Pencil in His Hand: A Mother's Journal of Stories, Thoughts, and Poems.

  The Doily. Free Flash Fiction I selected the smallest crochet hook in my collection and observed it dubiously. It was as impossibly fine as the peacock blue crochet cotton in my hand. There was only one thing the cotton was good for: an old-fashioned doily. The kind that looks like a delicate and intricate spider's web. Impractical, yet fascinating.  I had a pattern. I had the right hook, and the right thread. But could I do it? My hands stiffened involuntarily at the thought of the cramping they would have to endure. All for a rather pointless item. Despite my doubts, I began. Somehow, several little rounds of chains and stitches formed between my fingers. The brilliant blue shone. My crochet hook flashed. I smiled. For the first time in days. And somehow, the delicate project became a symbol of fragile yet enduring hope. My faith and my joy seemed just as fragile as the thread between my fingers. Until I remembered how strong my hope really was: that no matter how dark thi...

  Millie's Project Fran sighed with contentment as she pulled another tray of golden brown, caramel scented cookies from the oven. This one was for Millie next door, who was down with a bad cold. Hopefully, she'd still be able to taste the delicious treat. Fran's home was as old fashioned as her name: the kitchen cabinets dated back to the 1980's, and mint and pink coloured appliances vied for attention amongst knick knacks and bright coloured tins. As for the rest of the house, Fran favoured anything Amish or country, with a little Victorian thrown in. However Harold and the boys might feel about her decorating tastes never entered Fran's mind. It made her happy, and as the old saying goes, 'ain't nobody happy unless Mama's happy.' Fran swished a hand knitted dishcloth over the counter before arranging some homemade treats on a rose festooned plate for Millie. There! That should cheer her neighbour up. *** She found Millie propped up in bed, a box o...

  Photo: A Mc Key Ready for the Rapture Five year old Mason yelled as he ran through the house: "Mom! Sophie! Britt! Jeremy! Logan! Chase! Lily! Where are you?" The little boy had woken up from his nap to find his whole family gone. Had that thing happened that his mom spoke about? Had Jesus fetched everyone but him? "Mom!" Mason pulled hard on the kitchen door and hurtled down the steps. He raced through the small orchard, then came to an abrupt stop. His mother and all of his siblings were gathered in front of the neighbour's fence, admiring a new puppy. "Oh!" Later, as Mason snuggled beneath his covers, he asked his mother the question that had been turning in his brain all afternoon. "Mommy, how can I ask Jesus to take me up in the clouds too?" ***   My Testimony *** Copyright: pencil in His Hand New gardening post

  The Sowin' Flash Fiction Tallula followed her grandmother's instructions faithfully. Her fingers trembled slightly as she dropped each bean seed in place. How terrible if she were to fail. Her fingers ignored her attempts to still them until she recalled her grandmother's gentle yet confident words. Tallula sprinkled some fine lettuce seeds into her palm before scattering them on the composted earth. Then, she breathed a prayer as the wise words settled within her heart:  "Just do the sowin', sweetheart. You just do the sowin'. It's the Lord Who does the growin'." *** My Testimony Copyright: pencil in His Hand New gardening post

  The Graphics Card Jason thought he may as well stick his neck out a bit further. He didn't have much to lose. Ryan, along with most of his fellow students already thought he was weird anyway. "It's like this," Jason smiled as he rummaged around in his backpack. Before long he held up the object he'd found. Ryan laughed. "A computer graphics card? You really are nuts." Unperturbed, Jason handed the graphics card to Ryan. "A mother board would have been better, but this will do. Tell me, Ryan, did the graphics card come about as the result of a random explosion in a lab, or did someone design it with great care?" Ryan huffed. "It was designed of course." "And so was the earth. It was no accident. Just look around." He gestured to the trees and gardens of the campus. "There's plenty of evidence for a designer. Not to mention, you yourself." Ryan was quiet for a moment as he studied the piece of hardware in his h...

