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

  Salvation  Stories: Gina Gina hummed a chorus from church as she gathered all the needed supplies together: a deep baking pan, flour, sugar, cocoa, oil, and eggs, along with the other sundries she needed to make a sumptuous celebration cake.  Great ! She had everything on hand. She decided to top the cake off with a creamy butter icing and some bright red cherries once it had cooled. As she worked, she sang every worship song she knew, and even did a couple of twirls. It was a good, good day. A great day. And the cake was just right. When they were all gathered around the table later, Gina planned to tell them why they were eating cake in the middle of the week. It wasn't anyone's birthday after all. No, wait! She laughed out loud. She was celebrating her spiritual birthday. After many years of thinking that being good, going to church now and again, and volunteering at the soup kitchen could get her into heaven, she was free! Born again, and made new. Yes, she still p...

  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...

  Un-Distracted Talulla gathered her supplies and allowed a wave of hopeful excitement to wash through her. "Lord, please help me. Please give me the words..." God had laid it on her heart to write this story. A story that could help someone. Now all she needed was time and space. She grinned as she tossed a cupboard key towards her room-mate, Prisca. Her nearly new smart phone was safely locked away inside it. "Remember, only give it to me when I've finished my first chapter." Talulla patted the dumb phone in her pocket. "You can get hold of me on my other number." As Talulla entered the venerable old library, the smell of both musty and of freshly printed books greeted her. She took a deep cleansing breath. In that moment, she felt as though she had all the time in the world. Her story was going to be written, and with God's help, no apps or notifications were going to get in her way. *** Copyright: pencil in His Hand *** Just imagine what you co...

  Her Name Is Hope Her name is Hope. She is the young woman with the plain, honest face, travelling to work each day, with faith in her heart that God will answer her prayers for a husband, children, and home. Her name is Hope. She is the sweet, faithful mom, hanging up her wash, the wind whipping through her hair. As she works, she prays that her husband and children will accept Jesus. Her name is Hope. She clings to Jesus' Hand as her marriage falters then shatters through her husband's unfaithfulness. She keeps walking and hoping because of Jesus. Her name is Hope. The news she received today at her cheerful kitchen table nearly crushed her; and tears fall unceasing: a son lost on the battlefield, a prodigal child driving the knife in deeper, a car accident, an ailing loved one. And yet, she hopes. She clings to Jesus. She does not understand. How could she? But she never stops hoping. She prays, she trusts. She looks up. And once more, as she hangs up her wash in the gentle...

  Escape Ona crept nervously through the shadows. Each step sounded hopelessly too loud in the silken air. Lomi had said not to fear the Darkness. The Darkness, he'd said, was actually a presence; a person. And now, The Darkness had extended an invitation to her, Ona, through Lomi. "A great honour," he had whispered as his burning gaze had sought her wide-eyed one. She had nodded. She knew something of The Darkness and of the meetings which were held in the dense copses and remote caves. Attending a meeting would take her from the edges where she'd been dabbling and into the inner circle. "You desire more knowledge, don't you?" Lomi drew her near, and suddenly, the relationship they shared seemed to be entwined with her decision. "I'll go." She said quietly. "But only if you go with me." Lomi had shaken his head. "No. Each one must go alone. It's safer that way." Lomi's voice was firm, but he toned it down when h...

  A Reason To Clean. A Short Story. Grace shoved the book she'd been reading aside. It was time to put her plan into action. She flicked her long silver plait over her shoulder, and looked around her living room. Where should she start? The title of the book, was "Swedish Death Cleaning." Rather morbid, but on point, Grace thought. She really did have far too many things.  Grace grabbed a roll of rubbish bags and tore one off. She was ready. The author had suggested that one should start with the easy stuff: rubbish, junk, old food, and broken items. That would be easy. She moved quickly through the rooms of her moderate home, and threw anything rubbishy looking into the bag. It didn't take too long. She lived alone. Greg had passed on suddenly a few years previously, and now there was only one "G." Grace had finally parted with most of his possessions. Now it was her own stuff's turn. By the end of the day, Grace had moved on to the kitchen drawers as w...

    A World Beyond. A Free Inspirational Short Story By Alison Lawrence Copyright: Alison Lawrence 2023 All rights reserved "I just can't do it anymore, Hope. This thing is bigger than either of us can handle." Dylan turned away from his wife and looked out of the window. "It's destroyed us, and what we had together." "So, you just want to give up? Walk out on us; leave me to deal with everything?" Hope's anger grew as the terrible reality gripped her heart. Dylan was giving up. "You'll be OK, Hope. I'm just an outsider. You're always busy with Jace. You lost interest in me a long time ago." Hope forced herself to stay calm. She'd dealt with a lot of melt downs over the years. Dylan would come to his senses if she said the right things. "I know it's been hard on both of us. But I am still interested in you Dylan. I love you. Please don't leave." She crossed over to the window and placed a hand on his ...

