Goals Within My Soul by Alan Anderson

 

Writing Prompt

When I think of setting goals, whether long-term or short-term, I clothe them in a blanket of hope. As I pondered the prompt for this month, it moved me deep inside. I cannot fully explain why, but perhaps my response here will give at least some idea of what is going on inside my soul.

My Inner Landscape

A personal goal for this writer is to nurture my inner landscape to concentrate on peace, hope, beauty, and whatever things are lovely. This might sound lofty, but please allow me to explain in the rest of this post.

One of my favourite writers, the late John O’Donohue said,

“When we awaken to the call of beauty, we become aware of new ways of being in the world. We were created to be creators. At its deepest heart, creativity is meant to serve and evoke beauty. When this desire and capacity come alive, new wells spring up in parched ground; difficulty becomes invitation and rather than striving against the grain of our nature, we fall into rhythm with its deepest urgency and passion. The time is now ripe for beauty to surprise and liberate us…” ¹

I appreciate John O’Donohue’s statement, so included it as part of one of my goals. I pray, dear readers, you will accept my reasoning for highlighting O’Donohue’s words.

I am disheartened at the direction our culture in the West has taken. Especially in the last ten years or so, there has been such a division among people. For instance, people have invented the term “hate speech” to use when they disagree with each other. I just don’t understand such flawed reasoning. People act “offended” if something opposes their sensitive feelings. Lord have mercy on us.

Beauty, loveliness, and peace appear overshadowed by misguided views on life. A society where everyone does that which is right in their own eyes curtails even hope.

I pray to God I will no longer follow the foolishness of the world, but in my small way, will be an agent for change. May groups like InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship allow beauty to surprise and liberate us, to the glory of God.

With the previous statements in mind, I come to another goal of like mind.

Social Media

I plan to reduce my involvement with so-called “social” media platforms. To me, scrolling on Facebook and the like has no value or edification. I can stay in contact with people I care about through email, or even better, personal contact. I hope that I can stay in contact, for instance, with InScribe members through email. I don’t know of InScribe members close to where I live, but perhaps in time more will be up and coming.

My Website and Substack

For the sake and purpose of much of my writing, I will develop more of a presence on my website and Substack. Lord willing, Substack will remain useful to serious writers.

Self-advocacy

Self-advocate for myself regarding chronic health conditions I now live with. I need to maintain good health to move my writing forward. A reason for this self-advocacy is that I conclude through experience not everything health professionals tell me is helpful.

Grandparent grief

I also intend to devote more of my writing projects to being a voice for grandparent grief. For instance, I hope to publish my book, Forgotten Voices: Poetic Utterances of Grandparent Grief and Hope, in 2027.

A Need for personal interaction

A goal for the year 2027 is to make regular connections with InScribe writers and other writers locally. I will also ask my local church community if anyone would like to be part of a church-based writing group.

Orthodox Christian Church

Write an essay on the conversion of my wife and I to the Orthodox Christian Church and post it on Substack. After forty years as Baptists, being embraced by the Orthodox Church has come with no regrets. The depth of this ancient Church is a balm to our souls, and we rejoice now even more in the faithfulness and grace of God. Glory to God in all things!

InScribe

I thank God for being part of InScribe for the past eleven years. I look forward to continuing with you all as we write and offer ministry to each other and our readers.



Citations
¹O’Donohue, John (Beauty: The Invisible Embrace, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 2004), 7.

 

In Deroche, a small farming village area of British Columbia, Alan shares his home with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. Alan and Terry are grandparents of six grandchildren plus five grandbabies in heaven. Alan enjoys walking on the dike near his home, with trees all around and where he finds inspiration to write. In summer, however, he loves to hide in the shade from the warm summer sun. Alan is more of a friend of fall. He has occasionally written articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan’s website and blog are https://scarredjoy.ca. He also writes on Substack.

The Beauty of Human Touch in my Writing Voice by Alan Anderson

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,

whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is

commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything

worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8

The Beauty of Interactions

The prompt for this month asks, “What does creating beauty mean to you and your writing?” The posts throughout this month are examples of beauty in themselves. So much so it would be wonderful to include them in a book on writing as beauty. For now, however, I humbly offer my contribution to our InScribe blog.

