Morning by Morning, New Mercies by Mary Folkerts

 

Hesitantly you turn

the page

crisp, clean, white

untouched–

what should you write?

Fearful of making a mess

so many ideas,

dreams and

doubts.

Indecision keeps you

immobilized,

perfectionism

stalls your

dreams from becoming

reality.

What comes first?

You know yourself,

how long

the good intentions

last.

Failure keeps you

from taking a step

in the right

direction.

But this time

you resolve

to do it differently–

no matter the mess

no matter the crossed out

words, scribbles, and

eraser marks.

No matter the tear stains

upon the clean page

you stumble ahead–

for falling forward is better

than sinking.

With each messy step

clinging to the Hand

that never leaves you

flailing alone.

Forward momentum

brings you closer

to where God desires

you to be.

For He will instruct you

He will teach you

in the way you

should go.

He will counsel you,

never letting you

out of His loving

sight.

Do you know His

voice?

Do you listen

to the quiet

prodding?

Leave behind your

resolutions,

leave behind your

perfection,

leave behind your need

for control.

You don’t have to walk

confidently into the new season

with a foolproof plan.

You can stumble in–

but always keep your face

forward,

eyes on the

Shepherd Guide–

always forward

one uncertain step

at a time.

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22, 23

Thank God for new starts and fresh slates to begin again each morning! I feel this in my bones, as I can be so hard on myself when I think I haven’t lived up to expectations, my own or others. Let this be a reminder for myself to have the courage to keep plodding on. God’s mercy gives fresh hope!

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a member of Proverbs 31 Ministries' COMPEL Writers Training, involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the Small Things https://maryfolkerts.com/ or connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/

 

 

New Beginnings by Colleen van Nieuwkerk

My New Year has almost always begun with my birthday in August, instead of in January.

I love new beginnings, the fall season and fall colors. You would notice that if you ever came to my house for coffee. I also always loved school and still love to learn. One of my life values is to be a life-long learner.

New beginnings that start in the fall season are often stirred up for me when spring arrives. I will be winding down the previous year and suddenly my mind and heart will turn towards fall and what is next. I served as a Director of Children’s Ministries in our church for fourteen years and this thought process was necessary every year. It has continued into retirement.

One of the aspects of a new focus was that I would listen for one word or phrase that God would put repeatedly before me and eventually I would choose that word for my next year. This year, my one word is “Capacity”, and my personal definition of that word is, “God-given ability to live beyond my natural potential.” My current health situation seems to affect energy and output, and that can be a hindrance to sitting at my desk.

I have now been walking in life as a widow for almost six years. Life turned inside out and upside down for me when my husband died unexpectedly. We had a strong marriage for forty-six years and I have deeply missed him. However, there have been new mercies every morning, and as the grief has become softer, God has graciously begun to restore my vision and my capacity for “laughing at the future” (Proverbs 31:26). This summer as I reviewed my previous year and set my plans, God willing, for this next year, I have asked for more capacity to complete some assignments.

Last October I was blessed to be offered a book contract from hope*books. I am writing a memoir, “An Unfolding Life” and have just completed six out of nine chapters. This offer took me completely by surprise and, although there have been some hard processes of working through good memories, I have enjoyed the writing.

My ministry within our church and online is currently continuing to write a curriculum for women that began ten years ago. It has expanded year by year and right now I am writing the current module as a pilot class and will teach it to a group of ten women.

Blogging is a goal I have had for several years, but I have not made much progress towards working the writing into my everyday schedule. My goal is that it would complement this course I have written and reach more women.

I have enjoyed writing a couple of guest blog posts here recently, and I also just submitted one devotional for a Year of Hope Devotional Book to be published in December.

I never planned to be a writer. I always loved English and Literature classes and am an avid reader. Wonder often overwhelms me as I see how God has unfolded this opportunity and set it before me as his assignment for this time. Thank you for reading and for the encouragement found in all your writing. We are blessed to experience God’s new mercies every morning as we follow his leading.

