astonished – a poem for early spring

Hello, friends!

It’s become tradition for me to feel a sudden rush of poetic inspiration in the early days of spring and then churn out something bursting with hope, enthusiasm, and seasonal nature imagery.

This is what happened when I succumbed to the poetry bug this spring.


the hope that froze over in my heart this winter โ€“

stagnant, stubborn, tenacious โ€“

has thrilled to the breath of spring

and gurgles wild,

dripping from my fingertips, transforming me

to a Midas of sorts,

for all that I touch becomes

gilded in gold even as it lies deadโ€ฆ

for I know the Man whose voice reversed decay,

whose very breath filled the lungs Death claimed,

whose heart will never cease now to beat

for the ones whose fingertips have grazed

His hem and now lie panting,

                                                a s t o n i s h e d

in the wake of His mercy.

staggering wonder of wondersโ€ฆ

He has not passed me by.

the power that pours out of Him

has not staunched this years-long flow of grief,

but it has sweetened the cup I must drink

to the dregs, for โ€“

because of Him โ€“ His Fatherโ€™s cup of wrath

shall never touch my lips.

(oh, glory!)

it is joy with Him now

to share in His sufferings:

to weep with Him for His church,

to ache with Him for His kingdom,

to pray with Him for His Fatherโ€™s will

to outpace the snowmelt to the ends of the earth.

He is good,

He is good,

He is goodโ€ฆ

He has not passed us by.


Oh, what a gift it is to feel the world coming alive again and to be reminded that we have come alive again in Christ…and will come alive again in Him. What a gift it is to walk with Him.

Stay the course!

โค Laurel

P.S. I thought it would be worth noting that if you love poetry with both spring-flavored nature imagery and a Lent+Easter bent, you can find that in Beauty Even Here.โœจ

When the Farmer Returns – a book review

When the Farmer Returns – a book review

Hello, friends!

One of my dear friends just published a children’s book, and I loved it so much I just had to dedicate an entire post to it. With Easter coming up, it seemed like an especially good time to share, as this book would be a delightful Easter-time gift for the little ones in your life.

// the blurb //

On a big farm, the cows are all loved by their Farmerโ€”including Tiny Bull and Big Sister Cow.

When the Farmer goes on a long journey, he promises to come back and make the farm the most amazing Farm in the whole world (maybe with a roller coaster!). But even though he leaves the Helper with the cows, their jobs arenโ€™t always easy while they wait for the Farmer.

Tiny Bull faces adventures, danger, biting flies, and Angry Bulls. Other cows forget about the Farmer, are lazy, and just have fun all day, but Tiny Bull and his sister must keep obeying because one day, the Farmer will keep his promise. Can they keep going until he does?

I grew up loving allegories like Max Lucado’s Coming Home and Jennie Bishop’s The Squire and the Scroll: beautifully illustrated stories for children that are even more meaningful to read as an adult, due to their rich parallels to the spiritual life.

It’s no wonder I loved this book, then. I smiled and teared up while reading it, as it’s written in such a funny and sweet way (I can picture kids giggling over some of Hosanna’s descriptions!), yet it’s so deep and reflective of the reality of our existence as the Bride of Christ waiting for the return of our Groom.

I came away from this book more excited for Christ’s return and with a renewed desire to live faithfully in the meantime.

And can we talk about the illustrations??

One of my biggest problems with the children’s books coming out these days is the sad lack of beauty in the illustrations. (Must all bookish artwork for kids be ugly, choppy caricatures?)

I was delighted, however, by the whimsy and beauty in Hannah K. Dukes’ watercolor pieces for this book. They’re just so happy – a perfect pairing with Hosanna’s cheery, upbeat writing style.

All hope for children’s literature is NOT lost!

I think the above photo was one of my favorite illustrations. The idea of a cow drinking lemonade made me smile.:)

// to learn more //

You can purchase a signed copy, paperback or hardcover, directly from the author here. If Amazon is more your style, you can find it there, too!

And to read more of Hosanna’s work, you can find her website here. (She has an Easter poetry collection!!)

Okay. That’s enough link sharing for one post. XD

Even if you’re not in the market for children’s books, I hope the bits of this sweet story brightened your day! Are there any children’s books you’ve loved?

Stay the course!

