January 30

Jan. 30 - 3 Old Things Seen New
I am grateful for watching The Lion, the Wirch, and the Wardrobe again after reading the book.
I am grateful for having lived in California.
I am grateful for watching Legend of Korra again after having seen all four books and knowing what happens.

Today, two of my darling siblings had fun scheming against me, and their plan worked. It all started when Emily, who was hanging out in my room, saw my poem notebook and wanted to read it. I told her no because most of my poems are embarrassing. I wrote them a while ago and, boy, did I come up with some weird things. She kept trying to sneak it, but I caught her because I was sitting right there. Side-note: Why do siblings think they can get away with things like that? Seriously, I am sitting. Right. There.

Anyway, she kept coming in and out of my room and soon, William came in asking me to come to watch a show he made. I should’ve guessed something was up, considering he needed to have a private word with Emily before he started, but I fell right into their trap. While I was enjoying Will’s play, Emily went in my room and stole my poem book.

Tangent: William’s show was really funny and I wrote down some of the things he said. I may make another post at a later date reenacting an embellished version of his little presentation.

After he finished, I went back to whatever I was doing on my laptop, totally unaware that my notebook was missing. That is until I overheard Mom telling them that what they did was wrong and them all laughing. I put two and two together and yelled for Emily to bring my poems back. I was mildly perturbed, but no harm was done and I was amused.

They were reprimanded for their deception and stealing, but we all had a good laugh about it. I am impressed with them for coming up with such a notorious scheme.

January 29th

Jan. 29 - A Song Heard, A Soft Word, Light Seen
I am grateful for the song "Alive" by Young & Free.
I am grateful for the quiet voices people were speaking in while we were writing down our three gifts.
I am grateful for candlelight.

Today, I had a sweet memory. Mom, Camrynn, and I were talking about funny habits each of us kids had when we were little. One of mine was that I slept in Mom and Dad's bed until I was about four. When they tried to put me in my own room and bed, I would often get upset during the night and end up back in their bed. Except, I was only half awake so I did not remember them taking me to their room. I always thought that angels knew I was scared or something, and so they would carry me to there.

Today's story is an old one that I wrote for a school assignment back in July. The little boy is based off of my brother, William, and some of the movements I observed him do.

Seven-year old Joseph drummed his pencil on the island counter and then suddenly looked up at his mother.

          “What are we going to have for lunch, Mom?” he asked.

          “You just had a snack, dear. You need to stop thinking about food and focus on your math. Do you need me to read instructions to you?” Mrs. Lyles said, looking up from her cooking.

          “I don’t know what 8 + 5 is!” Joseph said, waving his arms in the air, and then dropping them with a thump on the counter. “I need help!”

          “Count on your fingers if you have to.”

          “Ok.”

          Joseph held up his hands and started counting by touching a finger to his nose for each number.

          “1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. Mom, I ran out of fingers!” Joseph wailed.

          “Remember, you have to start over with one of your hands.” Mrs. Lyles responded patiently.

          “Oh yeah! 11-12-13. 13!”

          While Joseph was writing the answer down, he kicked his legs against the kitchen island.

          “Joseph, please stop kicking. Are you done with that problem now?” Mrs. Lyles said as she stood up from putting a dish in the oven.

          “Yes. Oh, this one is easy!”

          Joseph started writing the answer, but he was pushing the pencil too hard and the tip broke. He then dropped it onto his paper.

          “Ugh! I need to go get a new pencil.”

          “Go ahead.” Mrs. Lyles said.

          But instead of going straight to the other room to get a pencil, he walked over to a side-table in their living room where his toy fighter plane was sitting. He picked it up and made it fly around while making an engine noise.

          “Joseph,” Mrs. Lyles said in warning voice. “Put your plane down and go get your pencil. If you play with it again before your school is done then I will have to take it away.”

          “Yes ma’am!” Joseph said and quickly set down his plane. He continued to make the plane noise though, and then put his arms out like wings and made himself fly down the hallway.

          “Shrooooooooom! Vrooooom! Errrrrrgh!”

          He got his pencil and then skipped back. As he walked by the couch, he fell sideways on it and rolled along it till he fell to the floor. He rolled onto his back and made his hands start fighting each other, all the while making explosion sounds.

          “Joseph. Come sit down, please.” Mrs. Lyles said in a sing-song voice.

          When Joseph sat down, he dropped his pencil on the counter and purposefully let it roll off. He bent down sideways to get it but bent so far that he couldn’t get back up.

