The View From The Green Room - by Vickie Stam

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years. Genesis 1:14

Some people might think it doesn't occupy the best seat in the house but it's where I find myself sitting at some point during the day and even the occasional night. When I'm tired of wrestling with my inability to sleep I give up the fight and make my way to the green room at the end of the hall. A cup of hot chocolate warms the palms of my hands and I'm careful not to spill when I sit down in my chair on wheels. The sweet aroma of chocolate fills the room. It's not the first time that I've lost my bid for a good night's sleep and I'm certain it won't be my last. As I lean back in my chair I can't help but deliver an ear-splitting yawn. I'm tired yet the thoughts that invade my head show no signs of winding down.

The walls that wrap around me are painted green. 'Olive Branch' green to be precise. The colour swatch was just one of many in a long list of possibilities but the biblical reference immediately grabbed my attention and it wasn't long before I proclaimed my decision. "Olive Branch, it is!"

The green room isn't your typical backstage room of a theatre but its location does lend itself to an amazing view of God's landscape. Just outside two large windows a forest of trees breathes life to lush green leaves in spring and summer, eventually turning them to warm hues of red and gold. Winds blow, casting the leaves from the branches. Under the weight of the wind the naked limbs bend and crackle anticipating the arrival of a blanket of snow coming to dress them. As for me, I have the pleasure of watching each magnificent season unfold from the comfort of my green room. Photos of life here on the farm adorn the walls igniting interesting tales of their own. What a marvelous place to write!

Tick-tock. The time continues to move underneath the midnight sky. My fingers begin plucking the keys on the keyboard in front of me breaking the silence that would otherwise hang in the air if I were fast asleep. The words appear one after the other forming sentence after sentence. I'm on a roll. How can I possibly give in to my persistent yawning? Deep down I fear stopping will only interrupt my train of thought and render me unable to pick up where I left off come morning. So I convince myself to stay and keep writing for just a little while longer.

When I finally click the mouse and close off, I smile. The floor creaks beneath my chair as I roll it away from the desk. I breathe a sigh of relief and flip the light switch on the wall. The wall to the green room -- the room. that is in fact, my husband's office. But for me, the best seat in the house resides in this room. By day or by night it's exactly where I go when I need to let loose the words that convey my thoughts.

My desire to put words down on paper began more than two decades ago when I opened my first journal and penned what lay inside my heart. Journaling remains an integral part of my life.

The Mb Herald published my testimony in their August Edition of 2012. It is my hope to one day publish a short story. More recently I’ve had the pleasure of taking part in a number of writing classes at Redeemer University. In between raising pigs with my  husband on a farm just outside of Jarvis, Ontario I embrace the strong desire that God has given me….. my desire to write.