Habakkuk 3:19 (AMPC), “The Lord God is my strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk (not to stand still in terror, but to walk) and make (spiritual) progress upon my high places (of trouble, suffering, or responsibility)!”

Colleen van Nieuwkerk is GG to three sons plus 3; twelve grandchildren; and two great-grandsons. Colleen writes curriculum for women as well as teaches and is currently writing the story in book form of how this all came about. She lives in northern Alberta and can be found online @colleenvannieuwkerk.com

Unfolding Words ~ Valerie Ronald

 

                                                                               image credit Pixabay

From the dark, stuffy confines of the linen closet I pull out a fresh set of neatly folded sheets, ready to go on the bed. First, I stretch the fitted sheet over the mattress, then with a flick of my wrists, I unfold the top sheet. It floats gently onto the bed, releasing its heady fragrance of sun-dried cotton and warm breezes. Because I dry sheets outside on the clothesline in summer, the evocative scent of the season comes to life again when I unfold them to make the bed.

This is the picture that comes to mind when I read the following verse.

“The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding

to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130 NIV) 

I imagine God shaking out a folded sheet full of His words, releasing light and knowledge like a clean, simple fragrance to people eager to understand His truths.

For over 20 years I have been folding words into neat packages that fit on the back page of our monthly church bulletin. Drawing from personal life lessons, nature and God’s rich scriptures, I write these devotionals to encourage those of our small congregation in their spiritual walk. This year I have been given an opportunity to compile some of these devotionals into a book. The first draft of the book is nearing completion, soon to be sent to the publisher. A life-long dream is finally within reach.

Unfolding these writings woven from the fabric of God’s words, is like shaking out a sun-dried bed sheet that has been stored on a shelf for some time. Words gathered for years will soon be released, directed by God purposes. I am excited to be in partnership with God on this project, as He is the one who is making it possible.

As well as working on the book manuscript, I continue to share a page on this blog once a month with my fellow InScribe writers. The blog moderator’s prompts produce many different perspectives and styles of writing that I find encouraging and inspirational. Some of the posts I have written for the blog are being adapted to include in my devotional book.

The realization that I am tackling an ambitious new project in my senior years is an affirmation that God can work through me even into old age. I like to think of this devotional book as my opus, the culmination of 23 years of work. As God’s Word unfolds through the vehicle of my own written words, I pray they will give spiritual light and understanding to those who read them.

“This is what we speak (write), not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.”  (1 Cor. 2:13)

Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk. 

Shine Your Light by Pattie Janzen

Please welcome InScribe member Pattie Janzen as our Guest Blogger today on InScribe Writers Online.

There has been so much strife in the last few weeks, and, as I’m sure many of you have, I’ve felt a weight on my heart. From Iryna Zarulska’s senseless stabbing, to the horrific shootings and assaults happening inside schools and homes, Charlie Kirk's assassination, and a woman shot closer to home—I’m beyond saddened by the condition of our world.

I’ve spent more time praying—not only for the families who are grieving through their personal devastations—but for the people who are living with a level of hatred so harsh that they commit these sorts of acts. If that wasn’t enough, the comments all over social media that applaud these crimes are appalling.

Our enemy preys on hearts and minds, and sometimes it appears as though the darkness is winning, but it’s important to remind ourselves that it’s not! Our fight is, indeed, with principalities and powers, but no matter how frustrated and angry, anxious and worried we might feel, we are not to hate others. Although we may disagree, we must not give room to hatred. Hate the sin—yes—but never the soul. So many souls in our world are in pain—confused and angered. But we know the truth about the deep love of God, who sent His Son to die so that we may be forgiven and set free! He is the power within us, and He makes it possible for us to authentically love one another.

In this world of chaos, we need to remind ourselves that we are the salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:10-16). If we light a candle in the day time, that small bit of flame is hardly noticed. But as the daylight wanes and the darkness creeps in, the fire from one candle can change everything. As our world grows darker, it’s even more important that our lights shine brightly! As believers in Jesus Christ, we are the light in this world. (Matthew 5:14 starts with: “You are the light of the world …”.)

