts, feelings and actions. ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ |
The King and the Prince looked over their kingdom. They longed to bring everyone in the kingdom into the fold. Most of the people did not even know the King and the Prince. An evil ruler had blinded their eyes. The King and the Prince had a secret plot to thwart the evil ruler's plans. It would require a major sacrifice but would be well worth it in the end. They were in total agreement and began to put things in play. The Prince looked around at the opulence and abundance surrounding him and the King. Love was what motivated the Prince to temporarily walk away from all of this. He knew the momentary loss would be worth it. He could see down the road when He would return to His throne with clouds of followers perfected in love. With this in mind, the Prince took on the role of one of his subjects and experienced first hand what life on this mortal coil was like. And what death was like. The pinnacle of their plan was his death. The evil ruler would think he had won but the King and the Prince had an ace up their sleeve. The Prince held the keys of life and death. His life was not taken from him. He willingly laid it down as a sacrifice to ransom the people who would come to love him in return. He willingly laid down his life knowing he had the power to take it up again in victory—the ultimate victory where love triumphs over death for all eternity. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Love wins. ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ Written for "No Dialogue Contest-CLOSED" Prompt: Love Word Count: 285 Words This is a mini-version of what the Bible tells us about Jesus giving his life as ransom for us. |
| As I contemplated this question, a song came to mind. You can find it here: ~ Psalty & The Butterfly Song ~ Here is the chorus of that song: But I’d just thank you, Father, for making me Me! ‘Cause you gave me a heart, And you gave me a smile You gave me Jesus, And you made me your child. And I just thank you, Father, for making me Me! I am His workmanship. God, in His mercy has authored every good thing in me. The best thing in my life is my relationship with God through His only begotten Son, Jesus. He forgives me and empowers me to forgive others. He loves me and empowers me to love others. As my relationship with Him grows, I become more like Him. He changes me. My external life is not full of riches and abundance but my internal life is. He has given me (and continues to give me) peace in the midst of storms—peace that passes understanding. In this world, I will have tribulations but I can be of good cheer for He has overcome the world. His mercy endures forever. Even when I am unfaithful, He is faithful. He is and always shall be my all and all. What makes me me? He does. I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion it until the day of Christ Jesus. He gave me a heart, And He gave me a smile He gave me Jesus, And He made me His child. And I just thank you, Father, for making me Me! ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ Written for "Philosophical Musings" Prompt:"For the sixth round, let's consider what makes you you." Word Count: 286 Words |
I grew up in Wellsville, New York. As a child, I remember Sunday dinners at Grandma's house and attending "~ The Little White Church ~" as a family. I remember going to the drive-in and us kids trying to stay awake for the whole movie.We did not do many other things as a family but we did always go to the golf course on the 4th of July. The course had rolling hills where we went sledding in the winter. I used my first skis on those tiny slopes. But on the 4th of July those slopes were not covered with snow. On the fourth, they were covered with blankets. There must have been plenty of room because I don't remember any stress about getting there early to find a good spot or good parking. My dad just parked with everyone else on the side of the road and we walked to a spot a ways out and spread out our blankets and excitedly waited for the main event. We all got there at dusk and waited for the last rays of sunlight to disappear. We knew a dark sky made for a better show. We chatted and laughed while we waited. Then there would be a flash and a boom letting us know the celebration was about to start. We would all lie down and gaze at the sky ready to be amazed. We were never disappointed. One colorful splash after another filled the night sky. A multitudes of oohs and ahs would be our applause. One after another the amazing color designs would come until there was a pause. Then the finale with lots of colors, booms, whistling sounds—and then silence. Slowly we would gather our things and make our way back to our car. It was a wonderful family night. We would always remember our hometown 4th of July celebration. Yay for the Independence Day Celebration on the golf course in my hometown. ♡ Written for "The Taboo Words Contest ~ On Hiatus" Prompt: Firework Display Taboo Words: fireworks, rockets, sparklers, display, bonfire Word Count: 326 Words ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ |
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