While reading through Beauty: The Invisible Embrace, and loving the entire book, the following words from page 12 struck me:

"When we hear the word ‘Beauty’, we inevitably think that beauty belongs in a special elite realm where only the extraordinary dwells. Yet without realizing it, each day each one of us is visited by beauty. When you actually listen to people, it is surprising how often beauty is mentioned. A world without beauty would be unbearable. Indeed the subtle touches of beauty are what enable most people to survive."

I entitled this blog post, “The Beauty of Human Touch in my Writing Voice,” because the beauty of interactions with people fuels most of what I write. These interactions have filled my life with whatever is lovely, significant memories, experiences, kindness, love, and wisdom.

Interactions with people over decades have also given me the opportunity to help mature what John O’Donohue would call my inner landscape. One’s inner landscape is how our outer and inner worlds intertwine.

For anyone interested, here is a link to a discussion of an interviewer talking with John O’Donohue on the inner landscape. https://onbeing.org/programs/john-odonohue-the-inner-landscape-of-beauty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com

A Continued Development of My Writing Voice

Perhaps it is because I am older now, but I see a need within me to opt for a quieter and slower-paced life. The landscape of the world around me is too noisy, rushed, and busy. I need to clear my inner landscape of events in the world that distract the birth of my words.

I work hard at developing my writer’s voice. In December 2025, I wrote a brief message to honour people in my life who influenced and shaped me as a man and a writer. They are those who were and are instrumental in the development of my inner landscape, how I interact with life, etc. Please allow me to share this with you.

They were family members, friends, and acquaintances. The world shone brighter and did not seem so cold because of their presence. They gave me treasured companionship and comfort. Holding grudges was a weakness they did not share. They mentored me and taught me what matters in life; they taught me of beauty.

When we were together, I could feel their warmth and loving presence. They taught me the preciousness of the moment. Memories of these dear ones are why there are often tears in my words as I nurture my inner landscape.

I can no longer feel their touch or embrace them, but I can live for them. Oh, how I would love to have one more of their hugs. I cherish unique hand-holding memories with these dear ones; time will not erase. These loved ones still matter. They let me know how special human touch is. I will honour and cherish them for the rest of my life. The world will know of their love in the way I live, love, and write.

The beauty of human touch, whether physical or emotional, continues to allow my writer’s voice to flourish. There will come a time when my writing ends. Until then, I will endeavour to write words that hopefully offer a sense of beauty, a beauty where people will know they are not alone.

Dear readers and writers, allow your inner landscape to birth words of beauty, offering to the world whatsoever is lovely.

 

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 has occasionally written articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan’s website and blog are https://scarredjoy.ca. He also writes on Substack.

 

A Few of My Favourite Writers by Alan Anderson

 

“God gave me poetry to help me from losing my mind in the darkness.”

…Alan Anderson

Perhaps because I am growing older, I am particular in what I read. I keep current in what I read but hold on to favourite writers I have loved for years. If I were to write a post on my favourite writers, we would need to split it into at least two or three parts. In this post, however, I will highlight but a few.

Henri Nouwen (1932 to 1996)

The writings of Henri Nouwen continue to hold my hands and let me know I am not alone. His book, The Wounded Healer, has nurtured my heart since I engaged with it years ago. Throughout my studies at seminary, Nouwen often attracted my attention as I sharpened my people-helping skills.

Henri Nouwen’s words helped me free myself from the head knowledge of what I was required to read at seminary. The tone, the sensitivity, the honesty of Nouwen’s writing, are evidence he spent quality time with people and was aware of his own times of darkness. His awareness of himself as a wounded healer allowed him to come alongside other people in their brokenness. With this self-awareness, he brought hope.

The writing of Henri Nouwen helped me develop my personal tagline, “touched by grief, held by hope,” for much of my writing. If I cannot show I have walked alongside people in my writing, I have missed the mark.