Another verse I find most encouraging for days such as these: “… greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4b NASB 1995).

How powerful, and uplifting! If we belong to Him, God is with us and He is GOOD! We have nothing to fear.

I know I’m a very small voice in a sea of people much wiser than I, but this I know as an absolute: I am God’s daughter, and I love Jesus! I’m not perfect or better than anyone else. I’m certainly not sinless, and I’ve acted the hypocrite often, but I have been forgiven by the love of the one and only crucified Saviour! And I will praise Him forever!

God BLESS us all as we write boldly for HIM!

(Top) Image by Pexels on Pixabay

PD Janzen (Pattie) is a published humour columnist, author of five emotion-filled Christian fiction novels, and an inspirational speaker. She’s married to Brian and they reside for half the year in Martensville, SK, and the other half at Good Spirit Lake Bible Camp, where they enjoy helping out all summer. They have three grown children and soon-to-be 14 grandkids. Pattie enjoys sharing encouragement and insights of God’s healing love through her blog at: pdjanzen.com

Our Words Are Part of Us by Alan Anderson

 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Psalm 23 (ESV)

Our writing prompt for September asks, “How has your writing life progressed thus far in 2025? Are you encouraged to move ahead?” The positive ring of the prompt caught my attention right away and caused me to ponder what I would write as a response.

Has my writing life progressed?

Yes! One sign of my writing having progressed is this blog. This is my tenth year of contributing to our InScribe Writers Online Blog. Much of the progress in my writing is because of encouragement from other InScribe members. This progress encourages me not to cease my quest to become a talented writer.

I know my writing has progressed by people who read my poetry and told me they feel the words. This is not a cause to brag but to thank the Lord for His mercy through life-giving hope.

Am I encouraged to move ahead?

Yes! I say yes because I must. I must move ahead to accomplish a labour of love I hope to offer people. Please allow me to explain.

Encouraged to be a Voice

I have mentioned the book I am writing in a few past posts on this blog. The book is primarily a collection of poetic words dedicated to grandparents who grieve the death of grandchildren. In my conversations and correspondence with grandparents and parents who grieve, they have noted grandparents need a “voice.” I continue in my writing as a step of faith that my words will help to be such a voice.

This has not been an easy book to write, and I am glad for this. The emotional challenges I have experienced are fuel for moving ahead. Interactions with those who grieve over their grandchildren come with raw reality. As the author, I hope to capture the emotion of the experiences the grandparents live with. I will capture their experiences once I have listened to them. Then, the words in the book will express their voices.

A few grandparents have read some of my poems. They told me they feel the impact of the words. From this, they have taught me that our words are part of us. Our minds and hearts give birth to our words, then our pens send them on their journey to help other people.

I move ahead because I must. There are also motivations in life urging me to carry on. One motivation is the promise I made to my grandbabies in heaven. I assured them they mattered, and I would not forget them.

Another motivation to continue came through a message I received from a dear InScribe member. This member informed me of a friend of hers who is grieving the death of her baby grandchild. There is also a grandmother who grieves over the murder of her teenage grandson. Other stories also exist, and each expresses a deep longing.

Encouraged because words give life

I write because God used writing to help heal my grief through hope. I write not for myself but for those in search of hope beyond their grief, beyond their pain.

As I move ahead with my voice, may every word, paragraph, and chapter written be a heartbeat, a breath, to offer healing to those who grieve. May they know there is hope beyond the pain of grief, and may God grant them mercy to let them know they are not alone.

Alan lives in a small village called Deroche, British Columbia, with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He enjoys walking on the dike near his home with trees all around and where he finds inspiration to write. He occasionally writes articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan’s website and blog is https://scarredjoy.ca.

Brought to You by Your Blog Moderators: The Gift of a Comment

Reading blog articles and leaving comments in

response can become a conversation between friends.

