Emily C. Gardner 5 Minute Read I like to imagine myself in a Jane Austen novel–engaging in witty banter with a handsome member of the landed gentry, whirling around a ballroom into the wee hours of the morning and taking trips to Bath. But if I’m honest, I find myself identifying less with an Austen heroine and more with one of…
Emily C. Gardner 6 Minute Read Female friendships can be difficult to navigate as much as they are beneficial to the soul. Grace and patience are required in abundance. (But that’s true for any type of relationship, right?!) Reading about friendships provides a unique opportunity to mold and reform your own behavior using a perspective a little further removed from your…
Emily C. Gardner 11 Minute Read Thoughts of talking mice brandishing swords, boys turned into dragons, and the sticky sweet taste of Turkish Delight have filled the imaginative landscape of young and old for decades. I know I’m not the only one who wondered if the magical land of Narnia might exist through one of my closets. Selling over 100 million…
Emily C. Gardner 3 Minute Read She was basically invisible. And, when people did notice, she was looked at with disdain. Society shunned her. They only saw her mistakes and it was their own constructs that kept her ostracized and unwanted. She was imprisoned by shame and guilt and fear and old habits that followed her around like a five o’clock shadow. She…
Emily C. Gardner 5 Minute Read I am no stranger to Fan Fiction. My Jane Austen shelf is populated with the likes of Lost in Austen, Death Comes to Pemberley, and Mr. Darcy’s Diary. While enjoyable, spin offs and add ons don’t always have the same meat, the same chewy substance that leaves you thinking and wanting more, that the original…
Emily C. Gardner 3 Minute Read Since I didn’t date much before I met my husband (and by much, I mean barely at all), that particular season in our relationship has always been a favorite. Dating was fun. The thrill of getting to know someone can be intoxicating. I’m not a naturally talkative person, but I loved staying up late discussing our families,…
Emily C. Gardner 3 Minute Read When I heard we were focusing on the church this month, my mind immediately started compiling a list of all the ways the church wasn’t meeting my needs. I thought those might make an interesting post, coming from a pastor’s wife, in an “everyone has issues with the church” kind of way. With a little one around, I’m…
Emily C. Gardner 3 Minute Read My four-month-old son has fallen fast asleep on the floor next to me. Both arms are spread-eagled, one tiny hand clutched around his cow blanket. He is peaceful and seems oh-so-small compared to the room he occupies. Sometimes it’s hard for me to imagine my little man will one day be a grown man with facial hair…
Emily C. Gardner 3 Minute Read I’ve never considered eating mud. Even as a tot, the thought of slurping up some murky sludge didn’t cross my mind. Some children are much more adept at creating something desirable out of nothing, but no amount of pretending could make me believe dirt and water was actually a chocolate silk pie with clouds of whipped…
Emily C. Gardner 4 Minute Read My introduction to the Bible began with flannel graphs in Sunday school and bedtime stories read by my mom out of an illustrated children’s Bible. I began to memorize individual verses while in the AWANA program and learned about different Bible characters at church and at home. I got my own Bible with papery thin…
Emily C. Gardner 4 Minute Read Four jars sit on my windowsill — a little scoop of sand from a special place held in a timeless embrace of memory in each one. The jars have traveled with me from apartment to apartment, house to house. The clear glass on one jar in particular is a bit smudged and cloudy, wearing its…
Emily C. Gardner 4 Minute Read When I was younger, traditions were the most sacred part of any holiday. Mess with one of the things we did every year and the whole holiday felt off kilter. If the evening didn’t culminate with full bellies and jammies in front of Gramma’s roaring fireplace, it just wasn’t Thanksgiving. If we didn’t drive around in the…
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