My Fiction Favorites

Here is a collection of some of my favorite stories that I’ve had the opportunity to write this past and present year in 2011-2012. I would love for you, my readers to get a glimpse of my writing style and see what neat ideas and potential novels are coming your way very soon. Keep an eye out for new updates… For everyone who would like to receive “special updates” follow me on twitter @joshuamumphrey! I look forward to reading your comments on the stories below. Thanks so much for your time and support!

– Joshua Mumphrey 😀

SPECIAL NOTICE: No unauthorized reproduction of material on this site of any kind may be allowed without concent from the author, Joshua A. Mumphrey. If a piece of work is requested for publication or use elsewhere, please feel free to contact authorjoshuamumphrey@gmail.com or (903) 337-5525 for your questions or conerens.

Most Recent Love Story… “The Foundation of Something Beautiful”

– The Marriage of mind, body and soul

She moved eloquently and slow down the aisle covered with white rose petals so flawlessly and with unbelievable grace. She was dressed in white, in a simple sleek satin dress with a half vial, hiding the tears on her rosy cheeks that glistened as they fell, dampening her bouquet. She held on tight to the fresh flowers in both hands afraid and overwhelmed. She smiled on as she passed the crowd standing on both sides of her snapping photos and exchanging hopeful gestures. She didn’t have much more to go: she was almost there at the altar.

When the music to the wedding march had finally ceased it was time for man and woman, bride and groom, love and lover to solidify their bond for as long as they both lived, but for Catherin, the ties of love that were supposed to bind, had slowly began to unravel. She just wasn’t sure about the man she once considered to call her husband and the passion she once felt wasn’t as strong anymore. The fiery love in her heart had burned down to nothing more than a simmer. She was afraid that the flame would eventually burn out, but she fought back those doubts and pressed on.

The sea of family and friends on both sides of the Old English moss covered chapel on a hill, were quickly seated after the bride a groom were prepared to confess their love for one another.

The groomed raised his brides vial and searched his lover’s eyes as he always did. Catherin tried her best to hide her doubts and the overwhelming fear in her heart. She knew in that moment that she didn’t feel the way he did and it hurt her more than anything to acknowledge that fact. George didn’t find worry within his bride’s eyes because he was blinded by love.

“Catherin, my dearest and true love,” George said holding her hands in his own. “You are my love, my life, my everything. You are a piece to my puzzle, a piece of my life I didn’t know was missing, but now that I have acknowledged that truth, I never want to imagine my life without you. I never want to let you go, I want to hold on tight to you forever and always. You are the day to my night when I’m surrounded by depression and darkness, you are the sun to my sky which warms me when it’s cold and I feel all alone. You complete me in every way and I couldn’t imagine spending another day as just a man in your life anymore. I want to be more than just a man, more than just a best friend and your sweetheart. The man I want to be in your life,  is what brings me to this church on a hill in the presence of God and those who loves us, it is what gives me the strength to stand here before you without doubt and worry. You give me unwavering strength when I feel I have none to stand. In return, I want to give you something infinitely more than what you have given me. I want to give you my hand and also love, the everlasting kind that endures throughout the roughest of storms and bad weather. I want to give you the world if you let me; I want this to be a marriage of mind, body and of soul. You will always be the first thing that comes to my mind in the morning and the last thing I think about at night. Your body will be the only thing that I will ever desire to caress and hold for all my days. There will be only you, the part of my soul I could never live without. I will love and cherish you for all the time God intends to give me. It is only a matter of you answering one question sweetheart… I accept you as my wife; do you accept me as your lawful and wedded husband?”

Fear gripped Catherin as a cold shiver ran down her spine. She didn’t know what to say, she couldn’t speak for moments. She started cold and blank back into her lovers eyes afraid of what would happen if she spoke and terrified of what would happen if she didn’t.

Catherin looked back across the crowd of her family and her newly extended family she had began to call her own. It would be so much disappointment to both famils, to her mom, dad and in-laws if she didn’t go through with the ceremony. Most of all, it would break George’s heart to leave him standing at the altar, after everything he’s given and all that he has sacrificed for her, but if she did go through with it what about the years to come? How long would she be able to hide how she really felt from the man who calls her wife and loves her unconditionally? These were questions that Catherin couldn’t answer, but the most important one that needed to be addressed was being asked on her wedding day, not years after.