BL

As bloggers, we publish our latest blog post, and then we hope someone will read it and leave a comment in response. It's part of what makes blogging attractive - writers can receive almost immediate feedback on pieces to which they've poured their hearts into.

When it's our turn to compose short, meaningful comments for other writers, there are times when it's harder than it ought to be. Sometimes it's easier to click away and not bother. No doubt, we've probably all received remarks so insipid as to be disappointing—maybe from people who didn't know what to say—phrases like: 'Great read', 'Nice photo', or 'Interesting topic'. Although they appear positive, they leave an empty feeling or no feeling at all. In using such generic phrases, there is no indication the piece was even read. There is no sense of any connection, the reader having left nothing of him or herself in those too-general words.

Of course, we understand time constraints and those moments when our creativity is taking a nap. In our busy world, it's certainly not about leaving comments on every single piece we read. That's impossible. But when a piece has touched us, that's when we should use our few valuable minutes to say so. If we don't have the words, why not simply say, "I don't have the words right now, but I want you to know your words really touched me today. Thank you."

I often remind myself to be generous with both my time and my feedback, especially if I see the writer could use a bit of encouragement. I've been learning to cultivate the art of composing tiny gifts of short but meaningful comments. Here are three tips I've found helpful for those times I felt lost for words:

1. Rather than making a general comment about the post, focus on one or two details that catch your attention. It may be a particular sentence, a turn of phrase, a verse alluded to, a line of prose so artfully written its beauty gives you goosebumps.

2. Look for common ground: similar experiences, books you read, or favourite songs. Perhaps you realize you share similar ‘soapbox’ topics…or completely different ones. Mention what it is that you connect to, if it uplifts, challenges, or comforts, etc.

3. There are the times somebody else has already said what you wanted to say. Don't think your similar comment doesn't matter. Of course it does - great minds think alike and all that. Do a synonym search of some of the words already used. Google is good at coughing up other great descriptors that can help you form your own lovely new comment.

Comments on blog posts are gifts – ones you offer in return for the piece you just read. Go ahead, leave your 'footprint' in the comment box, and make a heart connection today. Your comment could very well be the reason someone returns to his or her desk encouraged to write something soul satisfying for you to read next time.

–written by Brenda Leyland

Sprouts of Possibilities by Carol Harrison

 

As I reflect on the year to date for my writing, I find I’ve accomplished very little. At times I think nothing has been written and yet I did submit three pieces to anthologies and one was accepted for publication. The other two I am waiting to hear about. That shows me some progress has been made. I know I wrote each month for Inscribe Writers Online and that shows me some progress as well. Yet there were times of nothing being written, no projects on the go, and no desire to start a new one. I question which direction I am supposed to go in this season of less writing activity. Should I begin a new larger project? Should I write shorter pieces and search for places to submit them? Maybe I should just journal for my own benefit. Many questions that have found no answer at this point.

This month’s prompt asked if I was still encouraged to continue writing and I must admit that on many days, I am not. I wonder if I should forget about trying to write and yet the journal calls my name on many days. It is a place to pour out the thoughts, activities, and yes the frustrations of the day.

Before he passed my husband, Brian, challenged me to write several different things. I started on both of them and now they sit. Unfinished. One is very challenging and an emotional journey I am not quite ready to continue on. The other is more for fun and yet I haven’t looked at it in two years. Maybe now I could return to it with fresh eyes and see where it leads.

One thing I will continue to work on this fall is stories from my life that will be printed, bound, and given to my grandchildren for Christmas. Many days I find it difficult to work on these without Brian here to bounce ideas off of and share memories with and yet that shouldn’t stop me from continuing on what has now become a tradition for the grandchildren. They expect to find another booklet of stories as their Christmas gift. I don’t want to disappoint them and so that encourages me to continue writing at least that and the Inscribe blog post. I better get busy working on writing those stories as there are not many months left until Christmas. Maybe there are still a few sprouts of possibilities in the rest of the year.

