Grace Writing

Every time I venture outside, a new story comes to mind. When I read the news or am told of a major event, BAM! new story idea. When I’m listening to a song, here comes a new idea. Even when I see a cool-looking tree, a new story idea pops into my head! . . .okay, that last one might be just a little bit of an exaggeration, but I think you get the point. For me, the problem with writing stories isn’t that I can’t come up with an idea, the problem is that I have WAY too many ideas in my head and I can’t narrow them down. Do you have this problem? Do you ever find yourself wondering “How on earth can I choose the right idea out of so many millions?” Well, if you do, I might be able to help you with that. This is my process for when I’m having troubles with choosing the right story. To start out, I try writing an outline down. If I know that I’m not going to forget my new story, then I find myself less likely to feel bad about cutting it for now. Sometimes, I try to write all of the

   I decided that the previous list of things that I've learned from living in my household simply didn't cover it all. So, I chose to write a second part. 1. Daddy’s girls are smart and pretty 2. Everyone loves listening to Mom and Dad’s memories from when they were little 3. Now is always the time for a water fight 4. When playing with Nerf guns, you aren’t allowed to be a wimp. So what if you got shot in the eye? 5. Rub a little dirt on it 6.  Movie time is fun. . . especially when you can quote every word that’s said 7. Science experiments are fun, especially when something explodes 8. Requirement: when listening to music in the car, everyone must sing along 9. When playing poker, your sister cheats. As she says, “Doesn’t everyone?” 10. Warning: When playing Spoons with your family, you may acquire injuries 11. Every time we visit Saptree Grandma, you get an overabundant amount of dessert 12. You’re never too old for a new stuffed animal

 1. God comes first 2.It’s okay to ask questions 3.You must burst into song at least once daily 4.There is a movie quote for everything 5.No need to be competitive, just have fun 6.You always go to church, and there’s no excuse not to 7.Go ahead and have seconds… 8.Cooking with mom is fun 9.If Mom uses your middle name when addressing you, you know you’re in big trouble 10.Every time parents use your name when speaking to you, the first thing you ask is “What did I do this time?” 11.You shouldn’t force hugs on people. . . but Grace will do it anyway 12.Dad gets the comfy chair 13.Whether we say it out loud or not, there is assigned seating at the breakfast table 14.Family time is important 15.When Mom is reading, the rest of the world no longer exists 16.Puzzles are fun 17.We are beautiful children of God 18.Personal devotions are a must 19.“If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” 20.Siblings are special 21.“Just because you say n

The days of the earth are numbered very few But the days of the earth are a very happy few The sunshine will glisten and give us hope The stars will shine and give us beauty The raindrops will patter and give us life The snow will drift and give us love And the wind will blow and give us breath The days given to us are a gift from the Lord And the days given to us will be in our hearts forevermore The Lord loves us so much He gave us all this And for that reason we will praise Him The One worthy of all our hope Worthy of all our beauty Worthy of all our life Worthy of all our love Worthy of all our breath

I love my Mama! Today is my mom’s birthday, and I decided that I wanted to write a little bit about her. . . and how lucky I am to have her. My Mom is absolutely amazing. She teaches me and cares for me, loves me and is always there when I need her. She cooks delicious food and always has the perfect movie quote to fit any situation. But, most of all, my mother teaches me all about God. My Mom is always there when I have questions about the Bible, or about God. She’s always there when I need her to pray with me, or when I need her to pray for me. She shows me God’s love and makes sure that I know I am never alone, because she and God will always be by my side. I am the luckiest girl on the planet. So, Mom, since I know that you’ll read this, I want you to know that I appreciate and love you with all of my heart and that you mean everything to me. You matter to me so, so much, and I can never even put my love for you into words. I love you with all of my heart, and that

After traveling for ages and revisiting all of the wonderful people in the Unite d States, it was finally time for my family to return to Chiang Mai. In order to do this, we had to fly on three different flights. The first one, coming from Chicago and going to Shang Hai, took fifteen hours, which was actually more time than it had taken to arrive in Chicago in the first place. After that, the flight from Shang Hai to Bangkok took around four hours. From then it was super simple. A single hour’s flight to Chiang Mai. I figured I could handle that, even though I don’t enjoy flying and I had practically begun to drive myself crazy with my own ridiculous thoughts. I soon found out that the layover was going to be the boring and annoying time in my travels. We landed in Bangkok at around 1:30am, but our next flight didn’t leave until 8:00am that same morning. I was about ready to have a breakdown. Thoughts were raging through my head. “I have to stay here HOW long? What am I suppo