The Whimsical Pen

Musings, Ramblings and Minor Mischief

Welcome! I'm so glad you stopped by!
I write essays, poetry, short stories and various other scribblings, and it's a pleasure to share them with you. If you’d like to leave comments or be

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Heather Jerrie

Sep 7, 20213 min read

A Thousand Summer Blessings

It always takes me by surprise, for some reason. Oh, the signs are always there - that certain chill in the air, a hint of color in the...

Heather Jerrie

Aug 11, 20214 min read

Dear God: You've Got Mail

Pray to God, but row for shore. - Russian sailor's proverb What is it about us humans? Just look at the trouble we get ourselves into! ...

Heather Jerrie

Jul 31, 20213 min read

When the Well Runs Dry

'We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.' - Thomas Fuller Picture this: you've been working outside weeding the garden...

Heather Jerrie

Jul 27, 20214 min read

A Million Waiting Doors

I remember the first book I ever read all by myself. It was a simple little story, really, with large print and brightly colored...

Heather Jerrie

Jul 8, 20214 min read

The Best Dog in the World

It was a quiet little room, just big enough for a small couch, a chair, a box of tissues nearby, and a soft blanket on the floor. The...

Heather Jerrie

Jun 26, 20214 min read

Thump!

Thump. All around the restaurant, forks stopped and heads turned. I lowered my menu and craned my neck. Thump. The sound came from a...

Heather Jerrie

Jun 12, 20214 min read

Welcome Back!

I went to a concert a few days ago. It was a simple affair, set outside in the cool evening air by the river's edge. We sat apart from...

Heather Jerrie

May 30, 20213 min read

A Broom and a Big Heart

There are heroes who never seek the limelight. Day after day they work their own quiet miracles in the background. One of them walked...

Heather Jerrie

May 9, 20213 min read

A Long Line of Teachers

Sometimes when I think back to all the teachers I've had over the years, I see them standing in a long line down the hallways of my...

Heather Jerrie

Apr 26, 20214 min read

Bringing Home Memories

As I write this I'm sitting on a plane, flying east towards home high above the Rocky Mountains. It's been a wonderful trip. What a...

Heather Jerrie

Apr 19, 20213 min read

Brave Enough to Hope

The back door creaks as I step out into the morning chill. After a week of rain, the clouds have finally cleared, leaving the sky...

Heather Jerrie

Mar 31, 20213 min read

So Small, Yet So Huge

It was precisely 3:15 p.m. I remember glancing up at the clock in the clinic as the nurse unwrapped the syringe. I thought, this is the...

Heather Jerrie

Mar 20, 20214 min read

Fumbling Toward the Light

Remember when it really hit you, how serious this was going to be? I think every one of us can remember a moment when suddenly we...

Heather Jerrie

Feb 21, 20215 min read

Just You Wait!

It was the end of another grey winter day, and I was staring gloomily out the window at the falling snow. I'd written a long list of...

Heather Jerrie

Feb 9, 20213 min read

A Wild Strawberry Place

Look for the treasures in your life that feed your hungry heart.

Heather Jerrie

Feb 1, 20213 min read

Lost - and Then Found

We've lost so much over these past months, haven't we? We've lost loved ones, lost our jobs, lost precious time with kids and...

Heather Jerrie

Jan 16, 20213 min read

Have Courage

What a week this has been! We've watched history unfold right before our eyes, and it's been so painful to watch. I don't know about...

Heather Jerrie

Dec 30, 20203 min read

Goodbye, 2020!

As we creep toward the last hours of 2020, I think we're all looking forward to saying goodbye to this awful year. Looking back, it...

Heather Jerrie

Dec 9, 20202 min read

And Then the Earth Moved

For a moment that will go down in history, it was humble. It unfolded not on a battlefield or in the roar of a rocket taking off, not in...

Heather Jerrie

Nov 23, 20203 min read

I Love You. Please Stay Home.

I started to write a letter this morning. It went like this: Dear Family, I love you. I'd love to have you here for the holidays. So...

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