โค Laurel

winter’s end giveaway

winter’s end giveaway

Hello, friends!

I’ve been wanting to do a giveaway for a while now, and thought that late February would be a good time to do so for two reasons:

1.) After Valentine’s Day, there just aren’t that many fun things to be celebrating! The weather is nasty, spirits tend to be low…of course a good book or two would help.;)

2.) The books I’d like to share with you would make good late winter/early spring reads, as they’re written for those who are struggling to find joy, hope, and beauty in their current life circumstances.

I’d like to send a book (and maybe even a handwritten poetry card??) to two of you!

One person will receive a copy of Ruth Chou Simon’s Now and Not Yet. Goodness, I loved this book. I think you will, too.

Another person will receive a copy of yours truly’s book of poetry: Beauty Even Here. I’ve gabbed about this one a lot already, but looking through it the other day I remembered that there are a few poems in here that make it perfect for Lent and Holy Week! So there you go.

To enter:

Simply leave a comment on this post! Bonus (not actually, but I’ll be proud of you!) points if you share one thing that you like to do to make the drearier days of the year more lovely, or share a book, song, or Scripture that helps point you to hope and beauty.

If you do want a REAL bonus point, just make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter and let me know that you are in the comments!

I’ll pick two winners on March 13th and reach out to you in the comments.

Stay the course, friends! The days are getting longer, and the day is drawing nearer when Christ will return for His Bride. There is always something beautiful up ahead. โค

-Laurel

December memories – 2024

Goodness sakes…the last blog post of the year!

To hope is to wait with your heart intertwined, knotted up, tied to God Himself.
To be a people of hope is to let go of hoping in all the things of this world, and have all your hope, all your heart, all your aching, waiting expectations, bound to Jesus.

Ann Voskamp

Things worth remembering…

  • Building a book tree with a sister
  • Studying Malachi
  • Seeing Sidewalk Prophets in concert at last!!
  • The drive home with sad songs and 40 ounces of Nighty Night Extra
  • Chik-fil-a, Barnes & Noble, and the guitar shop
  • Christmas lights!!
  • Finishing my short story and getting it out to my newsletter gang
  • Honest, tearful conversations
  • My sisters’ Christmas program
  • Hot cocoa and gift wrapping
  • Savoring the white Christmas while it lasted
  • Singing in five-part harmony around the bonfire
  • Walks on soggy gravel roads when the snow melted
  • Jigging with the youngest sisters
  • A misty moisty morning
  • Several outrageous rounds of Who What When Where Why

That was hope. Not a violent jolt or reawakening,
But the constancy of living as though each moment was worth it,
Rising up under pain because by the power of the living God it will not end us –
It will not end us; it will not end here.

Hannah Hodgson

What I’ve been reading…

The Boys in the Boat – Daniel James Brown

It’s taking me awhile to finish this one, but it’s brilliantly written! I’m just easing into non-fiction again. XD

The Greatest Gift – Ann Voskamp

I didn’t end up reading this one all the way through like I did last year, as I was reading another Advent book (see below).

Advent: a collection – Hannah Hodgson

If only Hannah’s books were available for purchase all the time…her poetry blesses me so much and I want to share it with the world. If you want to catch a glimpse of her poetry, though, go follow her on Instagram!

A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens

Oh, goodness, this book brought me so much joy!

A Thousand Mornings – Mary Oliver

I so wish Mary Oliver had had a better grasp of theology, because if that had been the case this collection would be absolutely flawless. The beauty of her thoughts and way of expressing them is so natural. I adore her poetic style.

A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes…and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.

dietrich bonhoeffer

From the journal…

Oh, Father, help me to catch a vision for something greater than my own life story!

You’re never late, I know.

You have never skimped a single one of your children, Father, and I pray that I would know that deeply, even if Your richness and generosity meet me in this same position of life next year.

Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

Luke 10:21

What are you tucking into your book of memories from this December?

Stay the course!

