writing in the margins of life
“You look beautiful in 'lellow,' Ms. Madelyn.” She was in my arms, had put her little hands on my face and said it with the deepest sincerity. I chuckled and thanked her, setting her back down on the floor so she could join her other friends playing with baby dolls. Yellow isn’t my color. I [...]
In November of 1820, a massive sperm whale intentionally slammed into the whaling ship Essex. In a matter of hours, the 238 ton ship was sunk, by a single whale. The crew of the Essex, a total of twenty-one, survived in the smaller whaleboats used to ride out and harpoon whales to extract oil and [...]
Lullabies played in the background, and I shuffled quietly around the children drifting off to sleep as I gathered my things for my lunch break. I turned the light off, pulled the door closed, waved to my assistant, and left the school for my car. There were dried tears on the shoulder of my shirt [...]
My bedroom window looks out on our pasture. Grass enclosed by an old fence stretches all the way to the tree line at the back of the property. The old weathervane on one of the fence posts sways gently when the wind blows, and if you're outside at the right time you can hear it [...]
"All music is created equal." I remember my piano teacher telling me this after I informed her the piece she'd just assigned was "too hard" for me to sight read. She sat there, took a sip of her coffee and bounced her baby on the knee before continuing, "You know how to read music, Madelyn. [...]
Several months ago I had the pleasure of sitting down to discuss books and writing with Jaquelle Ferris, the author of This Changes Everything and podcast host of Age of Minority. It was a pleasure to talk with her. I hope you enjoy what she had to say as much as I did! Tell us [...]
Summer is usually my most productive time as a reader. But not this year. This summer I read the first volume of Elisabeth Elliot's biography, and the first 141 pages of The Fellowship of the Ring. The slow plodding through the latter is in part due to the fact that as much as I love [...]
I was walking out to my car carrying an armload of Bibles, sketchbooks, and coats when I heard her call my name out from across the parking lot. She was standing in the church's side doorway, waving her arm to get my attention. I stopped, and we met halfway. "I have something for you!" she [...]
I had the pleasure several months back to sit down with Dr. Ray Rhodes Jr. and discuss his newest book, Yours 'Till Heaven: The Untold Love Story of Charles and Susannah Spurgeon. Long-time readers will remember when he and I talked about his first book on the Spurgeon's in 2018 (you can find that interview [...]
It was still dark out this morning as I rummaged through the cabinet in search of a mug I felt like using. Moving several out of the way, I found an old one tucked back in the corner. It was white, with what used to be a gold handle, now with a only few traces [...]
Madelyn Istrate 