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 to 1926)

A priest friend introduced me to Rilke’s work after my wife and I joined an Orthodox Christian church. I was hooked on Rilke’s poetry from then on.

Rilke’s stages of poetry paint a picture of one who is on a search in life. I appreciate his themes on existence, solitude, and the divine. A lesson to take from Rilke’s writing is to give deep thought to what one writes.

John O’Donohue (1956 to 2008)

If there was ever a poet of recent history I would have loved to chat with, Irish poet John O’Donohue would be the guy. I believe he and I would have been buddies. His book, Anam Cara, drew me in and established him as one of my favourite writers.

Anam cara is an ancient Celtic term for soul friend. This is such a beautiful thought to hold to your chest, dear reader. Here are a few lines from John O’Donohue to ponder,

“In everyone’s life, there is a great need for an anam cara, a soul friend. In this love, you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. The superficial and functional lies and half-truths of social acquaintance fall away, you can be as you really are. Love allows understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood, you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person’s soul.” Anam Cara, John O’Donohue, 1997, p. 14

Scott Cairns (1954 to present)

I first heard of Scott Cairns after listening to podcasts of poet Angela Doll Carlson. Both are Orthodox Christian poets I resonate with and love their way with words. Scott Cairns is a multi-published poet, memoirist, professor, workshop and retreat presenter.

These days I am reading his book, The End of Suffering, for the second time. He offers an even-tempered, not carried away by emotions, perspective on how one may find purpose in suffering and pain.

The writers I mention all stir my soul. There are those who make my soul weep. After reading their words, I often sit and ponder. I mull over what they teach me. There are times their words cause me to invite quietness and solitude to cloak me in silence.

I write best in quiet settings to calm my soul and help focus on how to present hope to those who honour me by reading my words. What about you, dear reader?

 

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.

Falling into Autumn/Out of the Express Line ... by Jocelyn Faire

Ruthlessly Eliminate Hurry John Piper

“Sometimes these are the slowest lines,” the white haired customer ahead of me lamented. I agreed adding that this was my second slow express line of the day; I'd been at Walmart that morning and was certain the lady ahead of me could not count, clearly she was over the limit. “If this is your second express line today, you might be a slow learner. But,” he paused, “I'm guessing we both have enough time that we shouldn't be hurried.” My response included a chuckle, “Well, looking at the others in this line, I'm guessing that overall you and I have less time left in our lives, and I don't want to be wasting it in a slow line at Safeway.” With a twinkle in my eye I added, “I also don't buy green bananas anymore.”

     When observing others, I think of aging as the autumn season of life, a kind of unhurried time. There are parts of this I love ... the slow down after a busy summer, the cooler weather, the invite to sit by a fire, the harvest time of apples, and the way autumn carries itself with an elegant mature beauty. While I want this season to feel unrushed and want ample time to be still and know that I am God, the harsh reality is that life continues in busy format, unless I do something about it. While in her early nineties my mother expressed that time still passed too quickly for her, even though she spent much of the day in her chair with few tasks on her to-do list. She spent her time remembering. 

     One of my favourite theologian poets John O Donohue said “In the autumn of your life, your experience is harvested ... Aging invites you to become aware of the sacred circle that shelters your life ... In fact if you come to see aging not as the demise of your body but as the harvest of your soul, you will learn that aging can be a time of great strength, poise and confidence." My sister-in-law believes people's character distills over time, both the best or worst have potential to grow stronger.

     I've come through quite a long season of transition ... Feb 2020 will mark the fifteenth year that two of my children went to Heaven ... to say it has been a journey would be the biggest understatement of my life. In the last decade, I have lived on two different continents in five different places, undergone divorce, ended my nursing career, began writing, met many, good-byed many, remarried, blended two families. The highway of transition has been a rich, difficult and beautiful journey with much time spent both in the desert and by the nourishing river waters. Change is constant, but self-initiated change is always more welcome than change thrust upon us. And now I find myself in a new season ... and it takes adjustment as well ... you see we never arrive at a place without some baggage from the previous season. As obvious as it is, our today, is not exactly a brand new slate. We may enter the autumn phase having undergone a wet spring, a dry summer, a late frost, a freak hail storm. And seasons do not end precisely on their designated equinox days ... chinooks do happen.

