When you'd rather be back in the good ol days! - by Mary Folkerts

 

The first sign that you might be getting older is if you start reminiscing about the good ol days, when life seemed more straightforward and wholesome. It feels like it's one way we process today’s difficulties and mourn days we can never retrieve. The problem is that we stack today’s problems against a glorified view of the past. Somehow, our memory selector often forgets that “in the day” we struggled too, perhaps with different things, but still hard things.

Don’t get me wrong; I think there are many things society would do well to remember and incorporate back into life today.

I think it’s time to get back to the good ol days,
to stop running after the newest,
latest and strangest.

Let’s get back to family supper
around the table,
Sunday morning church
and bedtime prayers.

Not everything our parents taught us must be
deconstructed, dismantled, and rejected.
Let’s get back to family values.
Let’s teach our kids
that lying’s still wrong,
that absolutes exist,
winning is fun,
but sometimes you lose.

Let’s prepare our children that life is hard–
you must work for what you have.
Let’s not give them everything they want
so they can be grateful
for what they’ve got.

Let’s teach them that an
entitled attitude will
never be attractive
teach the fulfillment of hard work
and the pleasure of
a good book.

Help them see joy in
the smallest things,
to be where their feet are,
to not wish to be older.

Not everything of the past
is contemptible, outdated,
and useless.
Old fashions consistently cycle back;
maybe it’s time for values,
critical thinking, and
the wisdom of our
forefathers to be revisited.
To make it fashionable to be brave
to stand alone against the crowd
if need be.

We can do our part in encouraging our children, grandchildren and readers alike of the value of many things from the past, and still not be stuck in a morose attitude of all things current. Even the Bible has something to say about how we should view our present situation: “Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions” (Ecclesiastes 7:10 NIV).

What’s the point of living in the “glory days” of the past when every decade has its beauty and hardship? God has put us here in time and space to glorify him and be a light to this generation. We can pass down solid, foundational truths learned from those before us and still live fully and joyfully in the present.

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 Proverbs 31 ministries COMPEL Writers Training member 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/

BOOK DAY: Pond'rings, a writer's memoir by Marcia Lee Laycock

We are pleased to introduce (actually re-introduce) a monthly segment called BOOK DAY here on InScribe Writers Online.

It's where we highlight books that InScribe members have read and recommend—based on our blog themes of Faith and Writing. Which we hope will include some of the lovely books penned and published by our own InScribe members (you can view the titles on our website HERE).

Have you read any good books lately? Do you have any titles you'd like to recommend to our readers? You are welcome to submit a short review to Brenda Leyland to be included in our monthly roster.

Today we are pleased to highlight Marcia Laycock's newest book, Pond'rings, a writer's memoir.

_________________________________________

TITLE: Pond'rings, a writer's memoir

AUTHOR: Marcia Lee Laycock

PUBLISHER: Siretona Creative, 2024

WHERE TO PURCHASE:

Siretona Online Bookstore ($20.00 CAN)

Amazon ($20.00 Paperback + $9.99 Kindle)

In her latest book, Pond'rings, a writer's memoir, Marcia Laycock looks back on her writing career that has spanned three decades. She gives her readers a peek into the 'twists and turns, mileposts and detours' which include many lightbulb moments that have enlightened her path. Gathering her many memories from a life well experienced—from the time she wrote stories for her dolls to when she first felt the call to write for God's kingdom to the present day—Marcia delightfully engages readers as she shares about being a writer of faith.

It's good for us as writers to hear stories from other authors, especially those we know personally and rub shoulders with. To realize that we all face our own "Big Old Hairy Ogres" (as Marcia dubbed the grim negative voices that plagued her life). Sometimes the wisdom we glean from another's life experience turns out to be exactly what resonates for our own life. I've enjoyed sitting in Marcia's presence as I disappeared into her book. Where she courageously and candidly opens her heart and tells her tales of resilience, discipline, and sometimes-faltering but ever growing trust in a Father who loves her. And Who has faithfully led her from writing opportunity to writing opportunity to writing opportunity. His benevolent involvement is evident as she writes.

Marcia tells, from early on, how she'd often hear the voice of the Ogre mocking her with 'your words don't matter, no one will ever care about them, they're just going to fade away.' But when she began to hear another Voice, she came to realize her words were, rather, a legacy and a testimony to God's grace and mercy. She often mentions paying heed to the words of fellow writers who encouraged her and shares a few of these with us. For instance, Marcia was deeply touched by words heard in an interview done with Carrie Fountain, an American poet. The words are now starred and underlined in my copy of the book because they resonated with me. Simple steps. Beautiful instructions. 

"Just get started.

Each morning, make a little progress.

Send out a little prayer.

Take note of something.

Try to be facing in the direction of the surprise."