    Lily's Journey. A Free Inspirational Short Story LILY'S JOURNEY By Alison Lawrence Copyright: Alison Lawrence. 2023.All rights reserved The sun glimmered gold in the eucalyptus trees surrounding the old farmhouse. A gentle breeze made the shimmering leaves sparkle against the evening sky. Lily was on her way to feed her chickens and close them up for the night, but she paused for a moment, grateful for the feel of the cool breeze on her face. What was it about eucalyptus trees? They seemed to stir a certain nostalgia in her soul: a longing perhaps. Telling herself off for daydreaming, she returned to the task at hand. Her chickens were healthy and laying well. They brought in a side income, but Lily would have kept them even if they hadn't. The farm wasn't the largest on the West Coast, but it was perfect for them. Caleb's parents had retired from farming leaving the family farm to Caleb and his young bride. They now lived happily in a small coastal town. Lily s...

  The Mansion: A Short Story In our time, and in our world, there lived a man in a palatial and ostentatious home. He had inherited a vast estate, and lived off of its benefits as well as the investments he had made.  The mansion  was so large, that one could easily lose count of its bedrooms when walking through its hallways. Each bedroom was luxuriously and vibrantly furnished with welcoming beds of various sizes, cozy seating, lush plants, and entertainments. The over-sized home also boasted large living areas, as well as a library and study which were any bookworm's dream. As for the grounds, they were a fantasy land, which beckoned one to stroll, play, and swim. An elite army of servants saw to it that efficiency and near perfection were maintained. But their job was made more challenging by a strange oddity of the man of the mansion. You see, he had no wife or children. Instead, he had collected many, many pets. And these pampered and spoiled pets filled the luxurio...

  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...

   Inspirational fiction Up and Away I sighed. Yet another problem. Another burden to add to the already growing pile. With God's help, I was still standing somehow; yes, even walking. That was the miracle. If I didn't have Jesus living in me, I most definitely wouldn't be. But, I was human, and it wasn't easy.  The first, and one of the largest burdens was my marriage to Jim: a marriage marred by alcohol abuse, and all of the woes that accompany addiction. The beginning years had been less strained, and  the addition of three children had not been burdensome at first. And of course, by God's grace alone, I was rescued from the rubbish dump of my sinful existance by Jesus back then. The shining pinacle of my life.  Jesus brought life and light, and yes, even joy into our struggling family. Even when my husband rejected the Good News I shared with him, I carried on loving him and serving him . But only because of Jesus. With Jesus at my side, I taught my daughter...

  Photo: Laura Chouette. Unsplash Rosie's Story. Episode Nine "I'll see you on Sunday. I'm sleeping over at Pam's place." Rosie announced brightly. "We'll probably go to the mall; watch a couple of movies." She shrugged. "The usual." At sixteen, Rosie had bloomed into a pretty young woman. Petite, with long, thick hair, the boys had begun to notice her. Her mother stopped mixing her cake batter and turned to look at her daughter. "Take care then, Rosie. Have you done all of your chores?" She accepted her daughter's quick embrace. It had taken some time, but she was now more used to going to church on her own. She often longed though, for the simpler days when her daughters were young and skipped along by her side to the services. "All done." Announced Rosie. "See you soon." *** "Stop fluttering your eyes." Laughed Pamela. She was applying mascara to Rosie's eyelashes. Rosie had been transf...

  Photo: Kyo Azuma. Unsplash Rosie's Story. Episode Eight Rosie attended a solidly academic Catholic girls' school through all of her school years. She studied hard and brought home consistantly good reports. She often achieved A's and B's in all of her favourite subjects. Maths was not one of them, and she dropped it along with science at the soonest opportunity.  "Our Rosie will either be a writer or a translator one day. She won't be needing math in her career." Rosie's mom assured her husband. "She's always been a bookworm." Rosie's dad agreed. He was proud of both of his daughters. Cherry was musical and excelled at biology. Her goal was to study nursing. Unfortunately, both he and Rosie's mother were seemingly unaware of the dangerous undercurrents in their teenagers' lives. The school may have been Catholic, but it failed to produce young people with a yearning to know and serve God. Instead, it taught dry ritual and di...