     When I ponder the question Jesus asked Bartimaeus: What do you want me to do for you (now)? I wonder what do I want? Reversal of time does not happen. Through the grief journey, I feel as though I “lost” some of my productive years ... and yet, while on the healing road, there was/is no point in hurrying. I knew I did not need to explain to God my hours spent in reflection and contemplation. While I lived my life solo, I had no one's task oriented life to measure mine against. Now that I have remarried, with a husband who works half time, I feel as if my productivity is once again measured by tasks done. This is more my perception than his. In her book Jesus Calling, Sarah Young tells us that spending time with God can be a difficult discipline because it goes against the activity addiction of this age. You may appear to be doing nothing, but actually you are participating in battles going on within spiritual realms. Last Sunday morning I passed a little girl on training wheels calling out ... Help Mommy, I'm stuck and can't move. At times I feel like I'm still spinning my training wheels, not going anywhere. It's not God's measurement I'm up against, it's my own, as perceived by others. Perhaps the man at Safeway was right, perhaps I am a slow learner.

     With God's help, I want this to be a slow down time to take in the elegant beauty of fall and share from my harvest those who need its gleanings. This week my new granddaughter and I were picking leaves in awe of the rich reds. To take a line from a gardening show ... I've matured into foliage. And isn't that a beautiful thing!

The Sense of Urgency by Jocelyn Faire

“Once the soul awakens ... you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillment. The eternal makes you urgent.” ~ John O’Donohue, Anam Cara

Motivational forces in life can come as positive or negative. Too often guilt is used, like the sharp and annoying spur designed for horses, in an attempt to move us towards doing the right thing. We can guilt people into behaviour modification, but it does not change us at the heart level, which is where the most effective spurring happens. Spending time in God’s word and in the beauty of nature inspire my appreciation of his goodness and motivate me to share this hope with those in need of some.

Take time to delve into the riches of My residing Presence. I want you to live increasingly from your real Center, where My Love has an eternal grip on you. From Jesus Calling, Sarah Young. (Feb 20th)

How do I spur people on? By conversation and prayer. And I wish I could say I was more consistent. Often when I am in discussion with someone on an urgent matter, I suggest we pray about it. The spirit nudges me and brings to mind people to pray for: those with grief, with cancer, with marriage issues, with difficult children, those in my daughter’s Muslim neighborhood. There is a sense of critical urgency in most of the requests. It is all too easy to get busy with life activities and decrease time spent in prayer. And then I feel guilty, but what I love about God is his open invitation to spend time with him, as a friend. He invites.

What do I want to spur people on to? My husband and I just returned from a medical mission project in Guatemala. He worked on the surgical team, I helped in the hearing clinic. One young man in his late twenties had wanted to come for years, but was always working at the time. This year, he managed to get the time off to come. We tested his hearing level to discover that he had a severe hearing loss. After further testing and fittings, the audiologist provided a special higher end hearing aid for him with just a tiny wire going into his ear. (See if you can spot the wire) When the world of clear sound came to him, his grin reached from ear to hearing aid ear. I felt privileged to help give the gift of hearing to him and many others. These aids-many of them refurbished from Canada-were given at no cost to people who could not afford them. We also provided a year’s supply of batteries. My desire is to help people hear the word of God and experience the hope that God offers free of charge in their lives.

Who spurs me on? I have a dear sister and a sister friend. Twice a year we have our own mini-retreats, where we discuss needs, concerns and pray over what God is doing in our lives. These times of rich deep fellowship, spur me on to live my life in a better more loving and surrendering way. Sometimes the spur is a little sharp, and the nudging does not feel pleasant.

I have also learned much from my daughter in ministry. Many women come to her home to pour their hearts out to her because she provides a safe place to do that. Her kindness and compassion move me to imitate her selflessness. She also sends many urgent prayer requests my way.

