Wintersβ Day In
Spilling the tea since 2006. Wanna cuppa?
Conversations on life, faith, stories, and creativity from author and songwriter (and aspiring mermaid) Talena Winters.
An Open Letter to Matt Walsh and My Fellow "Christians"
Let's re-imagine a key scene from the gospels together, shall we?
The gathered crowd shouted in a frenzy of righteous indignation. Shouts of "stone her" and "kill the b__" rose into a cacophonic haze of hatred that all centred on the one young woman, barely clothed, who trembled in terror on the rough ground at their centre.
The Teacher started making his way through the crowd, and when men and women saw the look on his face, they fell back from his path in silence, wondering what he was going to do.
The woman squinted up at him, too, wondering what new terror was upon her.
Do I Care Too Much?
How do you care without bleeding out? How do you protect yourself without becoming callous? How do you draw the line between "making a difference in the world" and "being healthy and whole for me and my family" when your heart breaks every time you hear about the damage done to one of the least of these?
My First Novel is Coming Soon!
I am getting so excited about my upcoming book! Last week, my editor (Lora) contacted me with a super deal to help get my book formatted for print and eBook. I would have been an idiot to turn her down. So starting this weekend, my book will be getting formatted--and I can still work on my taxes! (Not sure if I'm excited about that last part, or not.)
Here is a teaser excerpt from the first chapter to whet your appetite:
Dear Beautiful, Youβre Captivating as You Are
We all have days when we don't feel beautiful. On those days, we need to know that we are precious, we are amazing, and we are loved. We are the apple of our Father's eye.
My First Music Video
A music video for a song I co-wrote called βThe Nails (I Did This For You)β in celebration of Easter.
Hold On, Pain Ends
Grief is a funny thing.
One day, you can be perfectly fine, feel like you have accepted your loss, and that life will once again be wonderful to live.
The next day, you can be on the verge (or beyond it) of tears at every waking moment.
Something Beautiful
Crisis is hard. Grief hurts. But I would much rather be a strong, tall sunflower, or an intricate and complex bonsai, each a masterpiece of beauty, than a poor, coddled sprout that dies young in the luxury of inadversity.
Home, Sweet Bachelorβs Home
When the location is this photographable, you know Iβm going to be taking pictures!
The Great Pacific Northwest (Self-Led) Yarn Store Crawl
The area around Seattle is a knitterβs heaven as far as local yarn stores are concerned. Here are a few we hit up while we were there.
Ringing in the New Year with Sleigh Ride Fun
A quick recap of our holidays, including two very fun sleigh ride adventures we got to experienceβand I got to photograph!
Novel Revisions and Holiday Hopes
Whatβs filling my month: a stomach bug and revising my first novel.
How a conversation with Broadway composer Timothy Huang changed me
My online encounter with Broadway composer Timothy Huang, and how it moved me.