One recent evening, I wrote “The End” on the first draft of my newest novel. Six hours later, a phone call awakened me to a different kind of ending: the death of a family member.
As always, writing became my solace. He’d been in my life for most of it, and this loss demanded processing.
Celebrating his life showed the power of stories to navigate grief’s seasons. Though summer brought friends and family together, the loss and the initial chaos felt like trudging through an icy winter gale.
My sister’s infectious laugh muted for a time. But in sharing memories of the joy he brought, we sensed spring‘s hopeful sprouts. Faith offered comfort: the knowledge of where he was and the promise of reunion.
Like a summer storm, grief can sweep in unexpectedly. A familiar song, a vacant chair. These moments trigger downpours of tears, but storms pass.
As autumn approaches, those who loved him will gather golden reflections, the leaves of a life well lived. May the wind carry away some of the pain, leaving love forever sealed in our hearts, until the vastness of eternity unites us all again.
Book Review
I was honored when Sarah Hamaker, one of my favorite authors, invited me to join the launch team for the first book in her new Seeking Justice series.
“Justice Delayed” is heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. It’s one of those books that grabs your attention from the beginning and keeps it long after you’ve finished reading it. Though Sarah scattered clues throughout, and I figured out some of it quickly, the ending was a complete surprise and took the story in a different direction than I thought it was headed. It’s a story of greed, corruption, family dynamics, and the damage done to yourself and others by unforgiveness. The romance is believable and sweet, two people who hung on tight to Jesus as they rebuilt their shattered lives – and believed God had put them together for a purpose.
In “Justice Delayed, Sarah sets up a race against time as a disgraced journalist and a convicted killer join forces to find the real murderer.
If you enjoy a good mystery with a touching romance and a strong theme of faith, you’ll enjoy “Delayed Justice.”
