Thanks to God by Sharon Espeseth

You may recall that in June 2014 my husband and I downsized and sold our dream home. We continued to downsize while living in a rental place that didn't suit us. During that period, my husband had a mini stroke, and I had a bout of depression. This June we downsized further and moved into a half duplex that is peaceful and more suitable for us. During the actual move, Hank was hospitalized, but our kids moved us anyway. Hank came home to our new place that seemed calm in comparison to our previous manor.






Recently, Ruth Snyder, president and fellow InScriber, created a poster of a few verses from Psalm 107. This chapter begins with, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." The Psalmist admonishes those who have been redeemed by the Lord from the hand of the foe to tell their story.

For about the next 25 verses of this chapter, we read of people enduring tribulations, storms, and illness. We see the Lord come to their rescue and they are encouraged to give thanks. In verse 28, we read, ". . . They cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he brought them out of their distress."

Hank and I had called out to God, and we believe he delivered from a stressful situation. I had faith that we would find the right place. Our neighbours, rather new friends brought us a copy of an online ad for this duplex. Things started falling into place.

Further in Psalms 107, we read, "(God) had stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." For the present and near future, this home will be our "desired haven."

Our half duplex, only two-years old, is right for us. Our new home requires less work and upkeep. Hank and I feel more at home, and I am comfortable writing here. Not everything is in perfect order yet, but we are thankful to have landed well. As the Psalmist continues, "Let (us) give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for (us)."

A couple months back, InScribe bloggers were discussing a report on our summer writing. For accountability purposes, I can say I have done the following writerly activities--

1.  keeping up with my InScribe blog.

2.  trying 25-minute writing sessions with some success.

Writing for 25 minutes

3.  enjoying morning writing sessions with a writing friend at the lake

4.  daily Bible readings and devotions

5.  reading and commenting on InScribe Writers Online

6.  entering a few Word Challenges. (Thank you, Glynis Belec.)

7.  submitting to a few contests. Just when I thought I had lost my writing flow, I was awarded
     first in the InScribe Fall Contest in Creative Non-fiction. I am thankful for the great
     encouragement this award brought me after a dry spell.

8.  reading books that survived downsizing

9.  editing for a writing friend and a family member who is working on her master's degree

10.  attending InScribe Fall Conference


C. S. Lewis has said, "Faith is the art of holding onto things in spite of your changing mood and circumstances." With God's help and grace, I'm trying to relinquish control and trust God even in the tough times.

Saint Pius of Pietrelcina says, "You ought to ask our Lord for just one thing: to love him. All the rest should be thanksgiving."

The old Swedish hymn, "Tack, O Gud," has always been part of my life. Here is a YouTube English version of the song, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdkzqL4GV_goriginally written in Swedish by August Ludvig Storm in 1891. This man's expression of faith is still valid today.

Weaving a Tapestry of Darkness and Light by Sharon Espeseth

December for many of us can be a month of darkness as we work our way toward the Winter Solstice. In the physical realm, we won't see our part of the world lightening until early January. Oh, yes, on December 21, the day will inch toward a greater length, but for practical purposes we won't immediately notice that dawn comes much earlier for our morning walk.

In the spiritual and emotional realm, December can also be a dark month. Some of us have ghosts from past Christmases that weren't all that joyous; others succumb to Seasonal Adjusted Disorder (S.A.D.) or they are in the throws of mental or physical illness. Still others are grieving because of recent turmoil, losses in their lives, or change.

And if you, unlike me, don't fall into any of those categories, you may be overwhelmed with all that you expect yourself to do or buy before Christmas. During the pre-Christmas season, television and online ads tempt us to buy, buy, buy. Then the glossy magazines and cooking shows would have us believe our homes would not be fit for company at Christmas unless we met Martha Stewart's standards in decorating or Julia Child's in cooking. Maybe now is the time to shut off our TVs unless we are viewing a special Christmas program. We can try to reduce our exposure to eye candy by limiting our time in the mall.

Instead of dwelling on the "pre-Christmas season" and all that includes, let's switch our mental channels to the Advent Season and ramp up our excitement and enthusiasm about God's coming to earth as Emmanuel. Forgive me here, friends, if I get off in a musical tangent. We choir members from St. Anne's Catholic Church in Barrhead are again joining the Barrhead United Church Choir for the singing of a cantata.