The sense of urgency comes because it feels as though time is speeding up. Does anyone else feel this way? When my mother was in her late eighties, I asked her if she felt that time was passing more quickly and she answered yes. This surprised me because in my view she had little to occupy her time. I think she was already focused on things unseen. Yesterday marked her one-year passing. I miss her amazing positivity. She has spurred an optimistic streak in my life.

And then the rubber hits the road:) I’d done some work on this post before we left for Guatemala, knowing we returned at midnight the day before my post was due. I thought perhaps there would be some time for writing while away-who was I fooling? Mainly myself. What I hadn’t counted on was a four-hour delay in our return. It’s cold and snowy on our drive home and all the lofty spiritual thoughts that had swirled in my head under the palm trees seemed to have lost their lift. The sense of urgency takes on a more basic meaning :) And a remembered line drifts through my brain: Never doubt in the dark what God has revealed in the day.

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 The Message

The Summertime Blues

We unlearn desire. Quietly, over time, we succumb to the dependable script of the expected life and become masters of the middle way ... after a while we no longer even notice the pathways off to the side ... John O'Donohue (Beauty)

“The summer is almost over,” my 91 year old mother declares with an all-knowing on our weekly Sunday phone call. I already know her next line: “Before you know it, it's going to snow. It will be Christmas.”

A writing course occupied my spring and when I hit Submit for my final paper on June 30, I also hit Break Free for the summer, and I wondered if I would ever write anything again. And here my mother reminds me of the truth: Summer is Short.

Canadians know its brevity. The memory of last September's early Alberta snow verified my mother's words. I want to minimize my computer indoor time, this is the season I like to travel some of the pathways off to the side.

For the sake of the course, I had put off my summer and now it felt as though my days were numbered.

Oh the summertime blues, the writing blues, the life time blues ... What is the cure? The song of my day suggests “there ain't no cure for the summertime blues.” Like life, it comes it goes ... beauty, flowers, illness and departure. It feels like the river's current, as it moves quickly towards a final destiny.

My overseas grandchildren are visiting. I have been anticipating this precious time, for months, and yet today, my blog post date, that moment-in-the-sun will have passed, I take them to the airport.

The elusive speedy nature of each season, has me either lamenting or rejoicing.

So what will I do now that the summer is almost over? I plan to enjoy every remaining moment as much as I can. It began with cleaning off my patio July 1, setting up the deck water fountain, planting the flowers I got on the end of the season sale. I want to enjoy the richness of the season with those that cross my path. I want to smell the flowers, I want to ride my bicycle. I want to show my grandchildren the pathways in the woods. Above all else, I want to practice gratitude and make the most of each day.

I put most of my writing books away.

I want to build good memories that will warm those cold winter days. I will jot down notes in my ideas notebook, and I hope to write a poem with my granddaughter.

Isn't it wonderful that each of us has our own write response to the brevity of summer.

There is only one summer of 2015,

Below a black squirrel hops across the traffic filled street, only mindful that he needs to live in this summer moment, oblivious to the cars that will soon sweep his path ... he pauses in the middle of the street, looks up, I think he winks at me and scurries to his destination.

My huge pot of recently planted petunias smile at me in shades of lavender.

Life like summer is brief, there are no guarantees.

Gratitude precedes the joy ... The thunder heads will roll in, we had a thunderstorm on Thursday, but for this moment, this brief spell, I want to Be in The Beauty, the beauty of a summer morning ripe with anticipation, with grandchildren waiting for an adventure with grandma, and “Cachinos” (cappuccinos) on the deck.

Jocelyn is the author of Who is Talking out of My Head. 

She also blogs at:  http://whoistalking.wordpress.com

 

Guilty Pleasures ... by Jocelyn Faire

Pleasure was to be viewed with suspicion in the hard-working, religious community of

 
my childhood. It was not high on the to do list. Although my family did not fit into the church community, when I became a Christian, it came with a list of Thou Shalt Nots. Thou shalt not have pleasure, well not too much. But one could find guilt-free pleasure in hard work and church activity.

Pleasure as noted in my online dictionary is defined as: enjoyment and entertainment, contrasted with things done out of necessity. Most of daily life is done out of necessity.