Carrie Fountain

If you need encouragement in your own writing journey or maybe a few anecdotes to brighten your path, or you just want to rejoice in the grace of God in Marcia's life, this book is well worth your time. I agree with Canadian author Phil Callaway when he said, 'What my friend Marcia writes, I read'. Over the years I have come to appreciate Marcia's work as a writer, knowing that what she shares has been skillfully, prayerfully, and creatively crafted to touch hearts for the Kingdom.

Review by Brenda Leyland

Marcia is an award-winning author of fiction, devotionals, children's stories and fantasies, and more. Her writing and speaking journey continues. You can find her online at:

Website: www.marcialeelaycock.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marcialeelaycock
Substack: https://marcialeelaycock.substack.com

Don't Give Up — Your Writing Has A Place by Sally Meadows

If you're a writer or an aspiring writer, never, ever give up. You have an important story to tell, maybe many. It may take months or years for your writing to find its place, but I want to encourage you to keep on keeping on. 

With my husband cheering me on, I left the workforce in January 2013 to pursue being a writer and musician full time. Over the past dozen years, I have had a number of successes, but there have also been many personal, relational, and financial challenges that have negatively impacted my writing journey. There have been times when life circumstances stole my desire and ability to write. There were times when I experienced rejection. There were times when life circumstances dictated other priorities. But I kept on keeping on.

I was thrilled early on in my journey to have my story “Love, Shania and the Whispered Wish” published by Chicken Soup for the Soul (CSS) in its Canadian bestselling version Christmas in Canada. That was in 2014.

In those first few years, two more of my pieces were shortlisted but didn’t get into the final publications. Since then, it became a personal writing goal to replicate my feat of getting published in CSS. Over this past decade, I have continued to occasionally submit stories to CSS, but to no avail. It felt like I would never be published in CSS again.

For over a year after the death of my husband, I had no desire to write. But in 2024, I found a way to segue back into the writing world. I made writing a priority and soon the writing started to flow. As difficult as it was to see my career fall by the wayside for the prior six years, it has been the source of many compelling stories.

One of those stories, called “Single Dog-Parenting,” caught the eye of CSS. I am thrilled to announce that my story has been included in the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul publication What I Learned from My Dog, releasing in stores April 1, 2025.

I recently read that CSS receives 4000-5000 submissions for each of its titles. It is a real honour that out of those many aspiring and experienced authors, my story was hand-selected as part of this 101-story anthology.

It’s sad it took such a devastating time in my life to come up with a story that resonated with the editors, but I am thrilled to have finally reached my goal of getting published in CSS one more time, almost 11 years later. I find joy and hope in that accomplishment. And I hope and pray the same for those of you who have been through your own valley experiences.

Remember, never give up. Your stories are important.

Sally Meadows is an award-winning author of children’s books and short fictional stories; a four-time national award nominated singer/songwriter; and a non-fiction contributor to writing magazines and anthologies such as Freelance, FellowScript, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and the Hot Apple Cider series. She delights in sharing her work at author readings for kids and adults, as well as speaking at writing workshops and conferences. Sally was the recipient of InScribe’s Barnabas Award in 2019 and the Janette Oke Award in 2020. She is also a Certified Colour Consultant helping women find their best colours to look, feel, and be the best version of themselves as Ambassadors of Christ. Connect with Sally at https://sallymeadows.com, https://instagram.com/sallymeadowsstudios, and https://facebook.com/SallyMeadowsMusic.

The Adventure of Living in Two Settings at Once by Michelle Strutzenberger

If setting is where a story unfolds, then we as Christians have an awesome advantage. We get to exist in two settings at once. Even while we walk, wander, wash and whistle on this physical earth, we simultaneously live and move in another setting – the Kingdom of Christ.

It can be rather fun to think of our lives in this way.

As we meander down the slushy street on a grey afternoon, the stranger walking towards us could likely never guess we are also, in that moment, travelling through another world.

When we rub the sleep from our eyes in the morning, no matter what the hours ahead hold, we can anticipate adventure because of this simple fact – we straddle two realities.

Perhaps the most wonderful, life-giving, heart-filling part of it all is this: That while our time in the one setting will one day stop, it won’t in the other. Our existence in the Kingdom of Christ goes on forever.

As writers of faith, we can see ourselves as brokers between the two realms. We bring back stories, lyrics, poems, and lessons infused with Kingdom of Christ air to share in the stale, dead fog of a society that believes one sad setting is all they’ve got and all they’ll ever get.

It’s really quite exciting, this opportunity we have. May we continue to be energized and active in making the most of it, until our two-setting existence is up, and we continue our adventure with Christ throughout eternity.

Michelle and her family enjoy hiking mountains and trails together. She is currently writing a series called, What Growing Up in a Mennonite Family of 10 Taught Me About Survival. To receive the bi-weekly tips, visit this link and subscribe.

Image by 👀 Mabel Amber, who will one day from Pixabay