 

Carol Harrison lives in Saskatoon, SK and is attempting to figure out where to go next in this writing journey.

Begin Again by Sharon Heagy

Some of the hills on my walk with Norman the dog.

"There once was a man named Michael Finnegan

He grew whiskers on his chin-egan

The wind came up and blew them in again.

Poor old Michael Finnegan. Begin again.

(public domain)

This is the tune that popped into my head when I read the prompt and began to think about writing this piece. That lead to making sure the song was under public domain, which somehow led me to listen to some new worship songs, which led me to thinking about the song my friend wanted to have played at her funeral, which led me to text her and ask her for the name of said song because I was drawing a blank, which led her to ask me if I knew something she didn't. I said no. Then I took the dog for a walk.

Then I came home and avoided sitting down to write this post, doing menial tasks and cleaning up loose ends I'd left undone for a while. Then I sat down and began again, out of excuses, and here we are.

The last eight and half months to a year have been a lot like that. Off and on, stop and go, up and down. Yet sitting in my favourite writing spot with pen and paper or keyboard and screen, remains one of the happiest places on earth to me. I am examining why I tend to avoid it.

Often writing seems like a decadent indulgence due to the immense joy I find while scribbling down the ideas, phrases and words that swirl around in that wrinkled walnut looking part of my brain. Even the more challenging parts of the writing process bring me joy. The joy, true joy, has a single Source yet it is twofold. The One who created me gave me the gift, and, He writes with me. No decadence there, only sacredness. And it's all grace.

The scrutiny of my avoidance will continue and perhaps provide fodder for a future post.

One thing I have accomplished this year was to write down some concrete goals. For a while I had more goals than a famous NHL hockey player. They needed to be narrowed down and attainable. I'm not going to write the great American novel. I'm not even American! Maybe a great Canadian novel, someday, but that's not one of the current objectives.

Some goals on the list have been accomplished. One was to continue monthly submissions to this blog as it fuels my fire. The realization that this December will be my 60th blog post kind of blew me away. I still feel like such a rookie!

Two writer's groups, both InScribe inspired, have kindly accepted me into their folds. Both help me to keep trying and to never give up. They give me accountability as well as encouragement.

The guardians of FellowScript have graciously published several columns I have submitted. I would encourage all members to submit their work. It is a wonderful venue for publishing experience and the folks that read it are writers just like you. It's been very good for me and I highly recommend it. My thanks to all who work to make each issue a reality and special thanks to Tracy Krauss for her steadfast encouragement.

Then I did a thing. A scary thing. It's not pretty but it's out there. I started a blog of my own. For others to read if they happen to stumble across it, but more for experience and discipline. Both are lacking in my writing life lately. The process has left me a little lost as I am befuddled on how to navigate the site. Next goal is to find a tutorial. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

There seems to be some forward motion in my writing life that I didn't even realize was there until I started reflecting on this month's prompt. Thanks, Lorrie and Brenda. This is a good thing. A God thing. Praying He will continue to lead me and to lead you as we forge ahead together.

Sharon Heagy writes from the small but vibrant town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan which is nestled in the valley near the Burning Hills. She writes to inspire and give hope with a chuckle or two along the way.

So Many Beginnings by Steph Beth Nickel

Photo Credit: Steph Beth Nickel

When considering today's topic, the verses that immediately came to mind were Lamentations 3:22-23, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (ESV).


Aren't you glad these verses are true? But how do they apply to new beginnings?

We all need His mercy each and every day. It enables us to begin projects . . . and begin them again as needed.

Perhaps you're like me and want to begin one or more of the following endeavours (or begin them again):

Prepare Manuscripts to Self-Publish

I have countless ideas for books I would like to indie publish: from picture books to devotionals, from YA spec fiction to women's fiction.

This month I intend to make significant headway with my devotional on the Gospel of John and my YA spec fiction manuscripts, working on each 2-3 times per week.

