Prompt: a restaurant, a couple at a fancy dinner—a man gets down on one knee and then the girls throws up in his lap. Jack’s leg was so twitchy that he was afraid June would notice. The wine had already been poured, he was just waiting on the creme brûlée. Finally, the waiter appeared, placing…
Blog
Pastor Paul (FF#6)
Prompt: one sunny spring day, a new pastor, Paul, arrived at Elmdale Park Church. The next day, the murders began. The murders had really started at Paul’s first church, Family Life. As an associate pastor, Paul’s responsibility was congregational care. The morning after his visit to an elderly parishioner, she was found dead in her…
The Black Forest (FF#5)
Prompt: A young woman with a mysterious past, a village at the edge of the Black Forest and your aunt’s goat has disappeared. Often, when I’m at the river, gathering water, I see her walking as if her feet don’t touch the ground, her flax dress glows against the dark shadows of the forest on…
Squeak (FF#4)
Prompt: a mouse who lives in an abandoned house who discovers humans. The first clue was the loud bang from the front of the house. The second was the loud pounding over her head. In her many weeks of living, Squeak had never been so over-whelmed. Upon investigation, Squeak found more clues: bright lights in…
Home Alone (FF#3)
Prompt: A 12 year old boy, home alone, who heard a voice from the other room Oliver’s head snapped around in the direction of the kitchen. He was sure he’d just heard a voice, but he knew no one was home with him. Mom and Dad were at the Johnsons, Jenny was with friends. He…
Meat Eater (FF#2)
Prompt: Anne goes to a BBQ at her new boyfriend’s place. She is a staunch vegan. Anne took a deep breath to steady her nerves, inhaling the noxious fumes of smoked meat. While Springdale smelled like a BBQ joint every sunny Saturday afternoon, Anne never partook in the carnage of meat eating, but after their…
Misplaced (Flash Fiction #1)
(Here follows the first of many flash fiction stories I am writing in response to prompts given to me by friends. Each of these stories are inspired by a prompt of a character, a setting and a problem. The only requirement I’ve given myself is that the story make sense and be less than 250…
What I want you to know about Autism
(Reprinted from TayloredIntent.com. Originally published on 4.14.22. The words are all mine.) What do I want you to know about autism? Since I am neuro-typical, I can only give you a mother’s perspective. So, last night, I asked my 15-year-old with autism what they want people to understand about autism. After a moment’s thought, they…
What does it mean to “find yourself”?
I am in the middle of my mid-life crisis, so at least my 16 year old says. How does she know? Because I have ceased caring about how much my people will tease me about it and have started to purchase little things I love for our house. In my case, this comes in my…
Plant Based Eating Month Reflection#1: How we got here
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my own personal journeys–in relationships, in parenting, in my faith and calling, and around food and health. I rather enjoy thinking about food and health. In fact, throughout my entire adult life, I have believed that food has the power to heal and to harm and the…
