writing in the margins of life
All year long I've been planning what I would read for Advent. In typical 2020 fashion, those plans fell through and in a last minute decision, I decided that instead of trying to quickly come up with an alternative, I would just read the opening chapters of Luke each day. There's something about reading the [...]
I broke the law once. At least, I think I did. When I was little, I had an odd obsession with the pilgrims. I read every book in our library. I made paper Mayflower ships. I did it all. When I was nine years old, our family took a road trip to Massachusetts, where we [...]
The old Thanksgiving hymn "We Gather Together" has been stuck in my head the last few days. It was stuck in my head as our Governor gave a press conference on Ohio's dangerous spike in cases. It was stuck in my head when our elders let us know we would be cutting back on evening [...]
During one of my last autumn walks this year, I came across an open field on the other side of the woods behind our house. It was close to the elementary school, and the strong scent in the air clued me in to the fact that it had recently been mowed. Well, that, the large [...]
I had written and scheduled a blog post to release this morning. However, yesterday, I learned the tragic news that Tim Challies son, Nick, had unexpectedly passed away. I have postponed releasing any more of my own content for the remainder of the week, and instead would like to ask you to join me in [...]
Words. I’ve grown rather tired of them this year. Everyone has words and most of them contradict, weigh down, and confuse. Are you weary of them, too? As someone who has grown up loving words, this being burdened by them, is a new experience. I recently deleted several social media accounts because I could not [...]
I recently reread Jane Austen's beloved classic, Emma and watched both the 1996 film adaption and the 2009 miniseries. To put it simply, I love that story. I love Emma's character flaws, I love Harriet Smith's gullibility, I love Mrs. Bates rambling monologues on Jane Fairfax, I love Mr. Woodhouse's over-protective father love, and more [...]
She’s called me “Grace” for as long as I can remember. All my birthday cards from her are addressed in that elegant handwriting “Grace.” When she used to call me inside, I’d hear it ring out through the many pine trees behind our house, “Grace!” On the day of my high school graduation, she walked [...]
I accidentally took a month long sabbatical from writing. Perhaps I should say it was accidental on my part, but right on schedule with the Lord's plan. I see now that it was all in His perfect wisdom, because there was much needed work to be done in my heart that could not be accomplished [...]
Did you know it’s not your unwavering faith that keeps you steady but the unwavering Savior in whom your wavering faith is placed? It’s true. Sometimes (a lot of the time) I don’t understand God or how He works. But I know this to be true: He is good. He’s good when I feel it, [...]
Madelyn Istrate 