Move It, Move It

I have been walking more with my hubby, but I want to add resistance training to my schedule.

I really do enjoy exercising once I get started, but it's the starting that I find a challenge.

Eat More Healthfully

I enjoy eating healthy foods. I simply have to keep more fruits and veggies in the house and look up new recipes so I don't fall into the same old-same old "rut" when it comes to meal planning.

Decluttering / Prepare for Our Move

Again, it's a matter of doing a little almost every day. By doing so, it will also make space for the home renos we want to do before putting the house on the market.

This month, we plan to hold a yard sale and get rid of several items. And those that don't sell will be carted off to a local thrift store.

Prepare for My Homegoing

For some of us, this may sound morbid, something we want to avoid. But considering all the email and social media accounts and all the recurring online subscriptions I have, it's important that I make sure those I leave behind have ready access.

Thankfully, the decluttering will address the issue of my "stuff."

***

These are only five of the things I want to begin again this season. In order to succeed, I must do more than add them to my daily To-Do list. I must break them down into small, achievable tasks and keep moving forward.

And when I fail to achieve all I want to?

I must, once again, depend on God's daily mercies and begin yet again.

I'd love to know what you're beginning or beginning again this month. Feel free to leave a comment below or email me at stephbethnickel@gmail.com

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in 2026. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

Writing Stories, Living Life, Writing Blogs by Sandra Rafuse

 

Photo by Sandra Rafuse

September's Prompt

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

It is a wonderful promise of God that each day is a new beginning to experience his faithfulness. As autumn activities start afresh in churches and schools, September can be a time to reflect on how the previous months have gone and to set new intentions for the months ahead. How has your writing life progressed thus far in 2025? Are you encouraged to move ahead?


The first week of September is over. Our church will be wrapping up its summer season at the park in one more week. Then the water will be shut off to all the park facilities (the water in the pool will be just drained enough so the water is below the intake lines; the rest is left over in the winter months), and our church services will be held back at the town hall for the rest of the fall and winter months up to the May long weekend in 2026.

The new school term began two weeks ago for the teachers and one week ago for the students. My husband, Bob, and I, have been taking care of the flowers in the flower containers in the schoolyard since the end of July and we will continue to do so as long as the weather stays warm. Then the outside water tap will be shut off and our deadheading and watering of the flowers will end. And the crab apple tree, which was planted in the school yard several years ago in memory of a former student of ours, remains bent over with hundreds of now overripe crab apples that will drop to the ground when they are ready.

Writing Stories

I'm remembering writing one of my final English exams, sitting at a desk in the high school gym one June many years ago. English was one of my favourite subjects and I was good at it. I recall that I was answering a question that required me to write a short story and I was trying to make it humorous. I figured I was being successful because I was starting to get the giggles as I wrote. I thought to myself, "Oh, this is going to be so good!" Soon my shoulders were starting to shake and I had to cover my mouth with one of my hands to stifle the sounds of laughter that were building up inside of me. Of course I was attracting some attention from the other students around me and soon one of the supervising teachers came over to see what was up. He was my Social Studies teacher. He looked over my writing; then he indicated, with a finger to his lips, that I had better be quiet as I wrote. I got a good mark on that final exam and I believe it was because of that humorous, fun-to-write story.

Making up and completing writing assignments in classes usually came easily to me. In high school or at university, they weren't a problem. In fact, the only problem I had with them was forever procrastinating over the assignments before getting them started. And then, when the pressure was on, I wrote down some of the best writing I'd ever done!

Living Life

When I finished university and received my Bachelor of Education degree, I immediately entered the world of teaching. Writing, either for pleasure, or to try to make a living at, or for any other reason, never had a place in my mind. The skills I had developed and used faded out of my life. I was busy, busy, busy; living my life doing so many other things. But all the things that unfolded before me, all the people who entered my life and stayed and all those who entered my life and left, were important. I didn't write but I remembered and all those memories are my stories now.

How has my writing progressed in 2025?

