Tina The Storyteller

The Calling by Rachelle Dekker is the sequel to my favorite book from 2015, The Chosen. In The Chosen, we are introduced to a community that has survived a world wide population near extinction event. There is a group of people that have gathered in a small area that have created a set of rules to help them survive this near extinction event. The majority of those rules revolve around marriage and obedience to the higher powers. In this novel, the story is about a group of renegades who have decided to see what life and marriage can be like outside of those walls. The main character is Remko, who we meet in the first novel and has married Carrington. The two have become integral parts of the rebel group, the seers. Remko because of his guard experience has fallen into the role of protector of this misfit group. He often struggles with the reality that he cannot keep his group safe and eventually has to come to terms with either trusting God or holding on to that fear. One of t...

I have a friend that unfortunately is dealing with cancer. It's a long terrible story that started years ago. Recently, she started chemo, I guess at this point it wasn't that recent. When she first started, I said that I would make a hat for her. She wanted it to be purple. I agreed. The next time I saw her a few months later, I had not made a hat and she was wearing one, a purple one to be exact. Another friend made one for her. She said I could make her a white hat. It moved to the top of my to do list because my slow ways had caused me to miss out. I kept thinking that I need to get to the fabric store, I even had a gift card! Last week, as I drove by the fabric store to get something at a big box store, I lamented that I had indeed forgot to make time to stop by there yet again and did not have my gift card with me. On to the big box store I went. We picked up all the things we needed and wandered over to the toy section to see if they had something that Hannah was...

I'm thankful that we've been able,to have the windows open this week, even if the skunks decide to occasionally frolic in the middle of the night. Oh the unsung joys of life in Michigan. I'm thankful that even though I was scared to have another failure of a loaf, I tried again with the sourdough. Even more thankful that it was edible. I'm thankful that sometimes I walk down the clearance aisle at a random store and find the very thing I was planning on making a special trip for and would have gladly paid full price for on super sale and in the exact color I wanted. I'm thankful that even though I'm more forgetful than I used to be, I remember at some point, normally with enough time to fix it. And if it's not, I'm still sharp enough to figure things out with out it. I'm thankful that sometimes play is the best medicine. What are you thankful for?

I did some fiction writing this weekend, thought you might like to read it! Breaking Bread She stirred the gooey concoction that was her sourdough starter before pouring most of it into a large ceramic bowl. The little that clung to her finger after wiping the edge was too tempting not to taste. The sour flavor was first and foremost. The aftertaste was clean. She set her crock aside and turned her attention to the beginning of the bread she was making. Flour and a little bit of water was all it needed. She mixed them in and turned her attention back to the remnant in the crock. She fed the leftover starter so that the wild yeasts she captured from the air would continue to thrive. Putting a lid on it, she now looked at the clock to see how much time she had before needing to tend the bread again. Only ten minutes more, plenty of time to check her email and facebook. Unfortunately, she had nothing waiting in her inbox. Re reading the recipe would have to do. Finally, time ...

Is it really Thursday? Thursdays seem to sneak up on me lately. But today, I remembered!! I'm thankful for growth! My kid in particular isn't just growing up physically, but academically as well. She's made leaps this year that were a long time coming and now it's as if there was never any struggle at all. I'm thankful for my husband. He's such an amazing man. He does a great job providing for our family and directing us. I can't imagine anyone more perfectly suited to care for our family. I'm thankful for my pets, even if they are a little neurotic sometimes. Especially, Tink who has been having a hard time getting along with Mindy Dog lately. It probably doesn't help that Mindy isn't getting along with her either. I'm thankful for Fred our sourdough boy. He mainly lives in the fridge and eats top shelf flour. But he's fun to have around and occasionally makes us tasty treats. What about you? What are you thankful...