Joint Choir 2012

For our third joint cantata, we'll be singing Tapestry of Light: A Celtic Christmas Cantata by Joseph M. Martin. As composer, Martin has combined familiar scriptures that tell or foretell the story of Christ's birth with traditional Celtic melodies like "Londonderry Air," "Scarborough Fair," and "Greensleeves." Loving music as I do, I tra-la-la these songs around the house or play the cantata on a CD to learn my part. Alto doesn't sound that great without the rest of the choir, but I can turn my music box up louder.

Not only the melody and harmony seep into my brain, but I get the words of the Promised One's first coming, of how he brings us peace and light, about the gift of Jesus, about the wondrous night that saw the light of grace. With words like Rejoice! and Glorias galore, how can I keep from singing and being joyous.

Read John 1: 1-18 and you will see the beautiful tapestry of God and Jesus existing from the beginning, and of how they wove light into darkness. In verse 4-5 we read: "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." That has to be a tremendous light in the world or in our hearts if the darkness cannot overcome it.

Jesus came into the world to bring light to those who walk it darkness. God sent his Son to earth to save us from our sins. This is the Good News we are called to live and share.

Christmas will come whether we are ready or not, so my suggestion to myself and anyone who is interested. Let's get our hearts ready during this Advent season. As for our homes, I think of the first verse of the old song, "People Look East."







1. People, look east. The time is near
of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able;
trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the guest is on the way.

Life and Legacy by Sharon E. Espeseth

To say God has been good to me seems an understatement, but let me try to count the ways. First I am thankful for the Christian heritage and upbringing I received from my parents, grandparents, and a host of aunts and uncles. I am thankful for my education and the opportunity to teach young children. I was blessed to find Hank or have him find me. I wanted a good man committed to his faith. Hank worshipped God in the Roman Catholic Church and I joined him there.

After a year and a half of marriage and no children, we applied to adopt a child. Six months later, we got notice of a baby boy awaiting us in Calgary. Can you imagine our joy! A young woman had carried a baby nine months and given him the gift of life, but she was young and felt she wasn't ready for parenting. What a gift our Michael was to us! Thirteen months later we were blessed with a baby girl, Christie. Fourteen months passed and we received another infant girl, Jenny . Three young women had each asked for a Catholic home for their children. We thank God for his goodness and for the teens who chose a life-giving solution to their situations.

I have written stories about my birth family, my extended family, and the family my husband and I raised together. I plan to write more stories about our backgrounds and our own family, which has now

Family Holiday in the Mountains

grown to include six grandchildren and two sons-in-law. Like other families, we've had our struggles, our mountain-top and valley experiences, but through it all we've grown in our faith and in our love for one another and of God.

In total, I've written about 150 stories, articles, poems, and blogs. Most of these writings would fit under categories of family, faith, and life in general. I lean strongly toward non-fiction and I try to tell "it" like it is. Honesty can include humour.

Like Jesus' disciples, I am aware of my ordinariness, my weaknesses, and my human foibles, but still God seems to use my writing to meet the needs of others. Often throughout my journey, I have taken over the steering wheel and driven myself through narrow passages and dark tunnels. Gradually I have learned that life goes better when I let the Lord do the driving. Sometimes that recognition comes only in hindsight.

If writing is a gift, I must use it. Although I've always struggled with finding time to write, I now ask God for help in this area of my life. If God has given me a talent for writing, if God gives me something to write about, then he will help me carve out time to write and he will help me with the details of publishing. Then, if God is working through my writing, he will grant that my words, like Samuel's, do not "fall to the ground." (I Samuel 3:19 NIV)

As for writing being a special calling, Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest says, "Our

Lord calls us to no special work--He calls us to Himself. 'Pray the Lord of the harvest,' and He will engineer your circumstances to send you out as His laborer."

Although I want to write and I intend to write, some days God may require me to work in another part of the vineyard. Jesus says, "Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. (John 13:16 NIV)

I pray for God's guidance in my writing, my time management, and my sphere of influence so that I may be where he wants me to be, doing what he wants me to do. This would be the legacy I would like to leave.