Laurel

P.S. My short story, Grace Werner’s Perfectly Imperfect Christmas, is available to you for FREE when you sign up for my weekly newsletter! You can do that here. โค

Scripture taken from the New King James Versionยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commissionโ€ฆat no extra cost to you.:)

August Memories – 2024

Another month in review! โค

Pain, if sanctified, creates tenderness towards others.

c.h. spurgeon

Things worth remembering

  • my sister’s graduation party
  • cousin shenanigans
  • mosquito bites and songwriting
  • diving into edits on Project Redemption
  • laughter and encouragement shared via Facetime
  • a sibling bonfire
  • scavenging flowers from the field edge
  • corn day, the slip and slide and moon gazing
  • being at eye level with the hawks or vultures or whatever they were
  • marching out of the grocery store with a shocking amount of mini donuts
  • starting a weekly schedule for my newsletter
  • the first apple fritters of the year

Know the holiness of waiting.

hannah Hodgson

What I’ve been reading

change of state – Hannah Hodgson

And in the tidepools of all the tears there is sea glass and shells, a cradle of mercy; you are producing beauty housed in the presence of God.

One of my very favorite poets finally released a poetry collection!! Hannah portrays grief and loss in the light of the resurrection so beautifully and with such poignance. Sadly this collection was only available for a limited time…but you can read some of Hannah’s poetry over here on her Instagram account. I highly recommend it.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle – Beverly Cleary

The sound of voices so close made Ralph more eager than ever to escape. “No!” he shouted, his voice echoing in the metal chamber. “I won’t have it! I’m too young to be dumped out with the trash!”

Reading this again has been such a joy. XD

Giants in the Earth – O.E. Rolvaag

Her loneliness was so great that she felt a physical need of bringing happiness to some living thing…

I finally finished this book! Towards the end there were a couple of characters that drove me crazy, but it was definitely worth the read and the ending was powerful.

It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly, and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God.

charles spurgeon

From the journal

Oh, Miracle-Worker, may I rest content, joyous even when healing hands seem stilled.

Don’t let my soul live paralyzed!

What made this past month memorable for you?

โค Laurel

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commissionโ€ฆat no extra cost to you.:)

A slight shift…

If you’ve been around the blog for some time, you may or may not have noticed that I haven’t been posting the content I used to share (rambling life observations, mostly!) as consistently as I used to…or at all.

Part of that has been life shifting, part of it was my brain slacking off, and much of it is me reevaluating how I’m using the writing platforms I have.

I’ve really come to miss writing the rambling, more thoughtful posts I used to share here, but as my readership has grown (and as I’ve matured slightly) I’ve decided to start writing them again…but only for my newsletter gang.

The blog will not be going away! I’ll still post my monthly review posts, a bit of poetry and perhaps some book recommendations. But if you’re here for weekly, more casual and heartfelt reads that feel more like catching up over a mug of tea, you’ll want to make sure you’re signed up for the newsletter, because for the next few months at least (hopefully longer!!), that’s what I’ll be sharing over there.

Thank you much for your patience as I navigate the shifting priorities of these platforms!

Have a potato.

โค Laurel

P.S. Oh! Here’s the signup link for the newsletter. โค

The Lost Rose by Victoria Lynn – Cover Reveal

The Lost Rose by Victoria Lynn – Cover Reveal

Isn’t this book cover gorgeous??

Releasing on November 1st, 2024, this is the third book in a non-magical fantasy series, The Chronicles of Elira. The book is available to preorder in ebook, paperback and special edition hardcover!

The blurb:

Years have passed, the world has shifted, and the Eliran people have faced unimaginable loss.

Elgon, ensnared in a royal catastrophe, must navigate betrayals and personal grief. With his kingdom’s fate hanging by a thread, he clings to a sliver of hope, waiting desperately for the return of his most trusted knight.

Malcolm’s quest is a treacherous odyssey, fraught with danger and shrouded in secrecy. With a charge to rescue and protect, the weight of his past mistakes threatens to crush him. Can he redeem himself in the eyes of his brother and king, or will their secret mission be discovered and ended by their enemies?

Rosalie, isolated in a castle tower for most of her life, knows little of the world beyond her prison walls. Rescued by a mysterious stranger and propelled towards her destiny, she embarks on a perilous adventure. Will she survive the grueling journey, or will the trials of a lost heir prove too great?

A knight on a quest, a lost princess, a malevolent foreign ruler, and a secret of epic proportions will alter the fate and future of Elira forever.

Preorder an ebook copy

Preorder a paperback

Preorder a special edition hardcover (think sneak peeks, illustrations and a bonus epilogue!)

