Kelly Irvin
Strong Women. Powerful Stories.
The word shake is versatile. It can be a noun or a verb. Its range of meaning run from horrifying to sublime. Shaking in my shoes Shaken not stirred. (No, I have no personal knowledge of this one.) Shake and bake. Shaken baby. He’s got the shakes Chocolate Milkshake Shake it, baby, shake it. (No, …
For the first time in my life, I want to turn away from the six o’clock news. Or any news, period. It’s so tempting to avoid the images of war, terrorist attacks, murders, and the daily dose of political egocentricity from both sides of the aisle. But I can’t. And I would argue neither should …
A couple of weeks ago my friend Laura Mick posted a “Ponder Anew” blog by Jonathan Aigner criticizing modern church worship (sometimes called faith) music and bands. I found it, as I commented then, a bit snarky. But I ignored my feelings and moved on. Or so I thought. It’s been eating at me ever …
I published my first inspirational Amish romance five years ago. I didn’t start out to write about the Amish. Quite frankly, it was my dear agent Mary Sue Seymour’s suggestion. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it. I did a great deal of research before starting that first book, To Love and To Cherish. …
Lately I’ve been worried that I might be losing my mind. I find myself in the kitchen and I can’t remember why. I fear I’ve lost my glasses when they’re perched on top of my head. I’m sure I’ve misplaced my phone and I’m talking on it. I blame it on lingering chemo brain and/or …
Earlier this week, I broke my ironclad rule of no TV (other than news) during the day in order to watch Christian artist Mandisa be interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. Mandisa’s song “Overcomer” served as an anthem for me after I received my diagnosis of ovarian cancer in January 2016. The song’s …
Remember that old song, “I’ve got a joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, to stay?” I thought of it recently when my Sunday school was discussing the difference between joy and happiness. We’re studying 1 John and the topic of joy came up because John wrote to believers this about …
Amy Krause Rosenthal wrote 28 children’s books and two memoirs as well as being a film maker and radio show host. However, many people only became aware of her after she penned an essay for The New York Times entitled “You May Want to Marry My Husband.” According to The Times, 4.5 million people read …
As I left the neighborhood this weekend to go to a meeting, I lamented how dreary and “ugly” it’s been here in South Texas for the past week. No sun in at least five days. Then I turned onto the road behind our subdivision and saw a massive carpet of beautiful bluebonnets blooming in a …
The season of Lent began on March 1 with the traditional Ash Wednesday services, and with it, the usual dilemma over what to “give up.” I grew up attending a Methodist Church in Abilene, Kansas. We didn’t do the ashes or give up things. I knew about it because my grade school didn’t have a …
February 14. We all know what day that is. If you have a significant other and you’re don’t, it’s likely you’re dead man/woman walking. For my husband and me, Valentine’s Day has double significance. We also celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary this year. Naturally, I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve learned about the institution of …
Every Sunday when folks arrive at the double doors at Northwest Hills United Methodist Church, volunteers are there to greet them with hugs, handshakes, and chatter. Inside the doors, sits a special greeter in his wheelchair, armed with a smile and a firm handshake. I’ve grown to look forward to Lee Whetherhult’s greetings. He always …
No one is talking. Or making eye contact. We’re a group of strangers seated around a table in a conference room eating sandwiches and brownies from Costco and waiting for the clinic to begin. Mary, a volunteer with the ALS Association, who’s been doing this for 30 years, smiles and says, “Wow, this is a really …
A key research tool I use for all of my Amish romance novels is a biweekly publication called The Budget. It’s a thick broadsheet newspaper filled with letters from “scribes” who write about what’s going on in their Amish and Mennonite communities across the country. I love settling onto the couch and leafing through the …
It’s that time of year when everyone is making their new year’s resolutions. 2016 has taken a bow, and 2017 is still pristine, untarnished, and full of hope and possibilities. Writers often make goals that involve marketing plans, sales, number of books written, and new contracts. While those are worthy goals, I find myself in …
My family is from all over the place these days. That’s true for most of us in this fast-moving, mobile world. At no time is it more evident than during the holidays. That’s why we treasure time spent together celebrating the season. Recently, we decided to do something we’d never done before—a tamalada or a …
Every year at Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for a host of blessings. That is not surprising. What does surprise me is how that abundance of blessings continues to grow, no matter the circumstances. As we enter the advent season, a season of hope and expectation, I look back on 2016, a year that began with a …
“I don’t know who you are. You stoop a little as pain creeps into your joints Like a burglar stealing the precious jewels Of swift, free movement, Leaving you seated in life’s chair.” These lines are from a poem I wrote about eighteen years ago called “Twenty-Twenty Vision.” It’s my only published piece, …
I’m reading a Walt Longmire mystery by Craig Johnson. The bad language aside, I really like his books. He does a fabulous job with characters. Walt and Henry Standing Bear share one of my most favorite bromances. However, right now, I’m a little peeved because a previous reader has kindly shared with me—and anyone who …
I have put off writing this blog until the last possible moment—a clue as to how difficult the topic is for me. I’ve known for a while that I wanted to write it—should write it—but I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. That’s how much being called a fat child wreaked …
I read two devotionals every morning before I start my day writing. It never ceases to amaze me how often the daily topics mirror something that is going on in my life or something I’ve recently been thinking about. That’s exactly what happened Saturday when I picked up Shauna Niequist’s Savor book of devotions and …
One of my writing colleagues posted recently that she was avoiding writing by cleaning her sock drawer (actually her cat/editor posted it, but that’s another story). Maybe it’s the power of suggestion, but I felt moved to clean out a drawer myself. I too might have been procrastinating, but we won’t go there. I headed …
The white box with its taped lid looks like an ordinary box. It looks like the kind of box in which you move office files. Nothing special about it. I don’t notice it until the airline representative tells the passenger he can’t take such a large rectangular-shaped box onto the airplane. It won’t fit into …
Since I live in Texas and my daughter’s family lives in Virginia (for now!) she sends me many photos and videos of my two grandchildren. They’re adorable and I get to see how they’re growing and changing so fast. Recently Erin sent me a video of twenty-month-old Carson refusing to do the hokey pokey. His …
