Once upon a time, three gnome brothers lived together beneath an old cedar tree. One day, the oldest brother told the youngest brother, “Torin, we need to find a new home. The one we live in is getting too small.” Torin agreed. “That is true, Durin, but we must get Sarin to agree.”

I  love watching the night sky. The stars are so beautiful and overwhelming. I consider myself an amateur stargazer in the loosest sense of the word. When life is in chaos, I look up at the sky, take a deep breath, and find peace in my soul. If the God of the universe can keep up with all those celestial beings and keep them where they are supposed to be, then God can keep up with me and keep me in orbit, too. 

To confess or not confess that is the question on Mira’s mind. It was true that her mother, Queen Sasha, did not know who let the assassin into the castle gates, but it was also true that the queen had threatened the culprit with the dungeons. Would her mother show her only daughter forgiveness if she confessed to be the one who let him in?

Isabelle woke up just like any other day. Her hair was messy, her pajamas were askew, and her teeth needed some serious brushing. Although it felt like an ordinary day, it wasn’t. Today was the day she would become queen of the entire realm of Shodundra. After that realization, she flung the covers back over her head as her perky handmaiden, Marci, bounded into the room.

Our emotions are not always fun to deal with, especially if they are negative, like sadness, anger, envy, etc. However, emotions are how we interact with the world and truly understand how the world impacts us. For example, you could not truly love something or someone if you did not have emotions. You would just be indifferent toward your favorite human, food, etc. You wouldn’t even know you had a favorite anything.

We live in a culture where we are always striving to be better. We want to look better, feel better, work better, and live better. We read self-help book after self-help book to show us how to be better. We subscribed to every diet and fitness program. We keep us with the latest trends. We spend a lot of time and money trying to be better. However, being better is not what we need. We need to be ourselves.

I enjoyed making some beautiful wreaths to celebrate Advent and the Christmas season. The cedar cuttings, the privet berries, and the bright holly berries just made my holidays magical. I am very blessed that others wanted to enjoy these natural creations, too. In a season where everything is so busy and hectic, it was nice to pause and take in nature’s calmness. It allowed the season to be put into perspective: The Creator decided to come to dwell among the creation.

For many people, Spring is the season of newness and renewal. However, for me, that season has always been Fall. The crisp, cool air of Fall awakens something deep within me that knows whatever has happened is no more and whatever lies ahead holds all possibilities. This is the season that we return to school, create new routines, and even develop new habits.