“Yes,” Catherin said in a mumble. “Yes, I want more than anything to be your wife, the woman you come home to, the one you love and cherish forever, but wanting to be your wife doesn’t change things. As much as I want to make you happy, I’m not sure that I can. I can’t find it in myself to love you the way you love me. I do love you, but I believe you love me more. It hurts me to think this way, but I feel it’s best that I avoid a heartbreak in the days ahead. It may hurt you now George to hear these words, but it’s better now than later. Marriage is something special that should be shared between two people who love each other with everything they have, but what happens when you are in love with someone who loves you more? How can you ever compare and show that kind of affection in return? How can you live each day knowing that you can’t be more for the one you love, knowing that you will never be good enough. I feel sweetheart that I’m not good enough for a man like you. I feel that being married and running this race with you, I might not ever catch up. You deserve better, someone who can love you the way you love me.”

George never took his eyes off his bride, he never let go of her hand in his.

“Catherin my love, “he said softly, “I don’t care what doubts you have about loving me or how wrong or right you think you are for me. I love you and that’s all that matters and I know you love me too. Our love can grow into something more than it already is. Our love is something that will last forever. Just as you have your doubts, so do I, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t right for each other. You have a beauty like no other woman I’ve seen, your hair, the way you move, your smile and personality. Your voice is kind and your passion for helping those less fortunate than yourself is incredibly honorable. You always think of others before you think of yourself, which is why you are questioning what you think you have to give to me. What you don’t understand is that you’ve already given enough because you gave all that you have. That’s something that is worth fighting for and it’s the reason why I’m standing here asking you to marry me. You are beautiful and perfect to me dear Catherin, just the way you are. That’s enough for me.”

The tears began to swell in Catherin’s eyes after hearing the heartfelt words from her soon to be husband. She didn’t know; she didn’t realize that George thought of her just as much as she thought of him.

She batted her eyes once and the swelling tears fell down her soft skin. George quickly caught one of them with his thumb on her right cheek.

“Sweetheart,” he said. “You don’t have to cry, I’m here for you, I’m here forever.”

Catherin let a slight smile spread across her face.

“I know,” she whispered as she sniffled a little. “You are a remarkable man that I will cherish and spend the rest of my life with, for as long as blood runs through my vines. I love you sweetheart.”

George pulled Catherin closer before leaning in to kiss her.

“I love you too my dear, dear Catherin” he said soft enough for only his wife to hear.”

“A Lesson Through a Story In The Writer’s Eye”

Much like Catherin, a lot of individuals think they aren’t good enough for those that they love or in other instances, we are willing to marry, but aren’t connected in mentally, physically and spiritually. Before we can truly move on with those we love, there must be a willingness on both sides for one primary purpose which is to love, cherish, stand by, hold tight to and never let go.

Love is something that should never be taken for granted. We must all learn the most important lesson of all that love never hurts. True love, is something that develops over time, but we must always acknowledge that as beautiful and pure as love is, it’s not always perfect. What matters is not how high the metaphorical wedding cake sores in the dining hall, but about what supports it and what secures the foundation. The foundation of a wedding cake or in this story, a marriage, is the most important aspect of a holy union between a man and a woman. With the proper ingredients such as spirituality, loyalty, respect and commitment, you will find it’s the finest recipe to the most beautiful treat ever made, true love.

– Joshua Mumphrey

Most Recent Inspirational Fiction Piece –

While The Clock Is Still Ticking – CHAPTER 1 | “The Lesson’s We Learn

I’ve always dreaded the long drive that time of year, but regardless of how my lower back ached and my legs pained miserably, there was nowhere else I needed to be than where I was.

The smell of the country was so familiar; the scent of tall pine trees above was carried through the summer air and into my car as I drove down the winding unpaved road with my windows down.

