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creative writing

Philosophy of Trees

In her book “Big Magic”, Elizabeth Gilbert writes about how inspiration may appear suddenly and unexpectedly. She describes dreaming an entire short story while she was napping on a commuter train. She awoke, grabbed a pen, and wrote as if some channel had opened up and all she had to do was transcribe it. When I read this, my reaction was a bit skeptical – it seemed to fit a little too well to the theme of her book. Then one early spring day, on a walk through a nearby forest, this tree beckoned me. As I stared at it, the story in this post burst upon me essentially complete. I rushed home and started writing. Sorry I doubted you, Lizzy.

A Strange Dream

Sarah was distraught when Paul died, worried about the consequences for him because he was uncertain about the teachings of all the world’s religions and never accepted Christianity as the eternal truth. A strange dream offered comfort.

The Awkward Beauty of not Knowing

What happens to us when we die? Paul had explored the answers offered by many of the world’s religions but found them all incomplete, somehow. Now time was up and he needed to pick one – or did he?

The Morning After

The counting of the votes in the US election didn’t even begin until I was already in bed and asleep. The next morning was when I would find out who had gotten the most votes. This is my story of that morning.

What Is Love?

We all say “I love you” from time to time – to our spouses, our special friends, our children and our pets. But what does that mean? Ted, facing the imminent death of his long-term partner, seeks an answer in this fictional story.

The Joy of Discovery

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The news seems particularly depressing these days. Have we lost touch with with our capacity to joyfully experience the miracles of our daily life? Here are three short stories where unexpected joy was discovered.

The Abandoned Farmhouse

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Paul thought he was going the visit his sister for a couple of months to help out when their mother died. It didn’t quite work out as he expected.