Secrets

Today is a good day in so many ways. Work is going well. My walk this morning was relaxing. My meeting with my boss was very encouraging. I had a wonderful date with my Daddy last night. I get to see my future husband and share time with him and his family tonight - as we worship our Savior at church and watch Jericho (our newest netflix obsession). I am beyond blessed.

Another thing that makes me happy with anticipation...Secrets is almost ready to be printed! This book has been written for a couple of years. And is never far from my heart and mind. But I was missing the inspiration and peace to get it published. Thanks to a wonderful little lady who had the passion to write a book at 85 and Monday night dates with two close friends who believe in me, I feel that the time is almost here to introduce this story to the world.God is almost ready for His message to be told.

To me, this book is far better than the first book that I published. The story is stronger. The characters have stolen my heart; they are real and raw. And it's not simply a love story...it's a story of redemption. A story of coming home.

One day, I will introduce you to the characters. But, today, I want to give you a small peek at their lives. 

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Sunday morning came too early for Victoria. She was used to sleeping in on Sundays. After a week full of parties, fashion shoots, interviews, and trying to keep up Phil’s demands, Sunday was the one day that Victoria had for herself. Today, due to the early bedtime she was becoming accustomed to, Victoria woke up an hour after the sunrise. She lay in bed for half an hour trying to fall back asleep, and then decided it was hopeless.

She went in the bathroom and turned on the faucet. It spattered out brown and dirty, before washing into clear, refreshing water. She poured in lavender bath salts and let the aroma fill the air. It was soothing. And it reminded her of middle school.

Seventh grade. She had had a crush on Bobby Wheeler, but Bobby told her that she wasn’t pretty, and he didn’t like her. Victoria had gone home that night with tears running down her face. She wouldn’t tell her mom the details, so Ginny Ryan simply turned on the bathwater, poured in a handful of lavender salts, put on her favorite country CD, and left Victoria to bath away the pain… every since then lavender baths and Patsy Cline were the only things to help heal Victoria’s heart. It was like her mother was there with her, and she was forgiven and whole again, if only for a little while.

            Now, she crawled in the warm water as it cascaded over her cherry red toes. Closing her eyes, she sighed. The water was a blanket over her body, tucking her into memories and thoughts of California. At that time the week before she was in bed beside Timothy Hayden. At a party the night before, she had clung to him. He was handsome, easy to talk to, and enough of a gentleman to trust. By the end of the night, she had convinced him to let her come over. They had spent the night talking and then fell asleep next to each other.

            It was something she did almost every weekend, anytime there was a big party, anytime she could. She would find a guy who thought she was beautiful and get him to take care of her. It was easy enough. All guys wanted to be the hero to a damsel in distress. It was the jerks that she slept with. The gentlemen she just slept next to. Either way, it was her way of getting away from Phil.

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            Dean looked up at the choir, angry tears threatening to fill his eyes. He wouldn’t let himself cry. He never let himself cry. The choir was singing Amazing Grace, and it sounded beautiful. But he couldn’t help thinking about how that was Annie’s favorite song, and she deserved to be up there singing it with them. And she would have been if only he had…

            His eyes found Doc on the last row in the choir loft. Doc was singing out, a joyful smile on his face, believing every word he sang and not focusing on the negative. No, not Doc. Doc wouldn’t be thinking about how Annie should have been up there. Instead, he would be singing for Annie. He had told Dean before that he could just see Annie up in heaven, looking down, and smiling at the beautiful music, smiling at the worship. Dean wasn’t sure if he believed all that.

            Every Sunday of his life, Dean had attended Wilderness Baptist Church. There were several times, when life seemed to be crashing in around him and God seemed to be letting it, that Dean thought about skipping church. He never did though because going to church was habit for him, and he liked the people there. And a little bit at a time, he had begun to like God again too. Just like his parents would have wanted. Just like Annie would have wanted. And just like Doc.

            The sermon was about God’s love. About His understanding. The preacher even threw in a little about how God provides everything we need. Dean still doubted God on that one though. He needed Annie. He needed her to love him.

            But God had taken that away from him. Then he thought about the verse in Job…what did it say? The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord?  Dean didn’t understand why God would give someone something and then rip it away from them. It was something he thought about every day. He hadn’t found the answer yet, and he didn’t think he ever would.