          “Mom! I’m stuck! Can you help me get up?” he cried.

          “Just a minute, let me dry my hands off.”

          Mrs. Lyles dried her hands, set down the towel, and then came over to Joseph. She picked him up completely off the stool and then put him down properly. She also got the pencil off the floor. She pulled up another stool and sat down next to Joseph.

          “Alright, good job, you finished this section. I’m going to read the next instructions now, so pay attention and put your knee down.”

          Joseph had pulled his knee up to his chest and was sucking on it but then slid it back down upon his mother’s command.

          “Good. Ok, this says ‘Color 3 ¼ of the squares,’” Mrs. Lyles said while pointing at the words with the pencil. She then handed Joseph the pencil and got back up. Joseph rested his head on his hand, started coloring, and began to kick the island once again.

 

 

Joy Dare: January 28th

Jan. 28 - 3 Graces Found In Friends
I am grateful for my friends' unforgetfulness and that they are still keeping up our relationship even after I moved.
I am grateful for my friends' caring about me.
I am grateful for my friends' laughter and the joyful times we spent together.

Sunset Poem

Last night it snowed and it was so cool to wake up and see everything covered in white. We had so much fun playing in it and making tracks all over the place. When the sun came out, it was incredibly bright and I had to shut my blinds. Fortunately, I checked to see if I could see today's sunset and what I saw was breathtaking. It had gotten windy as the day progressed so there were many different layers of clouds racing across the sky. It was so neat seeing all the shades each layer was and how some were big bunches of clouds and how others were just little puffs.
But what I saw that was so fantastic was the way the sun lit up a section of the clouds so that they were the most spectacular gold color and they created a floating landscape. It looked like a far away land bordered by silver-lined mountains and then in the middle was an island encircled by a river of pure, liquid gold. I imagined that I was gazing into heaven and then the idea for the following poem came to mind.

Over mountains, filled with light,
Over fields, filled with delight.
There lays the city
Of the King of Glory
Surrounded by a pool of brightest gold.

I even came up with a little tune for it and am trying to figure it out on the piano so it can be a song.
Dear God, thank You for Your glorious sunsets and for giving me eyes to see them. Thank You also for giving me the words for the poem, it was fun to write.

Joy Dare: Jan. 24-27

Jan. 24 - 3 Things Blue
I am grateful for our dark blue Kitchenaid mixer because that means I don't have to mix everything by hand.
I am grateful for the partially blue paper plates that we used at the teen event tonight.
I am grateful for my favorite light blue mechanical pencil.

Jan. 25 - A Grace Borrowed, Found, Inherited
I am grateful for my dad's Mexican blanket turned poncho.
I am grateful for finding the extra t-shirts I had been missing in a box.
I am grateful for the laptop which my mom passed down to me.

Jan. 26 - A Gift Before Dawn, At Noon, After Dark
I am grateful for deep sleep.
I am grateful for biblegateway.com that I used for my Bible study.
I am grateful for the fresh, homemade bread with butter that I had at dinner.

Jan. 27 - 3 Gifts In The Kitchen
I am grateful for our stove.
I am grateful for the scrub brush I use to rinse dishes.
I am grateful for our refrigerator.

Joy Dare: 18th thru 23rd

Jan. 18 - 3 Gifts from God's Word
(These are the three points from Sunday sermon)
I am grateful for the No Ordinary Preface to Abraham's life.
I am grateful for the No Ordinary Promise that God gives us.
I am grateful for the No Ordinary Position that we are in through Jesus Christ.

Jan. 19 - 3 Gifts That Might Have Never Been
I am grateful that since we moved here, I now have the opportunity to see my friend, Claire, and participate in the March for Life with her.
I am grateful that my room's window faces the sunsets.
I am grateful for the stories that I have written after being encouraged to by my writing friends.

Jan. 20 - 3 Gifts Only Close Up
I am grateful that our Star Wars Kinect disk still works sometimes if you carefully line up the cracked part.
I am grateful for the book Respectable Sins.
I am grateful for our unique fingerprints and creases on our hands.

Jan. 21 - A Gift In Sky, Water, Memory
I am grateful for the huge clusters of snowflakes today. I had so much fun catching them on my tongue.
I am grateful for the spices used to make the Shrinker drink.
I am grateful for the funny memory of me cutting my shirt with nail clippers (when I was 7 or 8) because I wanted to see if they were sharp enough to cut fabric.

