An unexpected gift
By Michelle Starkey
Mechanicsburg, Ohio
Second place
The weather had turned cold and dreary with rain clouds hovering over the small town of Mechanicsburg when Jim Samuels...
Of Christmas chores and country kindness
By Jennifer Bryan
Paris, Ohio
Honorable Mention
The frosty morning air stung my nose as I stepped out the door of our farmhouse. My parents’ boot prints...
A question of faith
By Chet Cornman
Freeport, Pa.
Third place
The floorboard creaked and Amy froze. Someone was out there all right. Carefully, oh so carefully, she extended her neck...
Through the eyes of a child
By M. Merlin Acker
Wooster, Ohio
Honorable Mention
Farmer Jim awoke early one bright spring morning, traveling to the steep eastern slope on his farm overlooking a...
Merry mischief
By Sharon Sweda
Huron, Ohio
Honorable Mention
“Doggone it!”
Janet hears Henry’s familiar bellow. She knows, without looking or hearing the stomp of his boots, that in an...
The Win-win
Honorable mention: Sharon Sweda, Huron, Ohio
Jacob slumped as Katherine cleared the table around him. Sensing he'd skip choir rehearsal, she chose to pray, rather...
2009 Adult writing contest and youth art winners
The holidays have a special meaning to all of us. It could be the sights and sounds of the children sled riding down the...
The Stocking Surprise
Second place: Mark Llewellyn, of New Castle, Pa.
Doreen’s eyes, glassy in this state of reverie, wandered from one hand to the other. Arthritis found...
