Chapter One

Suzanne Parker wondered where the years had gone. It seemed only yesterday that she had stood at the altar of the little country church saying her vows to a groom she hardly knew. She had been a blushing young bride with the whole world ahead of her.

Settling herself for the flight from Dallas to Little Rock, she leaned back in the seat beside her daughter and closed her eyes. She knew that Autumn would entertain herself with her iPod and music of choice during the flight. Truly glad that Autumn was the easiest of children to be with, Suzanne smiled softly to herself. She was blessed with three beautiful children, two sons and a daughter. God had heard the desire of her heart.

She was tired to her very bones. The past year had taken more out of her than she could ever have imagined. The future looked less bright than she let on to others. She found herself wondering when things had gone so wrong. Daniel and she had always had an almost perfect life. Nothing had prepared her for the sorrow of losing her husband before his time. But losing him she surely was, one agonizing day at a time.

Turning her head toward the window, Suzanne, opening her eyes, stared out at the azure blue sky, watching as a white fluffy cloud drifted a few hundred feet away. Blinking to keep the tears from falling, she swallowed hard, pushing back the sorrow with all of her might. Her throat ached with tears held too long, a reflection of the aching of her heart. It would never do to fall apart now with a plane full of strangers watching.

Leaving Daniel in the long-term care facility while she went back to her hometown to help her mother with some issues ripped her heart out. And yet, there was little she could do for him; other than sit by his side, reading and praying and hoping for an occasional glimpse of the man she had once known. This had been her life for months now. Only the Lord knew when the sorrow would end.

Spying a huge thundercloud forming in the far distance, she watched as bolts of lightning flickered against the bruised blackness of the cloud. Unable to hear the thunder, she was sure it was rumbling across the heavens in unison with the building storm.

“It’s rather like my life,” she thought. “Darkness and turmoil building and there is no way to stop the storm from coming. I must simply wait it out and trust that the Lord will see me through.”

Restless now, she pulled her Kindle out of her bag. Turning it on, she opened it to the Bible section. It always helped to read the Word when her emotions seemed to be spiraling out of control. How many times over the years had she turned to her Bible for solace, wisdom, and understanding. It was her lifeline.

Glancing over at her daughter, she was relieved to see that she was fast asleep. The stress was taking its toll on them all. Autumn was the most exuberant of girls and could find the good in almost anything, yet having so many changes in her young life was overwhelming right now. She adored her father and was as scared of losing him as Suzanne herself was. This was one of the reasons Suzanne had agreed to make the trip to her hometown to help with some things her mother needed. Both she and Autumn needed a break from the relentless pressures put upon them day after day.

Suzanne knew that in an emergency she could depend on either of her sons to be there for their father within a moment of time. For that she was more than thankful. They too were grasping at trying to understand what lie ahead. But they were strong young men, and Suzanne had few fears for their ability to cope.

Turning back to her Bible she turned to Jeremiah 29:11 and read, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Closing the Kindle and leaning her head back once again, Suzanne meditated on these words for a long while, dissecting them as she had often taught others to do when teaching classes at their church.

“Lord, Father God,” she prayed silently, “I have prayed and prayed for you to heal my husband, and yet it seems you have other plans for his life. It would seem that you are determined to take him home with you. If this is true then I ask that you do so quickly, that you spare him the humiliation of this terrible disease. Father, I know that you will give us all the strength to get through the loss, through whatever we must go through to get to the end of this time. Right now, Father, I am so weak and so weary. Hear my prayer, please! Give us your strength. Whatever the expected end is that you have in store for me and my family, I pray that you lead and guide us to that end. I pray that nothing other than your complete will may be done in our lives. I love you heavenly Father, and I trust you to the very depths of my being. Thank you for the assurance that you are still in control. Amen.”

Letting go of all the worries, all the fears, Suzanne Brummell Parker slipped off into a calm sleep, never waking until the plane touched down and it was time to depart. Waking refreshed and ready to face the future, she and Autumn made their way to the baggage area where her mother awaited them.

The next few days flew by in a flurry of events. Suzanne gave in to the pleas of her daughter and agreed to accompany Autumn and her niece, Brenda, along with her own sister, Karen, to the annual Fall Festival at the school where she had grown up. It would be fun, she decided, to see a few old friends and to let Autumn experience the rather old-fashioned time of fun and games.

And so it was that she found herself standing in the noisy old gymnasium after so many years; watching people mill around.  Some were laughing and talking, others simply taking it all in.

Surprise crossed her face as she recognized the tall man walking in through the far door. He was the last person she had anticipated seeing here this night.