Jan. 22 - A Gift Wrinkled, Smoothed, Unfolded
I am grateful for my new pro-life t-shirt.
I am grateful for my granola bar wrapper...and the bar that was inside it!
I am grateful for my infinity scarf that kept my neck and face warm today.

Jan. 23 - 3 Gifts Found In Christ
I am grateful for Jesus being our High Priest and knowing our temptations and interceding for us.
I am grateful that just the utterance of Jesus' name brings peace and calms my overwhelmed soul.
I am grateful for the comfort that I find in Christ.

Story: Scars

So today's story idea wasn't from a pin, but I will use a picture that I thought looked like the girl in my story. The narrator is a young man.

            After taking me to the creek to wash up, Gwen brought me to her camp. “Sorry,” she said, “Tonight you’ll have to stay at my hunting camp but tomorrow we will go to my home.” I did not say much for I was still baffling at her appearance. I had never seen someone so dirty, unkempt, bruised, and yet so beautiful. Later I would learn that this was actually not bad at all, but in my former home of Dahlgren, such things were greatly frowned upon. One of their goals as a community was to purge themselves of imperfections. Her freckles, her frizzy hair, but especially her scars, no matter how minor, were all new to me. After our meal, I finally had enough courage to ask her about them.

            “Gwen?”

            “Hmm?”

            I swallowed and looked at the ground, “Why do you have so many scars?”

“Ah, that’s right,” she said, not sounding put off at all. “I remember hearing how Dahlgrenians had never seen scars before. Well, where I live, imperfections are valued and we are proud of our differences. My scars show who I am. They tell my story. I remember how I got each one and they help to remind me of my freedom.”

            I looked at her in confused wonder. She was so different than my people. She fascinated me and maybe she had a point. Being perfect was boring… and hard. She however sounded energized and happy… alive. I was curious and asked about a thin mark on her finger.

            “This was when I was cutting vegetables for my mum and the knife slipped.”

            “Ouch, and how about the big one on your left arm?”

            “Well, I was rather an adventurous child and I had climbed one of the tallest trees in our yard then fell and got a compound fracture.” After a few more questions, I became quiet, deep in thought.

            “What is it?” she asked as she removed her leg coverings, showing even more scars on her legs.

“I left because I felt my life so monotonous and dull, but I did not realize how different the outside world was,” I paused. “I never knew of all the things, amazing things, that our leaders where keeping us from.”

Gwen pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned forward, her short red hair falling over her shoulders. “My great grandfather told me about when he ran away from Dahlgren. He, and the other people, didn’t run away because they were bored with life there. No!” she exclaimed throwing her arms in the air and falling back on the forest floor. “No,” she whispered, then continued , her voice rising with excitement, “They ran because they wanted freedom. Freedom to be different, freedom to be imperfect. To get bruised, bloodied, scarred. Freedom to live. There, he said, they would almost kill you if you weren’t perfect.” Then propping herself on one elbow, she looked at me and said, “You were not bored, you were tired of being oppressed, and congratulations,” she smiled and playfully punched me on the arm. “You made it to freedom.”

Joy Dare Catch-up

Holy cow! It has been quite awhile since I have posted. Sorry, guys, I have been feeling unmotivated lately for some reason, anyway, I'm feeling better this evening. Oh, and about the stories... I have realized that a story everyday, maybe even every other, was a bit too much. It was fun, but I wanted to have time for other things too, so I'm thinking maybe one or two story sections a week. Sometimes if our goals need to be adjusted to fit our real lifestyle. I am not defeated, I just made that impulse goal when I had no school, haha.
I will be doing January 13th through today.

Jan. 13. - 3 Things About Myself that I'm Grateful For.
I am grateful for my red hair. I really like its unique and pretty color. By the way, I believe it comes from a recessive gene, but I'm not positive.
I am grateful for my strong, shapely nails.
I am grateful for my ability to stay calm when I chose to be.

Jan. 14 - 3 Startling Graces of God
I am grateful for God's wondrous mercy. It goes to the undeserving and sets us free.
I am grateful for God's love that is so deep for us, that we will never comprehend it.
I am grateful for the book Song of the Ovulum. It shows God's mighty hand through glorious tales of adventure.

Jan. 15 - A Gift Worn, Given Away, Shared
I am grateful for my heavy-duty jacket that made me warm after I got extra cold today.
I am grateful for my time given to the Bilyeu girls. THey are so sweet and I miss them very much.
I am grateful for the notebook that Caitlyn and I pass back and forth. I was wonderful to "hear" from her and then to write book.

