Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

  We’re blogging Christmas stories. If you enjoyed today’s post, you can read others at www.creekbank.net. Yesterday’s post, “Medic”, is a reader favorite and tomorrow’s, “The Hardest Day of the Year” is especially poignant for those who’ve lost a loved one. The Warm Glow of Giving It’s the kind of December day Louisiana is famous for: cold and foggy, with …

Medic   “Medic. Medic.” Nazi sniper Unerfeldewebel Franz Schmidt didn’t know English, but in the case of the nearby wounded American soldier, he didn’t need to. The man’s anguished cries were beyond words. Medic. Help. It was somewhere in Belgium on Christmas Eve 1944, and Schmidt had never been colder in his thirty-two years. But he was in a lot …

This is the latest installment from Christmas Jelly, our latest short story collection. We’re serving one serving per day. Enjoy today’s story! Buried Treasure       I open the old wooden box and pour out a small pile of old coins, dog tags, buttons, bullets, medallions, and other metal objects. It’s my dad’s treasure chest. These items found by my …

Each day in December, we’re spooning out a helping of Christmas Jelly. Today’s story features two illustrations of  forgiveness.  Christmas is a tough time for those with “issues”: hurts from the past, wounds that haven’t healed, bitterness, and regret. Christmas is also a great time for extending forgiveness. These two stories illustrate the strength and power of  pure forgiveness. On …

A word from Curt:  Merry Christmas to you and your family. Thanks for being part of the Creekbank Family. I believe you’ll enjoy one of my favorite stories, “No Room at the Inn.”   From Christmas Jelly: No Room at the Inn They say revenge is a dish best served cold. It was natural—every child in the church Christmas program …

  Each day during December, we’re featuring a chapter from our Christmas short story collection, Christmas Jelly.   If you enjoy today’s story, share it with your friends.    New Birth in New Orleans Christmas 2005 It’s Christmas in New Orleans, but we’re not here to see the bright city lights. We’ve brought supplies for Katrina victims. It’s been three months …

No Room at the Inn They say revenge is a dish best served cold. It was natural—every child in the church Christmas program wanted to be either Joseph or Mary. Tom was a ten-year-old and wanted the Joseph role in the worst way. Not only did he fail to get the coveted role of Joseph, it went to a rival …

The Best Present It seemed to be the worst Christmas present ever as I unwrapped it. I now value it as the best I’ve received.   It was Christmas 1973. I was a seventeen-year-old high school senior.   The present was from my Uncle Bill. Always my favorite uncle. He still is. I held the cheap brown booklet in my …

My short story collection, Christmas Jelly, was written in 32 chapters.  This allows you (the reader) to enjoy one chapter per day beginning December 1 and ending on January 1. Here’s today’s serving of Christmas Jelly! Enjoy!  The following fictional short story comes from a story told to me by the Miller and Lindsey families of Dry Creek, Louisiana. Enjoy! First Christmas …

      “Christmas in Winterset” was written during our African sojourn.  I met a church group from Winterset, Iowa. It was too good of a town name not to use in a story.  The actual story was related to me by a Beauregard Parish man who told of his uncle making this journey during the height of the Depression …

My short story collection, Christmas Jelly, was written in 32 chapters.  This allows you (the reader) to enjoy one chapter per day beginning on December 1 and ending on January 1. Here’s your fourth helping of Christmas Jelly. Enjoy! December 3 Chapter 4 Stolen Christmas Trees     “I know I tagged a tree in this area.” My neighbor Mitzi Foreman walks through …

  From now until New Year’s Day,  we’ll be featuring stories from our short story collection, Christmas Jelly.   My prayer is that you and your family will enjoy a wonderful Christmas, and you’ll feel the personal presence of Jesus, the King of all Kings. This blog post contains two stories,  “Christmas Jelly”  (Dec. 1) and “My Grandpas’ Boots” (Dec. …

I love this quote: “Lord, you’ve given me so much. I ask You for one more thing: a heart of gratitude.”   This week’s word is Gratitude. This is my favorite story on gratitude: Vance Gill, my guitar-playing Dry Creek friend (who I always remind that he’s only one vowel away from being famous) shared this:   “I was working …

    Tough or Hard—The Choice is Yours   In front of me are three objects: a hammer, a brick, and a flat piece of leather. They make for a wonderful lesson we all can learn from. It’s amazing observing folks as they go through difficult times. Periods of trial, adversity, and sadness distill out what is really inside people. …