Melissa Pauquette

07/15/2026

I remember the day the well witcher came. I was outside riding my bike around the yard when I saw his beat up old truck pull in. I ditched the bike and ran into the house, screen door clattering as it shut.

Want more?👇

I remember the day the well witcher came. I was outside riding my bike around the yard when I saw his beat up old truck pull in. I ditched the bike and ran into the house, screen door clattering a…

07/03/2026

i had the idea for this next story on the first warm day of the year. We were at the park playing pickleball when I walked the little ones over to the playground. I smiled as I observed so many people out doing so many different things! Spring days bring everyone out of their homes.

I don’t know what genre this story fits into. It’s not creative non-fiction because it is far too much fiction for that. Quite a bit of this is based in truth, but I’ll let you decide what you think is real or not.

I had the idea for this next story on the first warm day of the year.  We were at the park playing pickleball when I walked the little ones over to the playground.  I smiled as I observed…

06/30/2026

Rewriting this story about the day the well witcher came to my house for my next newsletter. Wanna read it?

Subscribe at the link in the comments.

I remember the day the well witcher came. I was both intrigued by the idea that this man with his crooked stick would find a source of water in the ground and disturbed that my parents actually hir…

06/25/2026

That's right— apparently if you hang around authors long enough they eventually rub off on you.

I have a story coming out in The Abalone, a high art magazine that is Lucy Grecu's master project for her apprenticeship at The Company.

Lucy has done an amazing job— not only selecting and editing each piece but also doing ALL the artwork for every page. It is a huge undertaking and she's finished with grace!

I am honored to have my piece, "Loss, Gain", featured in the magazine. It tells the story of the last week of my mom's life, and how that propelled me into the life I'm living now. God turns all things for good and that, my friends, is worthy of praise.

The Abalone explores all of the virtues of Phillipians 4:8 (Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.) with eleven true stories from people just like you and me.

We are doing a special, one time only print run of this magazine. You will want this on your coffee table or bookshelf for years to come.

Pre-order here: https://pearlmag.co/order-the-abalone-volume-1/

06/18/2026

"A few years ago I started adding Take a walk to my daily list. I feel better when I get myself out of the door and down our hill for a few minutes but I can almost always find dishes or laundry that needs done instead.

But you know how lists work: If it’s on my list, I have to do it.

Sometimes I take the kids. Sometimes I go by myself while they are occupied by the TV.

The hill that I walk down is pasture land, surrounded by a tree line that also marks the edge of our property. As you reach the bottom of the hill, it opens up into a forested meadow.

Down there the noise of the road and the world disappear, and I can spend a few minutes removed from the bustle and demands of the day.

In the bathroom I sigh, wishing I could get away for a walk by myself. My patience is waning, but I already missed my window to leave the kids during their afternoon quiet time."

Read the rest of my creative non-fiction piece below👇

This is a creative non-fiction piece that I wrote for my newsletter a couple of months ago. It was May of 2020 when this happened, while the world was locked down and on fire. I sit on the stool in…

06/05/2026

This morning I was on our back patio enjoying the early June day with my two smallest boys. I recently got a couple of simple dish tubs to fill with water for cheap and redneck summer fun. Oz was splashing his hands in it and rubbing it all over his belly with glee.

I could hear Hal in the garage pouting because I didn’t help him ride his bike the exact way he wanted me to.

Eventually he came out and in his frustration tried to cause problems. When Oz didn’t react with chaos to his prodding, he decided to try and get me upset. I could see it in his eyes.

"I’m going to dump this tub of water out and just absolutely make my mom crazy." he was likely thinking.

I decided to not care about the 12 quarts of water that would spread across the patio.

The water created a momentary flood in the center of our patio. Oz’s little feet pattered around in it as he continued to have a great time, unaware of the tension his brother has created. I watched the water spread and then noticed that one of yesterday’s pool towels, from our first trip of the season, hung down with a corner that barely grazed the concrete.

I considered how the towel was going to absorb quite a bit of the water, despite the fact that it was barely touching the ground. Have you ever thought about how impressive the absorbency of a towel is?

We as humans can also absorb quite a bit.