Jan. 16 - 3 Witnessed Blessings
I am grateful for witnessing my parents kissing.
I am grateful for witnessing William playing quietly.
I am grateful for witnessing the movie The Giver.

Jan. 17 - A Gift Bringing Laughter, Prayer, Quiet
I am grateful for getting my hair cut. Seeing the difference made me giggle.
I am grateful that I can make decisions that cause me to pray for guidance and wisdom.
I am grateful for bedtime, oh, that sweet time of blissful rest.

Joy Dare- January 12

Today's gifts are a gift above, below, and beside.

I am gratfeul for the constant rain today that cleanse the air and is calming to watch.
I am grateful for my comfy moccasin slippers that, unlike boots, work with jeans.
I am grateful for our big dining room table. After moving so much, I really appreciate being able to sit down and not have fear of spilling drinks while eating.

Jan. 11 - 3 Yellow Gifts of Fresh Mercy

So, this one was a little bit more difficult and I pretty much just thought of 3 yellow things.

I am grateful for electric light in our house that keeps everything so bright.
I am grateful for the cheesy bread I had at dinner tonight.
I am grateful for butter. It is the most delicious fat ever!

Day 7

Wow, I like this one a lot. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

            “I’m very sorry to tell you this, but you’re going to die tomorrow.” The words kept repeating themselves in Amber’s head.

            “W-what? Why?” had been her response.

            “We don’t know when or how, but you were injected with a powerful virus that kills its victims in a matter of days. When we tried to remove it, it didn’t work,” her doctor had said sadly.

            Well, it was the day she was going to die. Amber had heard about this virus but had written it off as a myth. It now came back to haunt her. She didn’t really know what to do, so she just started her day. While she was getting ready, something donned on her. She hadn’t used any of her three lies yet. Then she decided three things: she was going to use all three lies today, she wasn’t going to tell anyoneabout her death, and she was going to live her last day to its fullest.

            Amber and her mother usually chatted over breakfast and this morning, Amber made them both a special breakfast. When her mother asked why, Amber just said, “Oh, I had some extra time this morning and I felt like making this, so…yeah.” My first lie.

            On her way to work, she stopped at Starbucks and got her favorite drink and a cake pop. Then she thought, Hey, why am I going to work? It won’t matter if they fire me anyway. I’m going to have some fun!

            She phoned her best friend, “Hey Lauren!”

            “Hi!”

“Do you want to hang out this morning? I was thinking that we could walk around the mall and then have lunch. I can even pick you up.”

“Sure, I can be ready in about 15 minutes.”

“Cool, see you then.”

The rest of Amber’s morning was spent in distracted bliss. Then Lauren asked why she wasn’t at work, “Did you get the day off?”

“Uh, yeah, I realized that we hadn’t hung out in a while, so I called this morning and they let me.” My second lie.

After she dropped Lauren off, she called her sister. Hailey was already married and had rambunctious three-year-old twin boys who loved their aunt. Amber wanted to see them one last time. Hailey said that they were free that afternoon and that they could meet her at a playground. They had a wonderful time: they played tag, Amber pushed them on the swings, and then they played tag again.

Amber realized that it was almost evening and her time was running out. The doctor never said when today I might die, it could be really soon. I need to get home to see Dad!

When she got home, her dad was about to go work on his Jeep.

“Hey Dad, would you mind if I helped you out today, I don’t have anything else to do this afternoon.”

“Sure, quick and go change, I’ll be in the garage when you’re ready.”

A few hours later, as she was washing up for dinner, Amber started trembling. It could happen any moment now. When she came out of the bathroom, her mom immediately noticed her shaking and pale face. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

Amber couldn’t stand it anymore, and with tears rolling onto her cheeks, she shouted, “I’m going to die today!” She ran to her mom who hugged her failing body. “The doctor said I had a deadly virus and that this is my last day.”

Her mom gasped and also started crying. Her dad walked in with a confused expression on his face, and her mom related to him the dreadful news. They all broke down in tears in the middle of the kitchen floor. After a few minutes, Amber stopped crying, feeling better after telling her parents. But that didn’t last long, for now she felt weak and dizzy. Still shaky, she laid down in her parent’s arms, “Bye Mom and Dad. I love you. And don’t worry, I-I’m not af-fraid.” She smiled. She knew that they knew that was not true, but maybe it would make them feel better. Amber felt herself falling into darkness, and her last thought before being pulled into the abyss of death was, My third lie.