I had long since forgotten how peaceful it was there, in the middle of nowhere with just the sound of mother nature, the sound of trees rustling as the wind blew through them, the sound of birds chirping and the roaring of my tires rolling over small rocks and acorns as it came to a slow stop.

I put the car in park, opened my driver side door and pull the key out of the ignition slightly, to silence the beeping of my vehicles electric system. I couldn’t get out just yet. I had one foot inside and the other on the light dirt covered ground. I placed my head on the steering wheel for a couple of seconds and mumbled a prayer.

Dear God, give me strength for I am weak and unbelievably worn. This is always so hard for me Lord, but I feel it’s something I have to do, it’s something that I promised I would do every year until I couldn’t anymore. God, promises are never meant to be broken so give me the strength to push though the sadness, through the longing, the depression and the overwhelming grief. Grandma passed over 15 years ago and it still isn’t easy visiting this place where she was laid to rest, but it isn’t the burden of losing grandma that I’m asking you to lighten today. I’m asking you to lighten a different load. I’m asking you to heal a fresh wound to the heart, my heart. Grandma lived a long and prosperous life, 97 years of mostly happiness, but Kayla my daughter of only 6 years was taken away with so much to still experience, to do and to share with me her mother and her family. I’m done asking the question why, because I’ve learned that everything happens according to your will, not my own, but I do ask another question. I ask you to make this easier for me to bare, easier for me to confront in the morning when I walk passed her bedroom and she’s no longer there. Give me peace oh Lord and deliver me from my tear stained pillow at night. I don’t ask that you bring her back, I asked that you give me the will to weather this storm and see me through to brighter days ahead and to greener pastures. In your name I pray, Amen.

I lifted my head up and stared out of the front windshield. A single tear fell from my watering eyes, but I caught it with my hand before it dampened my blue jeans. I took a deep breath and scooted out of my vehicle. I stood a bit shaky, but gained my balance. I slammed the door tightly behind me before I headed off into the distance.

I made my way to a iron gate that seemed to sore 8 feet high. It was intertwined with ivy and blossoming white flowers. A large iron sign above read Chrest Haven Memorial Cemetery. I cringed slightly and shivered as if I were cold after running my eyes across it, forgetting about the August heat.

It wasn’t much further after I had made it over the hill pasted the array of beautiful monuments and well crafted statues of guardian angles. I knew I was getting close when I noticed a copper standing memorial a few yards away. It was grandmas.

My daughter Kayla was buried next to her since Grandpa decided to give up his plot for his grandchild. He believed it was what grandma would have wanted, it was what he wanted. Kayla and Grandma Susan, were together on earth beneath the well manicured lawn and moist soil and they would also be together above the cloudless blue sky in heaven.

Once I had reached grandma’s tombstone, my hands were shaky and my heart was heavy. I couldn’t look over to where I knew my daughter lay. It hurt to see her name carved into a rose shaped stone that would last throughout time like my love. It was a tear jerking reminder that this was as close as I would ever get to being near her again in this life, but I did know that there was a possibility of seeing her in the next.

I know something now, I didn’t know then. It wasn’t best for me to shed tears for my daughter. She was in a better place; she was in Heaven and in God’s warm and loving embrace. I should have been filled with joy and thankfulness that she no longer had to suffer. Her fragile little body had taken all that it could. She just couldn’t fight the losing battle on her own anymore. There was just too many requests ahead of hers and she was too far down on the list. Kayla didn’t get the transplant in time and as a result, her little heart finally gave up.

If anything, Kayla should have been shedding tears for me that day, because my future wasn’t as secure as hers was. I was a sinner even though I believed. If it were me six feet under in her place, I knew that a chorus of angles wouldn’t be the sight I would behold, when I opened my eyes again. I would have been in a darker place, where I would never see her beautiful face again, a place of indescribable anguish, suffering and pain beyond comprehension. It would mean eternal separation for not only my daughter, but from the Heavenly father.

Kayla was ready, ready as she ever could have been, but I wasn’t. That’s why I was left behind even though I gladly would have traded places in an instant if God would have honored my prayer. Her path was one that I could not follow and it hurt deep down in my soul when I discovered that truth. Even now, I still don’t know why God decided to take her, but I know it was for a reason. Maybe, it was because he needed another angel or maybe because there was something he so desperately needed to teach me though her loss. It’s something I’ll never know, it’s something I don’t need to because I’ve grown to trust him unconditionally.

