Winters’ Day In
Conversations on life, faith, stories, and creativity from author Talena Winters.
Pour a cuppa and stay awhile.
Hot Alberta Summer and Sphinx's Heart Update
It’s hot! And an update on progress for The Sphinx’s Heart.
The Secret to Breaking Writer's Block: Do It Anyway; Also, an update.
Whether it’s fitness, professional, emotional, or spiritual goals—the only way to reach them is to do the work, whether you feel like it or not. The same is true for Writer’s Block. And, since it’s been a while, there are updates on multiple topics in this post.
Mae Renfroe: Surrendered to God
Mae Renfroe lost her second-eldest son, Clayton, in a quadding accident in April of 2017 at the age of fourteen. Mae and I both hope you will be encouraged by her story.
Puppies and Heroes
For some people, the Christmas season is their most difficult grieving season of the year.
Not me. With the passing of Noah's birthday on February 26, I have been descending pell-mell down the slope of anniversaries that bring up bittersweet memories of Levi.
Apparently, getting puppies is how I deal.
Author Interview: About Me and "Finding Heaven"
On Sunday afternoon, I had the privilege of being interviewed on Facebook by author Joy Norstrom, one of the authors with whom I am co-hosting the Inspiring Women event at Audreys Books in Edmonton on Thursday. (The other is P.D. Workman.) For posterity's sake, and in case you missed it, I am copying the interview here.
Celebrations
How we celebrated Levi's birthday, and the saga of the passing of the Caravan.
Photo Friday: Difficult Discoveries
"It's your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you." - Rumi
Photo Friday: Tears of Joy and Sorrow
"Grief is in two parts. The first is loss. The second is the remaking of life." - Anne Roiphe
Joy Comes Softly
Every day is another step forward. Every day, grief morphs and whirls and changes into a different shape, like dancing aurora borealis. And lately, I have been surprised by joy.
Time Goes By
In a way, every day, every moment sine June 3, 2015 has been a "first" in this first year since I went from being merely a parent of four boys or an adoptive parent to a bereaved parent. Every day, there are things that trigger my tears. Some of them are quite small and seemingly insignificant--but even something that might seem small to others can leave my heart weighed down by stones too heavy to lift for most of the day.
What I Wish I Could Tell You
Dear Levi...
I can't tell you how many things this year I wish you could have done with us, or the things I wanted to show you. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to hold you close or hear your laugh. I can't tell you how broken I feel without you here.
I learned so much from being your mama. And by God's grace, I am learning still,
Endings and Beginnings
As a reader, I always thought that the ending was the goal. And it is. But it never occurred to me that it was the well-written middle that actually got me there as inevitably as a cart on a roller coaster track.
If only life had someone writing me out of my "swampy middles."