Amber sat up with a start, her heart pounding, and cold sweat covering her body. She then slowly lay back down to catch her breath. Whew, it was just a dream.

Jan. 10 - A Gift Sour, Sweet, Just Right

I am grateful for Camrynn not being there to sing with me, because it means that she, and everyone watching, was having fun on her computer game.
I am grateful for my Vanilla Toffee Crunch ice cream.
I am grateful for writing a blog-post whilst drinking jasmine tea.

Day 6

I will have to admit that today's story will probably be a little cheesy (wink) but it was really fun to write. I was having trouble thinking of how to do this until I looked at it from a different angle. I enjoy having to think through writing messes like that. Anyway, some helpful information is that the characters here are actually snack food. Like Amanda Oreo is really an Oreo. We got that covered now, so without further adieu here is today's story.

            Amanda Oreo had a great first day at her new school, but also a confusing one. It all started when her and her new friend, Julia Ritz, went to lunch. There was a sign on the door that said, “Due to the incident on November 14, Cheez-its are no longer allowed in the cafeteria! Thank you for your cooperation.”

            Amanda pointed to the sign,”Hey Julia, what happened?” Julia’s eyebrows shoot up and she glanced around.

            “Shhh! We’re not supposed to talk about it. At least not here.”

            “Well, ok.”

            She tried to ask her parents about it over dinner, but they didn’t know anything about it. A few days later, Julia invited Amanda over after school. “I’ll tell you all about the Cheez-its.” And this is the tale she told.

            “Five years ago, a boy named Timothy Cheez-it was angry that Cheez-its were the only square-shaped family among the other circle-shaped snacks. He came up with a scheme to obliterate everyone else and let only the Cheez-its remain.

            “The first thing he did was more subtle, yet quite harmful still. He would sneak poison into the cafeteria food. Then he purposely blamed Cheez-its for this crime so they would get banned from the cafeteria. I guess he was afraid that they might get poisoned to.

            “After that, Timothy began more drastic measures and started bombing places in our city. Luckily though, the police arrested him three years ago and completely cleaned the city of Cheez-its. I’ve never seen one since.”

            “Wow,” Amanda murmured. “That explains why I haven’t seen any here. I was wondering if that had something to do with it.”

            “Yep, wait, did you see some where you used to live?”

            “Yeah, definitely. A girl named Juniper Cheez-it was my best friend there.”

Joy Dare - January 8th and 9th

Jan. 8 - Dusky Light, Surprising Reflection, Lovely Shadow
I am grateful for the city lights reflecting on the cloud cover, making them look a dull orangish-red.
I am grateful for the realization that Logan's next birthday will be a special one.
I am grateful for the shadow made by the swirly, decorative trivet on our table.

Jan. 9 - A Gift Held, Passed By, Sat With
I am grateful for my Bible, that fills me up with holy soul food, leaving me satisfied and full of joy.
I am grateful for the frigid wind that passed by my face on my walk. It refreshes, invigorates, and calms me.
I am grateful for sitting with my family, while watching comedian Tim Hawkins and eating dinner.

Day 5

So, today's story is actually a little special. Why? Well, I had decided a while ago that I was not going to try to do any story with time travel in it, but that didn't happen. I thought it would be to complicated, but since this story is short, I didn't come across any weird plot holes or paradoxes, so here it is. My first, and maybe my last :), time traveling story.

                Alexis’ dress was so tight, she thought she might faint. At least she wasn’t having to wear a heavy wig this time. Well, she thought, as soon as I get Ryan, we can go to a time with comfortable clothes.

                She put her money pouch in her drawstring purse, along with her time travelling stone, called a rainbow-snarf stone. It was a rare and special stone that was actually made of many combined gems, precious stones, and other rare metals. Her boyfriend, Ryan, had been lucky to find it.

                Speaking about him, he had gotten lost in a small country around the late 1800s. Alexis and Ryan had to return something back to that time, but had accidentally trespassed on palace grounds. Only Alexis had had time to escape, so now here she was, about to rescue him…again. It had become a game to them, trying to see which one could rescue the other the most. Ryan used to be way ahead of Alexis, having more experience, but she had learned fast. Also, he was trying to be more brave and chivalrous, at least, Alexis thought, that was his excuse. She laughed to herself, but then put on a straight face, as she was now entering the throne room.