What happens when what we’re absorbing looks like more like the world than it does Jesus?

What happens when we have one corner of our life that’s not dedicated to Jesus?

We can get pretty saturated through that one little corner. I went out a couple of hours later and the bottom of that towel was still quite damp.

We are designed to be absorbent. Not only our skin, but also our minds. God intended us to the absorb the things of HIs Kingdom, and yet we so often absorb the things of the world, enemy territory.

We spend more time there than we do with Jesus and then we wonder why our life looks more like darkness than it does light.

The more your put yourself in situations that don’t look like Jesus, the most you are going to absorb the darkness. Be cautious about how much you enter those spaces.

You likely know the feeling that comes from seeing something on social media that you wish you hadn’t. How often do we come across information about someone or something that we just would have been better off not seeing? Maybe your news feed is full of beauty and roses, but I know mine is full of divisive content hell bent on tricking you into thinking you have actual connections with real people and that all of this information is urgent and important (news flash: it’s not and you don't).

When I feel that feeling I have to repent. I have to remember that being in this online space is darkness and I need to be careful about how much darkness I am absorbing. If I’m on social media because I’m sharing the light it’s a whole lot different than being there just wandering around and hoping for the best.

I want to absorb more of the Kingdom of Heaven than I do of the kingdom of darkness. Imagine how much better I will serve those around me?

When a towel is already saturated it can’t hold anymore. The same for us, when we are so saturated with Jesus, we cannot hold any darkness inside of us. It’s when we start to dry out that there’s room for us to absorb more.

The question is, will you absorb more of Jesus or more of the enemy?

05/28/2026

"I’ve read a lot of books. I’ve read a lot of bad Christian books. I’m not here to get down on Christian books, but the problem is that they often come off hokey and cheesy. We all know that, and we accept less because we haven’t found better yet.

Well I can tell you the better is here. Vella found an amazing way to seamlessly work trusting God into her story. It’s natural for her character, Lauren, to seek the Lord.

I know this book will inspire and encourage not only the young people that read it, but also the writers who know deep down that Christian media can be more.

Vella writes this way because it’s how she lives her life. Three years ago when I met her I could instantly see how she brought every conversation back to God. I can’t tell you how many times that has convicted me. Her top desire is to give glory to Jesus, and it’s seen in all that she does.

So, please go read and review Beyond the Mirage. You’ll be on the edge of your seat, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and most of all, you’ll be inspired to trust God with more. He is faithful."

Read the rest below👇 Link to Beyond the Mirage is in the comments.

We’ve had the dreariest and chilly spring here, with a sprinkling of really hot days thrown in. I haven’t felt like planting much, but I have forced myself outside to put seeds in the dirt. Despite…

04/03/2026

03/05/2026

Every year we get new apprentices here at The Company. EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.

Just when we’re all in a good place, BAM some of them have the audacity to graduate. I really do love meeting new people. I think getting to know others is one of my strengths, but I also love to just hang out with people I’m comfortable with. It’s just easier, ya know?

We had a good thing going last year. I loved hanging out with the apprentices we had in the schoolhouse and I got to know them pretty well. I know a lot of their likes and dislikes, I know their quirks and funny sayings and they know mine too I’m sure. It’s good to know and be known.

So this year when graduation passed and we had a couple of weeks to get everything ready for the new students, I also had to prepare my heart. I allowed myself to mourn what will never be again, and also began to get excited for what is to come.

If no one left and no one new came, I suppose life would be pretty comfortable.

However, what we would gain in comfort we would lose in the Kingdom. If I was unwilling to be uncomfortable again, I would miss out on the opportunity to host new people in Cambridge, Ohio year after year. And ultimately, I wonder if God would ask me someday, “Why did you waste all the opportunities I gave you to love on those young adults?”

-----------------------------

What do roundabouts have to do with a writing apprenticeship? Read my latest blog below.

Roundabouts. You know those traffic intersections that people either love or hate? Some say they make traffic flow more smoothly, but others (and dare I say the majority of Americans) stress out wh…

03/03/2026

We have a vintage Chewbacca toy that looks exactly like doo doo from across the room. Gets me everytime.