At first, I blamed God. He didn’t have to take my baby, he didn’t have to let time run out, he could have given her more. He could have let her live life like every other child her age without a terminal heart condition. It was so unfair and I thought it was unusually cruel.

Years after, I came to the realization that it was better for him to have taken her. She was better off in Heaven than here with me. The place where she was and the place I wanted her to be couldn’t compare. She had everything she ever wanted, everything she needed, everything I couldn’t give her. I learned that I was being selfish. I wanted her to linger, I wanted her to suffer and bare the pain to be here with me, but God knew better.

What kind of parent would I be to keep her from what God felt she deserved? There were no more tears, no more pain and suffering, at least not for her anymore. I believe now, it was for the best.

Wounds of the heart are ones that are the hardest to mend, but I’ve learned with good medicine and the Good doctor, any wound regardless how deep can always be healed.

As I walked back to my car, down the hill and to the gate, I glanced back at the field of green covered with gray stones. A light breeze blew through and I closed my eyes taking it in as it flowed over my skin. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and hope that I can’t describe even now. It was as if my daughter spoke these words to me. To this day, I hold them close to my heart.

Mother, dear mother, don’t cry for me. I am an angel, something you always told me I was, but now, I’m the heavenly kind. Never lose faith in God and never lose hope that I’m no longer with you. I’m always there in spirit, with you when you wake in the morning, with you when you drive to work alone, with you when you whisper a prayer for strength. I’m in your heart forever and always. Hold close to Gods hand and I promise you will see my face again.

I took a few steps forward and turned to walk away closing the gate behind me. My heart was no longer troubled and my mind was no longer in turmoil, I was in perfect peace. I knew then, that God was the answer to all my questions; it was just a matter of me learning to trust him again.

Once I had trusted him, things were better just as his word assured me. He took away my every doubt, my every fear and gave me many more wonderful children whom I could give my love. They didn’t replace my dear Kayla, but they did make each day a little more bearable. It’s easier when you’re not alone, but I know now, looking back that I never was. God and Kayla were always there standing beside me, holding me up. Through it all the most important lesson I’ve learned was that it’s not about how much time we’re given, but about what we do with it while the clock is still ticking. From that moment on, I tried to make every minute count.

– Christian Fiction published by WorthFinding.com – Written by: Joshua Mumphrey

Most Recent Christian Fiction Story –

While The Clock Is Still Ticking – CHAPTER 2 | “Forgiveness”

As I pulled the car into the newly paved driveway, it didn’t take any time at all for my eldest son to come jogging out through the front door to assist me with the groceries that I had picked up.

“Hey mom!” He said with a crooked smile and his eyes wide. “Did you get a chance to pick up my favorite afternoon snack?” It was then that I realized his enthusiasm was more for what I had in the grocery bags than actually helping me carry them.

“Of course Jackson,” I assured him. “I’m mom remember? I never forget.”

He let his smile creep across his face nearly ear to ear.

“Before you tear into the sacks would you mind helping me unload them first?” I asked.

“Um, I guess,” he mumbled almost too low for me to hear, sounding a little preoccupied. “I mean, yeah I will mom, no problem.”

We took a few trips into the house and back to the car before I noticed I had left a bag in the buggy of the shopping center parking lot. I was too focused on a phone call with my sister Jenna to even notice what I had done. I told myself, after I was finished chewing her out that I would eventually retrieve the remaining items from the kart that were far too heavy to lift with one hand. Obviously, I didn’t. I had driven off completely frustrated, not even giving the sack of groceries a second thought.

Pausing for a moment staring down into the bottom of the trunk, I ran the conversation with my sister from earlier over again quickly in my head. I felt the anger bubbling over to the surface as my hands clinched into fists at both my sides.

“What do you mean we have expenses that need to be covered?” Jenna yelled from the other end of the phone, her voice blaring though the speaker. “That’s not my problem. I gave all that I can give.”

