My Latest Writing Adventure

My friend Jan & I were at it again. We had another writing date and this is what I wrote.

I hope you enjoy it! Please comment to give me any suggestions. I like your input!

SOMEONE IS WATCHING…

She discreetly placed the book on the table in the food court, then walked away. She needed to clock in at “Soupy Suds” to start work. This was not going to be just another boring day in the food court. Today, she was watching people.

Karla had been a student of people since she was a tot. Now, in her sixth year of college, she was planning to make her master’s thesis on peoples’ reactions to the book she had purposely dropped.

The title read: “Someone is watching…” The cover was a paste-up of her own design with a picture of the mall food court from a little above. She’d taken it when she was up on that rising platform cleaning the lighting fixtures above the grill. Then she’d taken another from the top of the escalator and blended the two in her photo editing class.

The first one to come by and check out the book was the manager in the taco stand next door. He just glanced over it and walked on by not giving it a second thought. He was too busy to think of anyone or anything else but work. It seemed to be his life. He certainly spent his entire life at the mall.

Next, the little stooped young man that cleans the floor stopped by and looked at it. Then, he looked up and all around, nervously searching to see who might have him in their vision. Finding no one to fear, he continued sweeping with his dust catcher, looking around timidly every two or three steps. She hadn’t meant to instill fear in this young man. He was quiet and timid and had never been any trouble to a single soul.

Here came the girls from “Only You” store to get their morning lattes. They were giggling at a remark someone had read off of their text message. They were innocent enough. Karla wondered if they had ever had to scrimp and save for anything, like education for instance.

Then, they laughed out loud as the reader tripped because she hadn’t been looking where she was going but only at the phone in her hand. The burst of chuckles stopped short as they saw her suddenly blank expression. She had fallen against a chair and had come face to face with the cover of that book.

When the three petite divas saw it they began to speak in whispers, jumpy at the thought of an imagined stalker waiting in the wings to take advantage of their least indiscretion. The threesome purchased their lattes and headed to open the cheery boutique without the least little bit of cheeriness in their attitudes.

Why hadn’t anyone stopped long enough to open the book, Karla pondered? Inside it held the identity of the One who was really watching.

Pushing and shoving came the group of early adolescents. The boys chortled and shoved, slapped and grabbed at each other causing quite a ruckus in the otherwise calm of the court. When they came by the table with the book, one of them reached out and grabbed it, lifted it up and swatted his friend with it and returned it to its resting place. Another of the young homosapiens made a face upon seeing the book’s cover. Then the entire group followed suit making faces at each other acting like scary jungle creatures peering at their prey. What a fun, rambunctious group of kids.

The book lay there for a while in solitude and stillness until a young business woman came by and smiled upon it as she glanced downward. She went to the counter of the “Salad Stand” and ordered her daily special with an orange juice to drink. Receiving her meal and paying with a smile and a thank you, she returned to the book’s table and sat down. She said a soft prayer and reached for the book as she took her first bite.

As she opened it, she looked past the first page like she was hungry for something more than just the sandwich and drink she’d just purchased. She read for a while, smiling, tearing-up, chuckling then just holding the volume close to her heart. She sat, not looking around, not fearful as the others had been, not nervous or apathetic or jovial as the ones before her. She was at peace!

When she got up to leave, she started to take the paste covered copy with her, then stopping as if in thought, she placed it on another table propping it open this time so that the reader might find the answer before scanning the title and photos on the front. She walked away, confident and thankful with a little more spunk in her step than had been present earlier.

Karla didn’t see the One watching her as she watched each of the others. She didn’t see Him taking notes and His eyes tearing, yet proud as He’d watched her watch them and pray for each one for help and guidance, protection and provision, love and joy and peace. Indeed, Someone was watching but it was not only the girl in the worn-out uniform with the college ID.

Thank you, that Someone for watching out for me!


[Prompt: She discreetly placed the book on the table in the food court, then walked away.]

Just Ask!

Ask --- first word, invokes response.

It all starts with the asking.
It = everything (in this instance)

This morning I asked God to help me find an old piece of calligraphy that I was just sure I’d done, but couldn’t recall a picture of it in my mind.

I knew the verse well, Proverbs 3:5-6. My grandmother had written that verse reference on a baby card she sent to my folks when I was born. It’s been one of my life’s verses.

As I searched through file after file and folder after folder I found many verses and hymns I’d worked with, written out and pasted up. It was a big blessing!

I found that I’d written out the verse in reference but had not done a paste-up with it. I looked through more files and folders and then in the (unthinkable) box under my bed. More blessings unfolded but not a finished verse.

Meanwhile, the Lord was spending the day with me as I read through numerous verses that had been very meaningful to me. He showed me that I had lots more to share. It was like going back home after many years and being comforted by the sights and sounds of memories long gone by.

“Thank you, Father, for taking me there, for leading me by your faithful hand. Thank you for the gifts you helped me to uncover and dust off to enjoy again as if newly given gifts packaged and ready to open, only better.”

You see, it all started with the asking. My friend asked me yesterday for Proverbs 3:5-6 done in calligraphy. I asked God to help me find it and He took me to it by a path on which I hadn’t traveled in years.

“Thank you God!”