  The Project: A Free Coffee Break Read Joe looked up from his weeding as the building supply truck rumbled to a stop alongside his neighbour's fence. Must be a big project. He smiled and continued with his work. A few minutes later, he  bagged up the weeds he'd pulled and turned to go inside for lunch. "Hi, Mac." He waved to his neighbour, who was directing the delivery men. "Making some improvements?" The portly man grinned. "Sure am. Going to be building a large shed. I'm running out of space to store my collections." Joe nodded and smiled politely. Everyone on the street knew about Mac's penchant for collecting. Anything from antique toys, to tools, to lawn mowers. He even had a stash of vintage signs which he  hoped would fetch a tidy sum one day.  Joe would have liked to buy and old mower to refurbish and use, but Mac was the sort who hoarded everything for a rainy day. As far as Joe knew, he'd never even held a garage sale. Joe t...

  A short story, plus more Field of Healing The grim memory resurfaced as Faye surveyed her back yard. Still photographs paraded through her mind: black and white, in keeping with the pathos of that day. In one, her mother was drawing up a plan of how she wanted things to be: perfect, neat, pristine, easily maintained. Boring. The next snap shot; an image of her mother directing her father. Her shrill voice accompanying the memory. "No, George, it must be chopped out. Otherwise it will just grow back again and make more work." And, "Yes, I want the grass gone too. I've called the garden services. It's going to cost more than I want to pay, but it will be worth it." The next scene brought the most pain. "But mommy, can't we keep it? Where will the butterflies and ladybirds live if you dig everything up?" Faye had hoped her mother would miss the wild patch of garden behind the shed. She'd always considered it to be hers: a little wonderland o...

  Inspirational flash Fiction The Clock: Flash Fiction Only one piece had made it back to his apartment after the big clean up. His grandfather had moved on to his heavenly home; to Jesus, the Lord he'd served for many years. Logan had been assigned to the task of sorting through the elderly man's possesions. That one piece, was a small, ornate clock, which now stood on his desk. Logan noted that it seemed to be keeping time well, and now and again, his ears would tune in to its soft ticking as he worked at his computer. Its ticking dimmed into the background as his work day progressed, and later, as he banged a couple of pots and chopped an onion. But the ticking of the clock faded completely as he sat back to enjoy some videos and play his favourite game. Logan forgot about the small addition to his  home as his day wound down. Finally, he climbed into bed, ready for a good sleep.  It was then that the clock made its prescence felt: tick, tock, tick, tock. Logan changed...

Free serialized story.  The Waiting Room. Episode Five: Katya and Jonah In a lull during the busy supper time rush, Tara opened the dishwasher. Her friend and fellow waitress, Katya, began loading it with glasses, and flatware. "Why not come with me tonight?" Tara asked brightly. "You've always been interested in the spiritual side of things." Tara knew it was highly unlikely that Katya would agree to go to the End-Time meetings, and would be very surprised if she said yes. She had in fact surprised herself by accepting her mother's invitation to the church meetings.  Katya closed the dishwasher door firmly. "No thank you. I'll go to just about anything except a Christian meeting. Narrow minded people are not my thing, and you know it. Why are you going, anyway? I thought you walked away from the church ages ago." Tara looked over at her customers before answering. They all seemed happy enough. "I guess I started thinking again. You know, ...

  Free serialized story The Waiting Room. Episode Four: Grayson "So, how are the two of you doing? Do you need anything?" Robin walked to the window over-looking the town house's small garden. A familiar feeling of sadness washed over her as she listened to her ex's voice. If only... "We're doing fine. And you?" "I'm good. How are Tara's studies coming along?" "You could ask her yourself." She said gently. "When last did the two of you have a father and daughter date?" "Since before we all got so busy." Grayson sounded contrite. "I'll phone her tonight." "She'll like that." Robin kept her voice light, but a big part of her wished that the two of them could go back in time, to when they'd been in love and dating. "Well, I'd best be off." Robin said as she gazed unseeingly at a vibrant hibiscus shrub. "I'm going to a Bible study.' Grayson was quiet fo...

