Be small in a big world, Little girl. Run free and fast and happy, While you have the strength, And stamina, And the painless ease, Of good knees. Run, With the wide stride of an athlete, Competing with the last joy, A lithe, gliding repeat, Of the same song you just sang, In a new key, With a new beat, A familiar innovation, And a singalong chorus. Enjoy your smallness, Before your head blocks … [Read more...] about Enjoy Your Smallness
Home. Life.
Why the Resurrection Means So Much
Happy Easter! I love this holiday, this season of hope and resurrection. If Jesus rose from the dead, then everything else comes into focus and balances against that cloud-cresting mountain of meaning. The resurrection of Jesus shows us that our troubles aren’t final and our weakness and failures aren’t eternal. Our sickness, suffering, and sin are a part of our story, not the last, sad … [Read more...] about Why the Resurrection Means So Much
Reading Together: A Real, Shared Adventure
Reading is always more than it seems. What Twila Farmer so beautifully painted here is a vision of what I dream. A child receiving from a parent who is giving, but also receiving. Their imaginations are knit together. They are where they are, but are also off on a daring, shared adventure. The journeys we go on together in books are real. They do not happen in the same sense that an embodied … [Read more...] about Reading Together: A Real, Shared Adventure
Saying Yes By Saying No: Taking a Social Media Break
“I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello!” —The Beatles I love saying yes. Yes is often scary, but it’s the way I want to be. I want to show up and be faithful and hopeful in my callings. The main thing “yes” people have to do, I think, is say “no.” Because when you say YES, you are saying NO. You’re saying no to all the things you’re not going to do in order to do what you most must … [Read more...] about Saying Yes By Saying No: Taking a Social Media Break
S. D. Smith’s 44th Birthday is Happening Today On His Birthday (Today)
It’s my 44th birthday! It feels like I am older than ever before. I was born in a blizzard. Interestingly, we are also having weather today! It’s going to be a good day. I want to say four things I’m thankful for because (A) you can’t stop me—nice try, sucka—and (B) forty-four things is too much for me to manage at this age. 1) I am so grateful for my mother! Barbara … [Read more...] about S. D. Smith’s 44th Birthday is Happening Today On His Birthday (Today)
2020, Am I Right? A Brief, Grateful Remembrance
Last year was tough for most of us, and so many continue to struggle through sickness, loss, economic instability, and other divisions and uncertainties. It’s been a painful opportunity for growth, and I’m hopeful about how God will use this chapter in our lives. The story isn’t over.As for us, we had our coast to coast book tour cancelled, which was a bummer because we wanted to see lots of … [Read more...] about 2020, Am I Right? A Brief, Grateful Remembrance
I Write New Stories with an Old Soul from The Forge
I’m Sam. I’m married to beautiful and brave Gina and we have four sweet Smithereens. We live in West Virginia and, despite some serious challenges our community faces, we love it. We wouldn’t trade places with the most famous urban elites. I write New Stories with an Old Soul from The Forge—my writing shed about ten steps behind the photographer in the image above. I love writing adventurous … [Read more...] about I Write New Stories with an Old Soul from The Forge
Sam (S. D.) and Gina Smith Announce Launch Dates for Ember Rising: The Green Ember Book III!
Hope you'll come along for the journey as we launch Ember Rising: The Green Ember Book III into the world! … [Read more...] about Sam (S. D.) and Gina Smith Announce Launch Dates for Ember Rising: The Green Ember Book III!
A Cathedral of Words
I wrote this little poem in a minute while listening to a man talk about how bygone builders approached the architecture of angels. He spoke of how they built grand spires and sacred spaces with an expansive imagination for the ages. He challenged us to consider what we were building. Would it last? I thought, I am only telling stories to children. And this came out. It will have to serve for now … [Read more...] about A Cathedral of Words
Marginal Faith: You Probably Should Be Doing Less
Have you ever read a book that was inviting and endearing, but the words ran all the way to the edge of the book? Probably not. Stories without margins are nearly impossible to enjoy reading. It’s the same with life stories. Margin is not the wasted space on the page where more words could have gone if only we would knuckle-down and work harder. Margin is the place where the words we carefully … [Read more...] about Marginal Faith: You Probably Should Be Doing Less
Think Small: Pick Only a Few Things. Do Those With All Your Heart.
Scholars agree that the Crane Technique, if done right, cannot be defended. Mr. Miyagi pointed this out in the Eighties and it’s since been tested by roughly every single one of the humans who were boys in that era. I refer, of course, to that cinematic masterpiece, The Karate Kid. After I saw that movie, I ran around kicking air, punching boards, and, most importantly, trying out the Crane … [Read more...] about Think Small: Pick Only a Few Things. Do Those With All Your Heart.
An Ogre’s Castle and My Own Cottage
I’m writing this in the Forge. A bluejay is bouncing outside my window in front of an ambling caravan of deer. Squirrels range through the trees behind and the leaf-strewn trampoline sits there pouting, waiting for children to liven up its otherwise sedentary life. I have so much to be grateful for. God has been profoundly kind to me, even amid challenging and painful times. Life is hard for all … [Read more...] about An Ogre’s Castle and My Own Cottage