                After waiting in line for twenty minutes, it was her turn. Alexis took a deep breath, put on a sweet smile, and stepped forward. She proceeded to curtsy to the queen.

                “Hello dear one. Please state your name and your request,” the queen said kindly.

                “Thank you, my lady. My name is Agatha and I would like to request the ransom of my servant.”

                “Continue.”

                “A servant of mine, a young man, was caught on your property the other night. I believe he is being held as a prisoner, but I have ransom money, if you will accept. I can promise that it will never happen again.”

                “How much?”

                Alexis opened her purse, took out the pouch, and handed it to the queen. She peered inside, then nodded to a guard. He left and returned a few minutes later with a very tired and dirty looking Ryan.

                “Thank you, your majesty,” she curtsied again then stomped over to Ryan, grasped his ear, and dragged him out of the room. Once they were out of sight, she released him. Ryan rubbed his ear.

                “Ouch! I know we were acting but you didn’t have to pinch so hard.”

                Alexis giggled, “I’m sorry.”

 

                Two hours later, they were walking through a meadow, wearing their old clothes and with Ryan all cleaned up.

                “By the way,” Alexis smiled. “You owe me.”

                “What! Again?”

                “Yes sir” she said playfully. “That’s ten for me and only nine for you. You may have started out with more, but it looks like the pupil has surpassed the teacher,” Alexis said with a wink.

                “You know that’s just ‘cause I let you,” Ryan said with an air of fake superiority. “I’m trying to be-“

                “I know, I know,” she cut him off, “Manly and brave.”

                “Exactly!”

                They both laughed and then sighed. “Well, where are we off to next?” Alexis asked.

                “How about Disney World? I’ve wanted a hot dog after that prison gruel, plus we could have some fun,” Ryan suggested.

                “Sounds great,” she replied, then thinking a moment, added, “This will be our first normal date in awhile. Remember last time? We ended running from hostile Indians.”

                “Oh yeah, and the time before that, we got stuck in a rainforest,” he chuckled. Then looking serious, he turned to Alexis. “I’ve been thinking, and I had a question for you. Do you ever wish you had a normal life and boyfriend?”

                Alexis popped up on her toes, giving him a kiss on the cheek, “Never.” She smiled, and then pulled the rainbow-snarf out of her pocket. Ryan whispered, “Disney World, autumn, 2015,” and she threw it on the ground, making a portal.

                The two time-travelers ran hand in hand into the future.

Missed Joy Dare Days

Well, I also happened to miss some days for the Joy Dare so here are for January 6th and 7th:

Jan. 6 - One Thing in Your Bag, Your Fridge, and Your Heart
I am grateful for the pocket dictionary in my purse. It has been helpful and fun to have.
I am grateful for the yogurt that I had for breakfast. It is delicious mixed with stevia and strawberries.
I am grateful for the love of writing that God has instilled in my heart.

Jan.7 - 3 Graces From People You Love
I am grateful for the chocolate smoothie Mom made me for snack this morning. It was thick, like a milkshake, and really good.
I am grateful for Logan helping to answer a question I had about Star Wars.
I am grateful for William and I playing with my face to make funny faces and for it making him laugh.

Day 4

Whoops! I guess it's been a couple days since I have posted. Well, I started school on Monday and am still getting the hang of it. So...maybe not a pin everyday, but as much as possible :).
Here's today's prompt. I really liked this one so I might follow up with more of the story at a later date.

            Esther passed the abandoned library every day, to and from school. It looked foreboding, but she was curious about what it held inside. Did they take all the books or leave them? I wonder if it’s unlocked. If it is, I wonder if anyone will mind me taking a quick peek.

            She would stop and stare at it, and just as she would be about to try the door, she would imagine all the dangers that could be inside. And, boy! could she imagine. Having read enough to make fill her own library, she could think of infinite dangers that might lurk inside.

            So every day, she would shrug, push her glasses back up her nose, and keep walking. I’ll probably never get to go inside it. Well, as it turns out, she was wrong.

            Her entry into the mysterious library, strange enough, started with a mighty wind and rain storm. Nothing to disastrous, but it did make quite a mess of her town. On her routine walk to school the next morning, Esther noticed something odd. Among the usual debris, were torn, dirty book pages.  As she examined one, the thought struck her. Oh my! These must have come from the library. It has been decaying. She quickened her pace and soon arrived at her destination. She gasped.

