The Encouraging Times is a collection of uplifting stories that are happening around us every day.

About The Encouraging Times

There is so much good in the world—down your street, in your local community—but unfortunately you’re not likely to see it on the news nor the front page of the paper.

Like Linnea in Utah, who is in charge of the saw program of a conservation corps, and who a friend of mine had the pleasure of meeting earlier this year. Outside of work hours and beyond her job duties, Linnea began a weekly women’s meeting with corps members. They gather to discuss topics and issues relevant to women today—encouraging and empowering these young women throughout.

Or like Emily, who was hanging out with her 6-year-old nephew when a police car drove by. Emily mentioned something about policemen, and her nephew responded, “They are called police officers, you know. It isn’t just men.” What a beautiful reminder from a young boy!

Or like my friend Liz, who found a few bras she wanted to donate while cleaning out her closet this winter. She googled “how to donate bras” and found a cool non-profit called Free the Girls. Then she emailed some friends and let them know she was starting a bra collection through the end of the month.

Or like my pilot on a recent 45-minute flight from Chicago, whose story you can read here.

It’s these lesser-seen actions which are propelling us forward, into a world with more courage, where differences are celebrated and valued, where community comes together, where intuition/emotions are recognized and included in the conversation, where the earth and its many life forms are cared for, and where there is space for the full, messy spectrum of being a human.

Some of it you might see online, but most of it you won’t.

That’s why I was inspired to create this collective zine in 2019: to bring these stories to light and to give them our attention. Because kindness creates more kindness.

(Since then, the project is now an online collection of submissions.)

Where do these stories come from? From you, your friends, and your communities.

How to Submit a Story

Did you experience or witness a moment of kindness this week? Maybe you were in the grocery store parking lot or at a child’s play date.

Who is someone in your life who inspires you?

Is there someone or a group/organization/business in your town who is becoming more aware of the amount of waste we produce and send to landfills?

Who in your community is lifting up others?

You get the idea, right? If you’ve seen or learned of something inspiring going on, we would absolutely love to hear about it. The small, everyday moments are so important, as they make up the majority of our lives.

I encourage handwritten submissions and will include photos here, just as they’re received. Magazine/newspaper cut-outs or photocopies are also happily accepted, as well as links to articles that have been published online—perhaps from your local newspaper or a friend’s blog.

Mail to:

[See this page for current mailing address]

Please write “The Encouraging Times” somewhere on your envelope.

Or email:

rebeccarosethering [at] gmail [dot] com

By submitting a story, you’re giving permission for it to be published here on the blog. 

If you’d like me to confirm receipt of a snail mail submission, please include your email address in the envelope.

Submissions Received

(Click to read full story/submission.)