Our white New England church sat facing the common, tucked neatly into a “v” where two narrow roads met. A cemetery rested behind it, the weathered stones bearing witness to generations who had worshipped there long before us. Some of those souls may have hammered the original beams into place or smoothed the worn wooden pews with their own hands.

Years later, those same pews no longer fit inside the renovated sanctuary. The church relegated them to a small chapel addition, and sold a few off for eighty dollars apiece. I bought one.

That straight-backed pew has followed me ever since.

Why it Matters

Our family moved to Paxton in 1978. I was an awkward, self-conscious girl entering ninth grade in a place that felt strange to me at the time—a regional school pulling students from five surrounding towns. We joined that church soon after arriving, and for more than twenty-five years its walls became an important part of our lives.

I grew from youth group student to youth group leader, eventually bringing children of my own through the same Fellowship Hall. Every inch of that building became familiar to me, from the church kitchen to the tucked-away supply closets. To step through the doors was to enter my second home.

Established in 1765, the church carried a scent and mood all its own. Even now, I can recall it instantly. Faint mildew from centuries of New England winters. The creak of old pine floorboards. The brass cross polished by countless hands. Wavy window glass lit with Christ candles. The thick rough rope and weight of the steeple bell. And beneath it all, the whispered prayers of parishioners past and present.

That scent, those objects, and the felt presence of our Lord meant peace to me.

Years later, heartbreak visited that same congregation when the pastor lost his position because of inappropriate behavior. Yet strangely, even that painful season could not erase what God had done there. Human weakness could not undo every prayer prayed at the altar, every hymn lifted into the rafters, every teenager who found belonging within those walls, or every grieving soul comforted there.

Emotional Details

The older I get, the more I realize commonplace items often carry far more than their appearance suggests. A church pew is never just a bench. A timeworn mixing bowl is never merely ceramic. A grandfather’s hammer, a recipe card stained with vanilla, a cracked Bible with crayon marks from children—all become vessels carrying memory, emotion, and story.

Readers long to engage all five senses. It draws them deeper into the worlds we create. A bee lifts from a white blossom before dipping back into the petals. A helicopter ticks overhead against a brilliant summer sky. Garlic and melted cheese drift from a brick oven as hungry families salivate.

The goal is not simply to point readers to a leaf on a bush, but to catch the single ray of sunlight resting upon it in such a way that they long to run their finger through the beam. The right detail invites people to step inside the story.

When strong writing captures emotional pull, readers are hooked.

Ordinary, or Extraordinary?

Maybe that’s why certain objects become sacred to us over time. They hold pieces of where we have been and glimpses into the lives of our ancestors. Sometimes we even find really cool details like names or handwriting of loved ones long past.

My new book, Jane’s Secret, releases June 2. It revolves around a search for the meaning behind a family heirloom. I chose to write the story after visiting our ancestral home in England. When I saw my ninth great grandmother formed into stained glass, and her image etched into her gravestone, I sensed immediate connection.

Have you seen or held an ordinary object and sensed there was a deeper story hidden inside it?

What place, scent, or keepsake instantly carries you back to another chapter of your life?

Writer and speaker Jennfier Tirrell uses her personal story to connect deeply with others. Her award-winning Children’s Picture Book, Little Sprout says Yes! is based on a real one-horned goat who finds his family – Ephesians 1:5, Adoption through Christ. Her poignant time-split novel, Jane’s Secret, debuts Spring, 2026, and is a fast-paced suspense story about the power of prayer and generational blessings. She is a contributing writer to Focus on the Family, Arise Daily Devotions, Guideposts and more.

Find out more at Jennifer’s website or via her Blue Ridge Reader Connection’s profile page.

2 Comments

The Conversation

1. Lynda Stear says:

   June 1, 2026 at 5:08 pm

   Jenny,
   Your post is beautiful! Not only the many images, but I started to reminisce with the images and sounds and smells of my own youth growing up in my uncle’s church in the city. My heart goes out to so many young people missing what we had. I encourage those who had unhappy beginnings to create a new and more fulfilling journey — search for meaning as did your characters in Jane’s Secret, and put the painful past behind them. Congratulations with your new book release on Jun 2nd.

   Reply
   • Jennifer E. Tirrell says:

     June 2, 2026 at 9:32 am

     Thank you, Lynda.

     I’m so grateful to know our perfect God who inhabits our hearts and minds, our souls and our very strength — when we let Him in!

     Reply