            Many of the windows were broken, loose pages caught in their jagged edges. Tiles had come off, leving holes in the roof where the wood had rotted. But most surprising was that the door was open. Esther, with her mouth gaping, approached the door and then slowly walked in. It looked as though all the books had purposely jumped off their shelves. She picked one of them up and tried to wipe it off with her sleeve. It was damp and the dirt stuck. She lifted her head and gazed around the room and then sank to her knees. She was shocked that all these books were still here, and now they were quite damaged.

            A tone from her phone jolted her out of her daze. Her friend had texted her, asking why she hadn’t arrived yet. Esther put her phone back in her pocket and tried to run the rest of the way to school. She barely made it, but she had a hard time concentrating. All she could think about was that library.

Joy Dare- Something You're Reading, Making, Seeing

I am grateful for the book The Valley of Vision. It has eloquent prayers for me to echo when I have none of my own.
I am grateful for my cross-stitch project and the patience it is teaching me.
I am grateful for the silhouette of the barren trees against the gold and fruity colored sunset.
(If you can't tell, I'm absolutely obsessed with sunsets! They're just so gorgeous!)

Joy Dare- A Gift Old, New, and Blue

For old: I am grateful for the Gospel which helps me to love, because I am reminded of Christ's love.
For new: I am grateful for the unique, beautiful, stunning sunset I saw this evening.
For blue: I am grateful for my Captain America t-shirt which is super-duper comfy.

Day 3

This is today's story starter:

 

 

The tall, greasy-looking man had backed the small girl against a wall. “I’ve got you now, you nasty thief,” he sneered. “Now give me back what you took, and I won’t hurt you.” He stared at her pale, grimy face, waiting. “C’mon now.”

She slowly pulled out her hand from behind her back, but what she was holding surprised the man. Instead of his stolen goods, he was looking straight into the barrel of a gun.

“You are going to let me leave, with my food, and not follow me,” she commanded.

“B-but” the man said in shock.

“And be quiet!” she shouted. “Now get movin’ if you wanna live.”

The man scowled at her, but lifted his hands and backed away.

After she was sure that he was gone, the nine-year-old thief went on her way.

 

Candy slunk back to her home, which right was an abandoned store, staying in the shadows as much as possible. There was no telling what she might encounter on the streets, and though she had confidence in her gun, she didn’t want to take her chances. In this time of kill of be killed, Candy had learned very quickly how to use her weapon, and never went anywhere without it.

Joy Dare- Jan. 3

Today's three things are: 3 Graces Overheard

I am grateful for listening to my sister, Camrynn, and brother, William, playing Legos together.
I am grateful for the video about the teenager who held the door open for his fellow students, just to be kind.
I am grateful for witnessing William help my other sister, Emily, put away her sewing stuff.

Day 2

This is my writing prompt for today:

 

 

 I paused for a moment before stepping out into open space. I had been told that this was the easy part of the journey, well, at least when compared to the other parts. The only thing you had to do was continually look at the group of stars that made the shape of the Cross, or you would immediately fall to your death.

Taking a step forward and peeking out of the archway, I caught a glance of this special constellation. I had never seen it before on Earth, but then everything was different here. I had to look at everything from a different perspective; things that I thought were concrete became like mist and my beliefs and attitude were the most real things ever.

Constantly looking at some stars was easy, right? Well, it would be, except for the voices. As I mentioned before, looking away would cause your death, so evil spirits whispered doubts and distractions into your ears to try to make you turn your gaze away. I needed to think of something to keep me focused before I was attacked. Then I remembered that when I was still living with my family, I would always block out the noise with music. ‘Course, all the songs I knew were worldly and profane, I promised never to listen to, much less sing them, again.

“Lord, please help me!” I prayed. “I don’t know what to do.”

Abigail…Abigail, the words drifted into my mind. Listen, and I will teach you what to sing.

“Yes, Lord,” I whispered and then quieted my mind, waiting for His guidance.

As the long-lost song from my childhood came into my ears and out of my mouth, I looked lovingly at the Cross, and stepped out into the nothingness.

“My Shepherd will supply my need:
Jehovah is His Name;
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy's sake,
In paths of truth and grace.

When I walk through the shades of death,
Thy presence is my stay;
A word of Thy supporting breath
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
Thine oil anoints my head. 

The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise!
There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger, nor a guest,
But like a child at home.”

 

The song included here is called "My Shepherd Will Supply Need" by Isaac Watts. It is based on Psalm 23.