Unfamiliar with the series? You can read my reviews for Once I Knew and This Life of Mine!

entry – a poem

entry – a poem

Hello, friends!

This is my first poem inspired by the Holy Week prompts I posted on Instagram! Happy reading…โœจ

what causes a crowd who

welcomed You with praise

to turn on You within a week,

demanding blood?

oh, the power of delusional expectations…

You entered and I answered with joy,

making way for You into the fortress of my heart,

laying down my cloak and willing to lay down my very life

for the King of majesty.

but something changed in my loyalties when

You walked a rocky path spattered with Your own blood

and bid me walk beside You.

this, You whisper, is the test of my love, begging it to become

a love that is not contingent on bloated expectations,

but a love that trusts even when

blood runs into the eyes

and pain carves canyons in the heart.

You ask for humility, not royal robes…

my loyalty, not only my cloak.

Carving legacies in souls

Carving legacies in souls

Hello, friends!

Today’s post is a repost from a couple of years ago that echoes what’s been on my mind lately. I hope you enjoy! โค


What will I leave behind?

Itโ€™s a question thatโ€™s tugged at my attention for years. As I read the stories of eternal heroes with short lives and stared at the caskets of people I held dear, the question haunted my mind.

so small and

insignificant

one breath will

blow this life away, and

what

will be the proof that

it was here?

mangled lives

and broken hearts?

friendships

that were torn apart by

hands that now lie still and cold?

oh, no!

forbid it, Lord!

A month or so ago a friend and I were wandering through a beautiful cemetery that sprawls over several acres of hills. (You know you have loyal friends when they smilingly join you on strange expeditions.) There were so many old gravestones โ€“ some tipped and sinking deep into the soil. Several were ridiculously tall and ornate, but they were so old that wind and water and time had wiped the sentimental words right off of the marker. Their attempts to leave an echo of their greatness were in vain.

Of course I hope that I leave behind me a trail of words that can point others to Christ and to truth decades after Iโ€™m gone, but paper burns. Ink fades. Files become corrupted.

If words are all I leave, Iโ€™ve failed.

For even if my words could surpass the masterpieces of Dickens and Shakespeare,

If I sang with the voice of an angel,

If the world remembers my name until the world stops turning,

But I have not loveโ€ฆ

I am nothing.

oh, Father, keep me

on the sidelines with a loving heart

if I canโ€™t champion the world

with outstretched hands.

Words fade. People donโ€™t.

Letโ€™s live our lives accordingly.

God with us – a repost

God with us – a repost

Hello, friends!

I wrote this two years ago and decided to reshare it because 1.) it was Christmas program weekend (!!!) and that absorbed my thoughts and enthusiasm more than blog posts did, and 2.) it says so much of what’s on my heart again this year. Why try to be original when something old will do? ๐Ÿ™‚

Regardless of whether your joy is full or if it’s something you’re looking hard for this year, this post is for you. โค

Every year we talk about how the Christmas season is so hard for many people.

Itโ€™s always acknowledged, but all the acknowledgements in the world wonโ€™t change the fact that many of us will be crying inside at times this Christmas, even as weโ€™re surrounded by family and friends who love us more than we know.

But donโ€™t you know that this ache, this emptiness, this longing loneliness is the very reason Christmas even exists?

This world is broken. People fail. Hearts shatter. People hurt. People die.

So God wrapped himself in trembling flesh to heal that brokenness for eternity.

God with us.

Not God peering down on us from the heights of His holiness. Not God ruling over us. Not God commanding us from a distant galaxy.

No.

God with us.

God wailing with hunger and cold.

God being carried from His home country to safety.

God playing in the very dirt His fingers once molded to form the first of his people.

God trying to escape the exhausting press of a crowd.

God sleeping in a boat in the middle of a churning sea.

God weeping.

God making a meal for his best friends.

God sweating our blood, pleading with His Father for an easier path.

God dying.

God hurling away our sin and drawing us near to Himself.

God with us.

In our pain, in our sorrow, in our heartbreak, in our loneliness, in our brokenness, in our despairโ€ฆ

God with us.

God promising that the brokenness of this world is not the end. The end of the brokenness will come and seep into eternityโ€ฆ

Us with God.