Pleasure –A more recently acquired taste.

I have two women I connect with on a deep spiritual level, and for the past four years we have begun the tradition of The Pink Mountain Retreat, to enjoy life, to encourage each other, and to drink in God's beauty. In one of the earlier times as we were eating and laughing, Rita said, she envisioned God smiling down on us, taking pleasure in the three of us enjoying our time. I must admit, my mind questioned her idea. Would God really take pleasure in us having a good/rich time?

I am beginning to believe so. John Eldredge in his book, Beautiful Outlaw, retells the story of Jesus' meeting the disciples on the beach after he has risen. It is Jesus' familiarity with his friends, the way he casually approaches them, and then asks about the fishing (again) and suggests as he had once before – Why not try the other side? – implying an insider joke. As if he delighted in their company.

When do I feel God's delight? In good company, where the spirit connects.

And in the presence of Beauty.

I have listed myself as a seeker of beauty. When I am in the presence of beauty, I feel the Father's pleasure. The skies, the oceans, the flowers, the mountains speak comfort and caring into my soul. Beauty is God's universal gift to us, it is found everywhere.

John O'Donohue in his book Beauty, The Invisible Embrace has said that: “Beauty touches and renews our hope when it takes us out of the grid of ordinary time and brings us to another place, a place where history ceases and the weight of memory relents, a place ever ancient and ever new ... No one is ever immune to beauty. Regardless of background, burdens or limitations, when we find ourselves in a place of great beauty, clarity, recognition and excitement awaken in us. ... there is an eternal beckoning of the heart that touches what is still innocent in us.”

God is at the heart of the Big Picture Beauty.

The soul needs beauty as much as it needs love.

What advice would I give to someone who is discouraged and needs to feel God’s pleasure?

To seek out beauty.

Ruthlessly eliminate hurry.

Take the time to waste time in the presence of beauty. (Guilt free!)

In thinking about the Father's Day, and beauty this song springs to mind:

This is my Father's world,

 and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me ringsthe music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

Jocelyn is author of the book Who is Talking out of My Head?  

She blogs about hope in the hard places at:  http://whoistalking.wordpress.com

 

Does Atticism mean from the Attic? ..... Jocelyn Faire

There is a time for every Writing activity under heaven.

A time to write and a time to refrain from writing,

A time to read and a time to close the book, 

to read the world at large,

A time to listen, and a time to Be still and know that I am God

A time to try harder and a time to cease striving

A time for antonyms and a time for synonyms

A time for atticism and a time for simplicity

A time for writers argot and a time for common lingo

A time for questions, and a time for answers

A time for conundrums, and a time for the ho-hums

A time for letters and a time for numbers

A time for wide awake and a time for slumbers

There is a time to hold, and a time to be held

And a time to behold our God.

At times the words come slowly, at times like a rush

In season and out of season we ponder, and

There is a time to write, to right the confusion of life's ups and downs.    

When I find the season dry or when I try too hard,  I need to spend a time on soul refreshment ... usually in the form of Beauty.

Much of the stress and emptiness that haunts us can be traced back to our lack of attention to beauty. Internally, the mind becomes coarse and dull if it remains unvisited by images and thoughts which hold the radiance of beauty.

(Beauty: The Invisible Embrace—John O'Donohue)

Think of creativity as a spark, it needs a large stockpile of experience to ignite. If you do not open yourself up to life, then your creativity will just be a flash, and never a real fire.* (unknown)

* from the book 1001 Ways to Creativity by Arcturus Publishing 2013 

Atticism

\AT-uh-siz-uhm\noun

1. concise and elegant expression, diction, or the like.

2. the style or idiom of Attic Greek occurring in another dialect or language.

argot

\AHR-goh, -guht\noun 1. the special vocabulary and idiom of a particular profession or social group: sociologists' argot. 2. a specialized idiomatic vocabulary peculiar to a particular class or group of people, especially that of an underworld group, devised for private communication and identification Jocelyn is the author of Who is Talking out of My Head? Grief as an out of Body Experience She blogs at:  http://whoistalking.wordpress.com