Joy Dare

This year, my mom assigned me to read the blog called "A Holy Experience" by Ann Voskamp. It has been really neat and you guys should go check it out. She posts wonderful things, she's a excellent writer, and she posts beautiful pictures well. She has also written the book "One Thousand Gifts" (among other books), which I am going to read this year.

She has something called a Joy Dare where you write down three things you're grateful for everyday. She even makes up cool gratefulness prompts to help you think of new things. The goal is to have written down one thousand gifts by the end of the year. I thought that I would share my one thousand gifts with you. I've missed my first two days, but I'll go ahead and put them on anyway. I thought it would be a fun and useful writing exercise if I wrote a few sentences about each one, explaining it, instead of just listing them.

Jan. 1- 3 Gifts Heard
I am grateful for the sound of one of my favorite songs being played on the piano: Hallelujah. Also, the singing of it.
I am grateful for the sound of the dishwasher, meaning that I don't have to wash the dishes by hand.
I am grateful for the sound of my fingers hitting my laptop keys. The click of my nails on the plastic and of the keys doing its job.

Jan. 2- A Gift Outside, Inside, On a Plate
I am grateful for the cold air that surrounded me when I went for a walk. I had to bundles up against it, but it felt refreshing after sitting at my desk so long. It reminds me of the new year. We must protect ourselves against it with God's Word, Peace, and Joy, but embrace it, as it holds new beginnings.
I am grateful for my brother, Logan's, love for me and my love for him.
I am grateful for Trim Healthy Mama meals that are so tasty and filling, yet non-fattening!

I will do today's three things this evening. Bye!

Day 1: A Pin Everyday

This is from the writing prompt: "I'm trying my best to be polite, but if you move that knife a centimeter closer to me, I will tear you apart." The "I" in here is a boy in his late teens. Hopefully this character works for a guy :).

                “I’m trying my best to be polite, but if you move that knife a centimeter closer to me, I will tear you apart.”

                I had my demon cornered, with the knife as my only defense, and I winced as it said these words, for I knew them to be true. I had before felt the ripping and burning of my flesh as it tried to kill me. I had always needed to succumb to its will, but now things were different, and I felt a kind of peace suffocating my fear.

                “No,” I replied calmly. “You no longer have any power over; I know that, and so do you. You cannot frighten me with your empty threats.” As I said this, my knife started to glow a dull orange. I saw that it was taken aback. It had been able to persuade before and it was frustrated by the loss of leverage.  It hesitated and I could see the options going through its mind. It could still kill me, but not without the risk of getting killed itself.

You see, the knife I was wielding was no ordinary weapon. It had been given to me by the Father and was the only thing that could kill this beast. It was a weapon made from my Father’s love and the love I now had for him. As my faith strengthened, so also did the strength of this knife.

While watching the demon, words from my Father floated into my head. When Father gave the knife to me, he said that it would free and protect me forevermore from the demon that had been haunting me the past two years. He also said, after I had asked Him how to use it, that if I trusted Him and had faith, I would know exactly when and how to use it. If I have faith…have faith…faith…Faith! That was the answer! I immediately knew what I must do.

I slowly lifted the glowing blade, and said out loud “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:14” The creature winced and flattened itself against the wall, and I continued, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24.” The volume of my voice and the length of my blade were now growing, together. The demon continuously sank to the floor.

I started to step forward and now shouted my offense, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 1 John 4:18. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4.”

I stood above my cowering opponent, my now blazing sword raised above my head, poised to strike. “John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it!” I gave in a final yell and then plunged my sword into the demon chest. It shrieked in agony, before it became a pile of dust. I slowly backed up, feeling a huge sense of relief and triumph. I feel to my knees, supporting myself with my sword. I bowed my head and whispered, “Thank you, Father. Thank you.” I then felt a spring of joy well up inside me. I lifted my head and my hands, letting my sword fall with a clang. “Oh, thank you! I am free, I’m free! Thank you for rescuing me and ridding of this demon. I love you so; thank you for loving me. I will always follow you!” I rejoiced.

Greeting and Salutations!

Hi! This is my very first blog, so this should be fun! I will probably be posting mostly short stories or scenes that I have written. I'm am also doing this to help me stay in contact with my friends, as my family has recently moved.

Something I'm going to try this year is to take a pin from my Story Inspiration on Pinterest everyday and write about it. It will most likely not be very long, unless it especially intrigues me, but hopefully it will help me improve my writing skills and be enormous fun. I already missed one day but I will try not to miss as many as possible.