Note by Note

 Good morning, friends!  Today I am bringing you another book review! Just a few weeks ago I finished reading Before You Me et Prince Charming by Sarah Mally, and WOW it was so good! The book is described as A Guide to Radiant Purity and is directed toward young ladies, so if you are not a young lady (or a parent of a young lady) you may not find this post very interesting or applicable. :) Let me start by saying that I really needed to read this book. It's been sitting on one of the bookshelves in the basement for a few years and I've always told myself, "I'm good. I don't need to read that." Sometimes I'm glad to be wrong, and now I'm wishing I had read it sooner! I have found myself in almost constant battle against our culture, more specifically our culture's views on relationships, and often wondering what resources I can turn to for encouragement. Ms. Mally weaves Biblical principles, personal experience, and practical advice into a book that...

  Written March 2021 We’ve all felt the push of perfection. Maybe at school you’re pressured to wear the right clothes, say the right things, or have the right friends. Maybe at work you’re told to never make a mistake because no one will trust you with that task again. Maybe your family tells you to bring them honor and make sure no one sees the arguments or fights. And maybe, just maybe, you feel trapped under the weight; the burden of perfection. Isn’t it that way even when someone simply asks us how we are? “How are you?” is a loaded question, one that most people choose to respond to with “I’m fine.” We don’t want people prying into our lives because we’re scared of what they might say or how they might think of us. We’re scared that their opinion of us might drop and the fear of being judged cripples us before we can even say a word. Is this you? It’s okay to admit it.  You’re not alone, friend. I know I have this fear of imperfection too. Every time I walk into work or ...

Good morning, friends! The clouds are growling, the sun is hiding, and Rachael is finally sitting down to write another blog post! So many times I've been told that it's a good idea to stockpile blog posts in advance, and now that I haven't posted in nearly a month I'm starting to see the wisdom of that plan! Lord willing I'll be able to make some time to write down some posts beforehand and, hopefully, get better at making my self-imposed deadlines. I'm coming to you with yet another piece of news. I'm excited to announce that I was a winner for the April Scriptorium Challenge! (If you don't know what that is I encourage you to visit their website: Challenge (scriptoriums.com) ) I hope you are encouraged by reading my thoughts.  Tally ho! Rachael Anne Matthew 10:24-33: Whoever Denies Me… I swallowed. I knew I should say something. A clear path had just opened for me to mention my faith, that I did Bible Bee for half the year and what an impact it has on...

 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, my friends! I have a bit of exciting news for you today. My second poetry book, Dear Mr. Covid, is launching NEXT WEEK!!! Today I have a post about everyday poetry as well as a sample of the poems you will find in Dear Mr. Covid. I hope you enjoy! Maybe you’ve never written a poem in your life, except for those silly ones they make you write in English class. Or maybe you’ve written dozens of poems before and you want to see what this other poet has to say. Maybe you find it easy to sit down and spin off tales with rhymes and meter to boot, or maybe you struggle to make it through one line.  Maybe you’re even wondering right now, “What is a poem?” “What is the first thing I do when I start a poem?” The first thing I can tell you is that there is no magic formula. There is no secret that we poets have mysteriously hacked into. We’re all just a bunch of people who have decided to make words look like art, and sometimes that art looks pretty terrible. But we don’t...