Count of the Wooded Valley

What's the story behind your nickname? A count without a castle, learning to tend what matters They asked about nicknames. But some names are not just playful—they’re formative, false, or even holy. Sometimes names are less about thrones and more about thresholds. My name is Dean Graf. Dean means wooded valley.Graf means count—a land steward.... Continue Reading →

Even There, You Are Not Alone

Daily writing promptHow would you describe yourself to someone who can't see you?View all responses The WordPress prompt was:How would you describe yourself to someone who can’t see you? I didn’t answer right away.The question cut deep—past the easy stuff like job titles, appearances, or roles.It asked for something real.Something forming.Something still in process. And... Continue Reading →

I Tried to Find a Boring Story. I Failed.

Daily writing promptScour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.View all responses The Impossible Quest for Bad Art In college, a professor threw us a wild challenge: “Make art so bad it has nothing good about it.” I tried. Oh, I tried. But every smudged... Continue Reading →

Imagine Time Folding

Three Moments That Found Me When I Wasn’t Looking Which activities make you lose track of time? Sit with me for a moment. When Time Bends: Three Ordinary Moments That Saved Me There are clocks everywhere. On phones, dashboards, microwaves.In our bones. We chase the blinking digits—the meetings, the pickups, the fifteen minutes we’re behind.And... Continue Reading →

What Is Your Favorite Genre? Mine Is Ruach.

Daily writing promptWhat is your favorite genre of music?View all responses Breath, Spirit, and the Sounds Beneath the Noise The WordPress prompt asked:What is your favorite genre of music? A simple question. Jazz. Rock. Classical. Hip-hop. Worship. Lo-fi chill.Pick one. Smile. Move on. But I sat with it for a while—and the question dropped like... Continue Reading →

Romance, With a Side of Dust

Daily writing promptWhat's your definition of romantic?View all responses Because real love rarely wears clean boots. Imagine a white-fenced farmhouse, warm in the golden hour.Woods whisper off to the side.A lone cow stares across the field like she owns it.It’s the kind of scene you’d call romantic—a quiet, glowing stillness. Romantic—until you step closer. But... Continue Reading →

You Do Travel Light, Don’t You?

Daily writing promptHow do you express your gratitude?View all responses On Salmon, Firelight, and the Gifts We Don’t Earn The ferry dropped us here—with little gear, full hearts, and no real plan. The island would teach us what we needed. We didn’t set out to be minimalist prophets.We just wanted to make it to the... Continue Reading →

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