It’s been a few months since I wrote a blog post. And before that, it had been almost a year.

What have I been up to? Many of you may not know that in 2010, my husband passed away from a tragic work accident. My faith in God remained strong through my grief, but the light of joy in my life was buried in darkness. For several years, I floundered like a fish out of water as I tried to find my path as a widowed single mom.

After my kids were raised, I found my way back to church to stay. In November 2021 I returned to the church I was raised, married, buried my parents and my husband in. Friends welcomed me back with open arms.

I began working with the Sunday morning children’s ministry. That led to writing curriculum, coming up with ideas and activities for usually two or three children.

I found my joy in life again.

But I stopped writing fiction. Instead, my focus was on God’s word. Bringing stories and Bible truths to life for kids. My heart expanded as I found fulfillment spending time with the kids.

Soon, almost three years had passed since I’d written a word of fiction. I really felt there were stories in my head that needed to be told, about characters who’d stayed in the back of my mind as I went about the normalcy of life. Every time I tried to write about them, however, I felt writer’s block.

In June, a few weeks ago, I rented a room at a bed and breakfast in a town not far away from home. The 130-year-old house with 11,000 square feet was steeped in local history. They had a twenty-four hour kitchen and my favorite brand of coffee with a Keurig.

I’d recently purchased a mini word processor that was like a laptop only made for writing. There aren’t many editing keys so it’s hard to go back and change what I write. That moves the story forward without distractions. I put it to use. One early morning in their back sunroom I broke through the writer’s block.

I returned home, and within three weeks I’d completed a novella. I’m currently working on a sequel to one of my other books and hope to have it done this month. Ambitious, you might say, but doable.

What happened to writing for children’s ministry?

There are many good resources available and while I am stepping back as leader of the children’s program, I am going to continue as a helper or shift my focus to the younger age.

God is faithful. In spite of my husband’s death, or maybe because of it, I understand the faithfulness of God. There were dark times, but God shone his light through them, like light through the trees of a forest. Friends, family and especially my children brought joyous moments and filled my life with love and blessings.

One day, I broke through the forest. The joy of the Holy Spirit brought me out of the darkness and shadows.

Was it easy? Was it perfect?

No, and no. But it was a change that I felt and showed in the way I looked at life and handled its challenges.

Walk this road with me. Cast all your grief and failures on Jesus. His shoulders are strong enough to carry your burdens. His Holy Spirit longs to fill your heart with joy and love and peace and all of the blessings of God the Father.

In times of uncertainty, I choose to remain faithful to God and stand in his strength. Let me be the hand that reaches out to you and helps you out of the pit of darkness.