writing in the margins of life
When my sister-in-law got married a little over a year ago, I was honored to say a few words at the reception as the matron of honor. I chose to read a verse from Samuel Rutherford's hymn The Sands of Time Are Sinking as it has shaped my view of marriage possibly more than anything [...]
I sat on the playground once with a co-worker of mine while her kids played on the swings. It was the last work day of the school year and we’d just finished cleaning out our classrooms before summer vacation. I watched her son swing back and forth and her daughter dance around in the spray [...]
I’ve struggled to know how to put pen to paper (theoretically) after a year’s absence. There are so many things I want to say. However, one of the key things I’ve learned this last year is there is a time and place for things, and I’m not certain public writing is the place for all [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Sweet baby sister of mine, I can't believe you're here. You'll learn to sit up as I take college finals. You'll crawl across the room as I drive myself to work. You'll take your first steps as I walk the stage to receive a diploma. You'll start Kindergarten as I pursue my career. You'll struggle [...]
In January I set a goal to write one blog post a month. My schedule has consistently increased in activity over the last several months and I knew anything more rigorous would, in the words of a lady at church, "not be wisdom." Once a month. I could do that. I wanted do it. I [...]
Madelyn Istrate 