  Free coffee break read The Waiting Room. Episode Two: Robin Robin heard Tara moving about upstairs, getting ready to go out. She sighed slightly as she boiled the kettle for her last cup of tea of the day. At twenty-one, Tara was old enough to make her own choices, but it was hard on a mother. Especially seeing that Tara was walking on a path far different from the one Robin had envisioned for her: the narrow path. The one she herself had been walking for over twenty years. And as she walked this path, Robin had faithfully prayed for Tara, that she would choose Jesus too. Robin poked at the teabag in her mug absentmindedly. It had been a long, hard road. She'd done everything she could to bring Tara up right, to provide for her. Now, she felt her faith falter. Had it all been for nothing? She prayed as she stood at the counter. Surely not. Adding to her sense of urgency were the dark times they lived in. The Rapture must surely be very close, given the news headlines, especially ...

  Free coffee break read. Welcome! Salvation Stories: Mattie Mattie's finger moved rythmically as she scrolled through her feed. It was her lunch break, so she didn't have much time. Despite her need to eat and rest, her slave driver of a phone glared insistantly at her: keep looking! Keep scrolling! Mattie caught a glimpse of a Christian post as she scrolled on: something about Jesus being the only way. Her mind fired up for a moment. Could the claim be true? Was Jesus the only way to Heaven? A little further on, she paused at a video: an advertisement for a well known Bible app. Mattie pushed her phone away and finished her lukewarm coffee. She allowed her mind free reign whilst she did so. Her phone showed she had ten minutes left. Mattie grabbed the device. Her thumbs moved with lightning speed: click, click, click. And then, Mattie tapped the download button next to the Bible app that Toby used. She opened it and read the verse of the day: John 14:6 ESV [6] Jesus said to h...

  Flash fiction One Problem too Many I pressed the laptop power button. Nothing. This can't be happening. I groaned. So many things have gone wrong already this week. The kitten looked at me quizically with his bright eyes. He was the only one paying attention. The children were oblivious: they were not the ones who had to replace broken items around the home. I slumped in my chair and mentally ticked off all of our recent problems: one: a flat tyre. Two: a broken pair of glasses. Three: a toaster that had given up the ghost. And now this. "What's wrong, Mom?" Cheryl had entered the room. "The laptop had better not be broken. I need it for school, and I want to play games." I sighed. "I'll try to turn it on again, but something's not right." Cheryl let out a groan, then went to tell the others. I poked the button. Hard. Nothing. Pushy jumped up onto my lap and I stroked him while he kneeded and purred. Oh, to be a cat, I thought. I stared a...

  The Searchers: Lia Lia was the last student to leave the yoga class. She rolled up her mat slowly as she looked around her. The yoga studio was part of the teacher's home. Narissa had created a calming, yet richly hued space for her students. Deep purples and blues provided a background for sparkles of orange and red in the form of candles, incense holders, and other ornaments. Lia knew that the ornaments were in fact deities of an Eastern religion.  At the front of the room, a shelf held a framed picture of a famous guru alongside a vase of flowers. "It's nice to see one of my students taking their time and not rushing off. Everyone is too busy these days." Narissa lowered her supple body onto the carpet. Lia nodded. Busyness was the bane of her own life. Hence, the yoga. She needed to slow down; to have enough headspace to just think. "May I ask you something, Narissa?" "Of course." Narissa smiled. "What is so special about the master? Why...

  The Searchers: Michael "Do you believe in God?" Robert asked the blunt question of Michael. The question seemed to settle beside them on the picturesque stone wall on which they were sitting. The hand built wall spoke eloquently of the age and history of the campus. Robert kicked his heels lightly against the stones as he enjoyed the pleasant lunch-time sun. He didn't enjoy Robert's awkward question, but he answered good-naturedly anyway. "Maybe, maybe not." "So, you're an agnostic." "I guess so." Michael agreed. "As for you, you're fully in the God camp. That much I know." He grinned. "But it suits you. You're a good guy, despite your quirks." Suddenly, Robert jumped off the wall, landing firmly on the  grass beside it. "Thanks." He grinned. "I am on God's side. But as for you, you're neither here or on the other side. You're just sitting in the middle: neither believing in God...