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

  Psalm 123:2 ESV [2] Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us. https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.123.2.ESV *** Above Instead of looking to the world: The constant stream of news and memes; Look instead to God, our Lord: Enthroned above: To His Pure Word. *** A.S.L ***

  Opal's Quest You need to get out of the city, Opal. Find a good man. Find love. True love. " Her grandmother's grip on her wrist was surprisingly strong. "Perhaps you will find them in a small country town. Promise me you'll leave once I'm gone." A gunshot and a strangled scream reached them from the streets. The double glazed glass of the hospital windows only muffled the sound slightly. Opal shuddered, but she kept her gaze on the slight, beloved woman on the bed. "Don't talk like that Granny. I'm staying right here until they say you can go home. Maybe when you're stronger, we can move to the country together; start over. You could even keep those chickens you always wanted." Opal's smile wobbled. It was a frail attempt to lighten the atmosphere.  "Sweetie, you'll have to do that for me when you get out of here. Even if I did make it back home, I wouldn't be strong enough to travel. My lungs are giving out. The...

  Three Inspirational Poems Pit In the darkest pit of grief, despair where hope has died God finds you there. So cry out to the Saving One, whose love-stained cross light's victory won *** Psalm 107:28 "Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses." *** Victory When the battle rages our hearts melt to our toes: But God our only Helper defeats all deadly foes. *** Psalm 108:12,13 "Give us help against the adversary, for vain is the help of man. Through and with God we shall do valiantly, for He it is Who shall tread down our adversaries." *** A Joyful Mother (This is what I want to always be.) A joyful mother  sings a song though days are hard and nights  are long. A joyful mother has no fear  for through the pain her Lord is near. *** Psalm 113:9 "A joyful mother." *** With love and prayers. All Scripture, Amplified Version. *** Poems copyright: Alison Lawrence. *** Ps. Here is the link to my testimony if you w...

Battle Evil swarmed and swooped thickly throughout the valley. Jonathan's sword slashed to the left and right. Sometimes, it arched through the air above his head, as infuriated hisses and screeches filled the darkness. To Jonathan's left and right, inky blackness was being pushed back by his companions. Stretched across the valley, they marched on, their swords slashing and crashing through the thick air, and bringing limp scaly bodies to the ground. The bright ones could not stop. Victory was not theirs yet, for the evil hordes kept coming. There were more than ever before it seemed, here at the closing of the ages. Jonathan grimaced as a foul creature landed close beside him. It screeched and bared its fangs in final rebellion. But Jonathan kept on. Supernatural strength coursed through his body, as more warriors joined the battle. They were nearing the far side of the valley now. The atmosphere remained black and grim: the battle was far from over. Jonathan's sword coul...

  *** A GERMAN GRANDMOTHER Frieda Brand drove carefully along the rutted farm road leading up to her parents' farm.She soaked in the view. It had been a while since she'd visited.The cherry trees were in bloom and they formed a fairy tale avenue of candyfloss.Even Willem and Karl, Frieda's little boys were quiet as they gazed out of the windows.The bowl of mountains welcomed them to the fruitful Ceres farm. "Welkom, welkom," Frieda's mother Ida greeted them from the spacious and cool veranda. She still spoke with a German accent after all these years. The little ones were out of the car in a flash. Frieda retrieved their bags and followed. The boys had disappeared already, but she knew where they'd be. Sure enough, Willem and Karl were seated at the generous kitchen table, a cookie in each hand. "So, you have come at a good time," Ida announced as she bustled around, putting the kettle on and arranging more goodies on a plate. "This time of ...

   THE SCOTTISH SEAT Beth Arbuckle put the finishing touches on an exquisitely laid table. Rain was falling again on the lush green garden of Larbert House. Beth sighed as she thought of her home in South Africa, where the sun shone freely. She'd chosen Scotland for her working holiday because of a fascination with her Scottish roots. The waitressing job at Larbert House helped fund some sightseeing and research. She walked over to the sideboard where her friend Mandy was hard at work polishing the silverware to a sharp shine. Beth picked up a soft cloth and joined in. "Don't you get tired of all the rain?" She asked, I was hoping to take a walk in Larbert Woods later."  "Well, don't let a little water stop you,"Mandy smiled."Round here we'd never go anywhere if we bothered about the rain." "You're right, Mandy. I need to toughen up a bit. I'll just take my brolly." ****** She enjoyed the solitude as she walked. Shari...

  AN INTEREST IN IRELAND (A mini sequel to "Whispers of Wales.) Here is the link to that story in case you haven't read it   Link *** James Mac Kay opened his laptop, ready to search one more time. He was sitting on the deck of his antique- cum- coffee shop prior to opening time.The waves crashed noisily beyond the railway line but James ignored them. His time was limited. Inspired by his girlfriend Ruby's success, he wanted to search the ships' lists once more. His great-grandfather, Henry Mac Kay, had been born in Belfast. He'd come over to South Africa from Ireland as a young man. James knew he had been a carpenter, just like Ruby's great-grandfather. What's more, James actually owned a book case made by his Irish ancestor. He quickly found the site he liked to use, and typed in the details. James had searched several times in the past with no results. But new records were constantly being added to the site and he hadn't checked in a while. He search...

  WHISPERS OF WALES A NOVELETTE BY ALISON LAWRENCE CHAPTER ONE Ruby merged with the traffic taking the city off ramp. It was a cloudless summer day in Cape Town; Table Mountain was devoid of its famous tablecloth. It felt good to be free on this early December day, with Mercy Me setting the tone with one of their upbeat songs. Ruby's fourth grade class had wished her a happy Christmas and she and they were on holiday until mid January. The traffic light ahead turned red and Ruby tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. She thought of all the things she wanted to do in her off time; cleaning her apartment was on the list, along with shopping and going to the beach, but as far as she was concerned, she had begun with the most pressing item: paying a long -overdue visit to the city archives.                                        It took a few turns around the stately building before R...

  Rapture Chronicles: Mark Mark gave Christine a rushed kiss on the cheek before hurrying to the garage. Hurry, hurry, hurry. Go, go, go. Mark's feet complied. This was the soundtrack of his life; along with work, work, work, and worry, worry, worry. He jammed his phone in its holder and jabbed at it before pulling away. His work week had begun. "How's it going?" Neil's jolly face peered into Mark's office later. "Not too good, and its giving me a headache." He pointed at his computer screen. "Prices are up across all departments." Neil's expression grew sober as he stepped into the room. "It's a sign of the times. Along with everything else that's going on. Jesus' return is very soon, that's all I can say." "Could be hundreds of years away." Mark squinted at the screen as he spoke. "Rising prices, wars, and earthquakes are nothing new." Neil shook his head. "Things are getting worse. I...

  Photo: Joshua J. Cotten The Bird Feeder Penny watched in fascination as the eager birds descended upon Aunt Tina's bird feeder. The elderly woman had just placed seed in it. Penny moved closer to the kitchen window, not wanting to miss a moment. The male weaver birds with their bright yellow breasts were the boldest. Their soft, brown mates followed their lead, and a flock of sweet sparrows pecked at the fallen bounty on the ground below. Penny smiled a little sadly. How hungry the birds seemed as they darted about and swung on the bird feeder. Still, she doubted that they could be as hungry as she was. Inside, she felt as hollow as the old log in Aunt Tina's rockery. Empty. Alone. Painfully alone since Jeremy had walked out on everything they'd built together over a span of twenty years. Now, she was hungry for hope and for answers. Her whys still echoed three years after he'd closed the door on all she'd held dear. Aunt Tina's kind voice interrupted her tire...