Note by Note

 Hello, friends! Has it been a month already?? Between normal responsibilities and studying for the National Bible Bee I've had very little time to sit down and write lately. However, today I am pleased to present to you my latest Scriptorium submission! I hope you enjoy it! Tally ho! Rachael Anne 2 Corinthians 12:5-10: Christ in Me Broken. That was all I could think as I stared at my hands.  I had spent a good amount of an evening playing volleyball with the youth at my church. When it was my turn to serve I sent the ball over the net at the same moment I felt a searing pain in my wrist. I shook it off, chalking it up to my puny girl hands, and played the rest of the evening. Little did I know that two days later I would find damage to my hands, wrists, and shoulders. As I stared down at my hands, willing them not to hurt, I couldn’t help asking the Lord “Why?” Why me? Why do I have to have such painful hands? Why does my body rebel at sports or lifting heavy things? Why can’...

 The sun is rising, birds are singing, and everything is exploding to life in every color imaginable! Happy May morning, my friends, and welcome to another ramble with Rachael!  There is just something about stories that draws us in, isn't there? There's something about a twist of words, a turn of the plot, that makes us turn the page and delve deeper into mysteries previously unheard of. There's something wild and majestic in a story, something that is beyond us to understand. Yet it is something that draws us irresistibly.  The books among my favorites are not so because they have only a splash of romance ( Fawkes) , a daringly dangerous quest ( Lord of the Rings) , swordplay ( The Knights of Arrethtrae ), or harrowing intrigue ( The Book of the Wars ). Yes, those things only make me love them more, but that's not why I go back and read them again. And again. And again. It's the ache I have when I finish reading them that puts them among my favorites. Do you know ...

My lovely manager, Sam, checking out my books:)   May I have a drumroll, please??? I am so excited to announce that DEAR MR. COVID IS LIVE ON AMAZON!!!!!! Hop on HERE to order it right now!  Dear Mr. Covid  If you would, please leave me a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. It would be super, super helpful to get your feedback, and it will also promote Dear Mr. Covid to other readers. :) I'm also blessed to share a little note of encouragement about glorifying God through writing. I hope you enjoy it! Have you ever written something that seemed marvelous and beautiful in the moment, but when you came back to it the magic was gone? That little spark that got you started has disappeared between the time you started and the time you came back to it. And now you feel empty.  Has that ever happened to you? If it hasn’t yet, it probably will! I’ve only been writing seriously for a few years, but I’ve had that feeling many times. I look at the words I’ve managed to string to...

  Good morning, friends! Isn't it wonderful to wake up with a fresh start every day? I decided to post something a little different today, so here is a short snippet I wrote for a writing challenge (it's based off the picture!). I hope you enjoy it! Tally ho! Rachael Anne The Tea Party Footprints followed him through the dew-drenched glade. A red bird trilled almost directly overhead, scolding him for disturbing the quiet of a hundred years. But he didn’t listen. He waved to the bird and kept walking.  He hadn’t noticed before, but the glade had surely been touched by time. It wasn’t as obvious as a railroad cut through the countryside or a deforestation project. It was subtle: trees leaning over the glade instead of standing upright, moss covering spaces that had been pools the last time he walked here. Oh, it saddened him. He hated to think that a place so idyllic - a place so far removed from everyday life - could possibly have changed. Had it only been two years? He steppe...

Photo found on Canva Hello, y'all! Happy Saturday! It's been a rough week for yours truly and I wanted to pop over to jot down some thoughts.  Think of the strongest person you know. Maybe it's your mom. Maybe it's an older sibling or a close friend. Maybe it's yourself. Maybe you're the parent or older siblings. Do you feel strong? As the oldest of four kids, I know it's a hard label to live up to. There seem to be some unspoken rules sometimes, rules like "Watch out for the younger ones" and "Be a good example." And I'm not saying that's a bad thing; sometimes it's just awfully hard. For me, it's been especially hard the last few days.  Some things have been going on in my life and I'm still trying to understand what all is happening. But the long and short of it is this: I'm fearful. Not the "there's a monster under my bed!" scared or the familiar "sharks and spiders" scared. No, this is ...

Good morning, friends! I know that it's only Tuesday, but I wanted to share something that's been on my heart. Yesterday I stumbled across a music video that reminded me of the persecuted church. We don't often find ourselves facing opposition for our faith, do we? We live our lovely, peaceful lives in the States; we tithe to help Christians under fire; and, at least in my case, we attend church every Sunday without thinking about the people who don't have churches.  I was reminded that every day, all over the world, people are coming under fire simply for believing in Jesus. They don't have their own copy of God's Word while I have at least ten in my house. They can't gather with other believers while I see them every week. It's sobering, isn't it? Have you ever stopped to think about it? Do you know if you would be willing to die for Jesus' name? Yesterday, I had to admit I don't know.  I am not brave. So many times I've been given the ...

  Hello there! Welcome to Note by Note! I'm Rachael Anne, the brains behind the blog, and I'm so pleased you've stopped by! Pull up a stool (pardon the books) and pour yourself a cup of tea.  Well, here we are! Since I've been waiting for about a year for my life to get less busy so that I could fully commit to writing and blogging, and since that day will probably never come while I'm still in school, the Lord told me that if there was ever going to be a time to start it's now.  And so here I am with a half thought-out plan and not a whole lot of time to devote to this blog. My prayer is, no matter what, my words will be encouraging and Jesus' name will be lifted up. 1 Timothy 4:12 tells us, "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and purity." For the season of life that I'm currently in, this has been one of my theme verses.  I am in no way a model of perfection. Jesus...