Sealed with a Book {Preserve Your Story ~ Day 31}
Dry summer that it was, there was still something to celebrate come fall. The fields and orchards gave a smaller harvest, but a harvest nonetheless. And so, she gathered a basket of Indiana apples under withered leaves and cooked them slow. She drove to my place with...
On Paper, Real Life…and giveaway winners! {Preserve Your Story ~ Day 30}
I had a simple plan for Thanksgiving weekend. I’d bake a dozen biscuits, simmer a batch of fresh pumpkin butter and head over for a hearty meal with the extended family. We’d settle in for good conversation on the couch while the kids burned off energy, sure to...
Friends of the Fiction Writer {Preserve Your Story ~ Day 29}
Tomorrow night, I head down to college town to hang out with some of my favorite lit lovers. He runs the underground archives of the university, the ones he designed and organized himself. She’s a librarian who teaches librarians. And I get the privilege of listening...
A Mini Readership {Preserve Your Story ~ Day 28}
I found myself scratching my head at the end of the story. It had looked like a good one to my son when he picked it out at the school library. How could it not be with a title like Pancakes for Supper? The illustrations were rich and colorful. The main character was...
Drafting with the Pack {Preserve Your Story ~ Day 27}
I step over kid art and toys, all the things that have migrated from their appropriate spaces throughout the house to the communal space here. The counter top, my domain isn’t much better, a mix of junk mail and pans soaking in soapsuds, all waiting for me to get...
The Dish on Articles {Preserve Your Story ~ Day 26}
The first time I ever clicked “follow” in blog world was on Ann Voskamp’s site, A Holy Experience. My friend Sarah had led me to her and I settled right in with the beautiful imagery, the grace-filled moments, and the devotion to God all served up on the farm table....
The Right Container {Preserve Your Story ~ Day 25}
Every time I see a play or musical I get this little itch to join the chorus, or practice for a supporting role. I watch the actors’ confident movements, their convincing voices, all the loveliness of set and costume and literature put to music, and it makes me want...
A Blog that Blossoms…plus an exciting giveaway! {Preserve Your Story ~ Day 24}
{The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your enthusiastic response. Results announced midday on Friday, November 30 here.} After blogging quietly for myself and my family for five years, I started Message in a Mason Jar last November with the intention of...
A Feast of Grammar and Grace {Preserve Your Story ~ Day 23}
We gather around to feast on grace, to celebrate the bounty of the year or to thank Him for the way He’s helped us muscle through hard times, all things through Him who gives us strength. We squeeze tight at the table in the name of family and faith with good gifts...
I’m Darcy Wiley, co-writer of The Yes Effect: Accepting God’s Invitation to Transform the World Around You. I’m an explorer at heart… Read more