When I joined Inscribe Writers Online I was excited to have the opportunity to write for the first time in many years. I wanted to try this. I needed to do this. And I feel the writing has gone well My first blog was published in March and I have been able to meet my deadlines every month since then. There were a few times when I looked at the month's prompt and I wondered what on earth was I ever going to write about that? But I knew I could ask God for help and he would give me the ideas I needed. The thoughts would come into my mind and get me started and I was mostly able to carry on from there to get the blog written. Admittedly, much rewriting, and changing of words and sentences, and endless editing went on the whole time. Not to mention looking up the grammar rules I used to know and even checking out spelling rules that were once easy to remember. And last, but certainly not least, the comments were so helpful and encouraging to me. I enjoy reading the comments for all the bloggers. The sharing of them is just wonderful.

Am I encouraged to move ahead?

I am. I have started to make a list of topics that I would like to write about in the near future. It's a short list but I expect it will grow longer. And the other day, three titles came to my mind so I started a new list for them. They are book titles. Children's book titles perhaps. I'm not sure yet. I know I want to work on my daily writing. I had planned to try recording the 3-4 sentences daily that were suggested by Steph Beth Nickel but I haven't been able to make that happen. However, I refuse to be discouraged. I have no doubt in my mind that as soon as I buy the fountain pen in the picture at the top of Steph's blog the creative juices will start to flow and I will quickly jump from the amateur writer that I am to a slightly more professional one.

Sandra Rafuse lives in the small town of Rockglen, SK with her husband Bob, a Gordon Setter named Sadie, an elderly and much loved cat named Kitty, and a Peregrine falcon named Peet. She is a retired teacher and an amateur writer and is enjoying having the opportunity to share what God has been teaching her through her life experiences.

" This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him" 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)

 

My Writing Life Looks a Lot Like My Lawn by Bob Jones

The other day, I came inside with dirt on my hands and grass seed stuck to my shoes after one more attempt to fix the dead spots in our lawn before winter.

Jocelyn and I had been away most of the summer, and when we returned, our yard told the story of our absence: a patchwork of healthy green mixed with deathly grey. And of course, my perfection seeking eyes went straight to the grey.

On the bright side, the lawn is weed-free—thanks to the lawn company I hired. But the grass itself? Not so lucky. Earlier in the season, I’d patched and seeded with new growth, but weeks of drought while we were gone undid all that progress.

Jocelyn insists it doesn’t look as bad as I think. Maybe she’s right. But when I see the grey patches, all I can think about is fixing them.

The Secret

So, one more time, I dig, remove some old earth, spread fresh topsoil, scatter seed, sprinkle fertilizer, cover it gently with more topsoil, water, pray, and water again. The secret to new grass isn’t complicated: keep the soil moist.

And somewhere between watering the ground and brushing the dirt from my hands, it hit me: my writing life in 2025 looks a lot like my lawn.

There are spots of vibrant growth—moments I’m proud of. And there are patches that look deathly and barren. And just like grass needs water, my writing needs reading.

A Watered Soul

Reading other writers waters my soul. I soak up your subjects, your styles, and your sticky phrases.

· Brenda, your phrase about memoir writing as "a lifetime in a timeline" gave me writers envy.

· Susan, your poetic confession, "I am being reduced" carried surprising strength in its surrender.

· Sharon, your description of a favourite author’s ability to "wake up my gray cells." made me grin.

Encouraged

The prompt asked whether I feel encouraged to keep writing. Without a doubt. I'll keep working on my lawn and my writing because I want to be proud of what is produced.

And I reflect on God’s promise in the prompt:

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions

never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

—Lamentations 3:22-23

God loves us—even when we’re our own worst critics. Maybe the best gift we can give ourselves is a little compassion. Compassion is like morning dew: quiet, renewing, faithful.

A daily grace that waters a writer's soul.

 

Bob and Jocelyn are both REVs and write at www.REVwords.com about hope and lately about the people they encountered in Ukraine.