I sighed with frustration.

“What the heck do you mean?” I questioned her. “We are a family, we are supposed to be there for each other, lend a unconditional hand, meet the need regardless the trouble, regardless the inconvenience. If dad where here, he would be heartbroken, he would be incredibly disappointed in you Jenna, listen to yourself. That money isn’t for your personal profits, it’s was to cover his funeral costs!”
Jena roared with disagreement.

“Now you listen to me Samantha, I don’t owe you or anyone an explanation,” she said sharply, “But I’m going to give you one nevertheless, so that you understand. The money I received from dad’s insurance policy belongs to me and no one else. I paid faithfully for years without missing a single month while all of you went about your lives like every day was promised, not covering the important things like, life after death. I prepared for the future when all of you only took each day at a time.”

I cut her off.

“So you mean to tell me, that with 300 thousand dollars worth of insurance you can’t spare a few thousand bucks to cover a decent tombstone memorial for dad?” I asked her in disbelief. “What kind of daughter are you? No. I don’t think you are a daughter at all, if you were, we wouldn’t be having the same old conversation we always do. It’s been 5 months for goodness sake! Just try and be reasonable and think logically.”

She butted in.

“I’m being completely logical,” she hissed. “The bottom line is that I’m not giving anyone anything. I agreed to pay for dad’s service, the rest us up to the 4 of you. I’m only one person you know? I’m done. Dad is dead, he wouldn’t know what kind of memorial he had even if I bought him the best. He would want what’s best for us.”

I groaned with annoyance and anger.

“How dare you,” I screamed to the top of my lungs. “How dare you say something like that and how dare you call yourself his daughter. It should have been you in that casket instead of dad. You don’t deserve the life that you were allowed to keep and that dad had taken away. It was always about the money with you from the beginning. You didn’t care about dad, you only spent time with him so that he would give you complete control of his estate. You are a very maniacal and sick person. I actually don’t feel anger toward you anymore, I feel pity. You will have to live with this decision and one thing is for certain, you will reap just what you sow. God’s word never lies and His wrath is something we can’t wiggle our way out of regardless how much pull we have.”

Jenna snickered and I continued as if I didn’t hear her.

“You laugh now, but it’s actually not funny,” I told her, “But you know what? You can keep the money if it helps you sleep at night. We don’t need it, God will make a way, He always does.”

She laughed out loud this time.

“There you go with your over religious beliefs again,” she mocked. “Maybe it is best that you trust him because I’m not giving anyone a cent.”

I took a deep breath trying to calm myself before I spoke again.

“I guess your mind is made up,” I said. “I just don’t understand how a family as close as ours once was can be torn apart like a page from a good book. Dad’s death hit our family hard, it did more than tear a single page, it ripped the entire thing from the spine. Can you not see it’s the enemy (Satan) that is pushing us further and further away and what about mom? How do you think she feels? How do you think she’s doing, coping with the passing of her dear husband of 30 years and standing between her children bickering over everything he had that was left behind? How can you honestly say, what you are doing is what he wanted? He wouldn’t want us to fight; he wouldn’t want all of the trouble and animosity in our lives on a daily basis.”

She was silent for a moment.

“Quite frankly, I’m growing tired of your questions Samantha,” she snapped. “I’m the eldest and what I say goes, that’s how it’s always been. I was dad’s favorite and he put me in charge not you, so I think it’s best that we end this conversation before things get said that can’t be taken back.”

I snorted.

“Are you not listening to yourself,” I asked her. “You’ve already said more than enough you can’t take back and what’s most disturbing, you don’t even realize it. As far as I am concerned, you died with dad. You are no longer and never will be my sister. Goodbye.”

The phone disconnected. I held it to my chest as my emotions swelled. I wanted to cry, but not because I was overcome with sadness, but because I was overcome with unbelievable rage. How could she not understand? How could the child that dad cared so much for and took the time to nurture excessively, turn out so, so ignorant!?!?

To this day, I believe she was the death of him. She broke his heart the way a daughter shouldn’t, the way girls do when they disappoint their fathers beyond measure, beyond what his heart could take. If life was in the hands of man and not God, I would have suggested that she killed him, not by her actions but by her words. Words are sharp as swords and cut deep, they pierce straight through to the soul. I know she wasn’t the one who called him home, but I do believe she’s the reason he’s gone. He asked God to take him on his sick bed after Jenna wouldn’t back down and only a few hours later he passed.

I snapped back to reality as my son peaked his head through the front door out to where I was standing.

“Hey mom,” he said. “Are you OK? Jason said he would drop by the store and pick up the groceries you left. I just got off the phone with the store and they said they found them and placed them in the manager’s office upfront.”

I lifted my gaze from into the trunk and looked up in his direction. I mumbled a few words robotically, not exactly for sure if he had heard me.

“Oh really?” I said under my breath. “Tell him thanks.”

He stumbled out of the door towards me barefoot, hoping on the hot asphalt. He knew something wasn’t quite right. Jackson had an unusual ability of feeling his environments. With that said, he always knew when I wasn’t at my best. I sometimes hated it when he got in my head, but I never let him know that though.

“Come on in it’s extremely hot out,” he said grabbing my shoulder with one hand and slamming the trunk with the other. “Are you really OK?”

I hesitated, failing at trying to keep a straight face.

“You know the usual,” I told him regretfully. “Your aunt Jenna is being as difficult as always. It just has me a little stressed.”

His dark eyes stared down at me concerned and I noticed we had stopped midway from the door under the sheltering shadows of a large tree in the yard.

“Mom, you shouldn’t entertain anything that aunt Jenna says, she’s a lost cause, a monster,” he said. “The things she’s done, what she did to granddad, it’s unforgivable.”

I quickly glanced up meeting his eyes.

“Jackson, Jackson,” I reasoned with him. “Everyone deserves grace and forgiveness.”

He glared back into my eyes angrily.

“Yeah, everyone but her,” he blurted out. “She’s too far gone to claw her way back. She went over the edge years ago.”

I removed his hand from my shoulder and stepped in front of him. I placed both his hands in mine.

“Sweetheart,” I said softly. “You must remember, I’m not talking about forgiveness from our narrow, human point of view, but from a much larger scope, from a more heavenly perspective. God always forgives and he will no doubt forgive her when she asks. I just pray that she is given grace and enough time to make things right.”

He smiled his usual bright and heartwarming smile that I love so much.

“You know what mom,” he asked not giving me enough time to answer. “You really are a good person, because if you weren’t, there was no way you could take all that you do.”

I let his warm smile rub off on me a little as I relaxed my serious expression.

“None is good, but the father remember?” I told him, “But what does make things easier is having Christ within me, his love within my heart, his words of wisdom and his voice whispering in my ear, his mighty hand clearing the way, making the rough road smooth enough for me to travel. It is not by my will that I forgive, but by his alone.”

The sun had begun to set and that meant that I had spent too much time outside talking, when I should have been inside making dinner. My husband was about to be coming home soon and the table needed to be set, but it actually didn’t bother me one bit. I was happy to have this moment and to share it with my son. He learned something about Gods love he might not have known before and it did seem to melt all my anger and frustration away like ice cream on a hot summer’s day.

As we made it inside, I took one look outside up at the beautiful purple and orangey sky. It reminded me of something, of a truth about God’s will and the things that happen in our lives. Sometimes there are dark days, storms and even sunsets, but regardless, every day brings about something new, something that wasn’t there the day before. The sun may have set on dad’s life, but that doesn’t mean ours has to be over, it doesn’t mean we won’t have sunny skies after. It just means that it was his time to shine in heaven and our time to mourn his loss on earth.

In that moment I came to the realization that I would no longer let the sun go down on my wrath. I would ask my sister for forgiveness for my harsh words and allow God to mend our tattered relationship. Dad was no longer there to hold the family together which was a sad truth to acknowledge, but that didn’t mean we had to fall. It just meant we had to look to a different father, one that resided in heaven and in him would we find the strength we needed to stand.

– Christian Fiction published by WorthFinding.com – Written by: Joshua Mumphrey