Welcome, February! I hope you are all doing well. I cannot believe January is behind us. It truly flew by for me! Dad has been in the hospital, and we are awaiting test results to return from Stanford, so please pray for a positive outcome if it be the Lord's will. This came on rather suddenly and his pain has been nearly unbearable at times. My main prayers are for his comfort and for actual help, not just treating symptoms, but actual healing & if the Lord deems fit to take him Home, then may it not be long-suffering for my sweet daddy. Thanks all!
In the meantime, he has been playing jokes on the nurses, lightening the burden for them and himself. He waits until they have their stethoscope on his chest and then hums deep and long completely freaking them out since it sounds so weird! I live 4 hours away, so it was a blessing to go and be with him last weekend.
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| DAD CRACKING UP |
One of my daycare Littles matter-of-factly prayed: "Father God, please help Grampa keep playing jokes on the nurses. In Jesus name, Amen." He is a character in his own right! This next picture is of him giving the stinkeye to a lady who left her cart directly in our path and got in her car.
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| STINK EYE |
Now for a book review from a sweet author I highly recommend. Her 3rd book in this series comes out Tuesday.
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| AMAZON LINK |
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| PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS |
The Brightest of Dreams –
Canadian Crossings #3 - by Susan Anne Mason
EXCEPTIONAL ENDING TO THE TRILOGY
Following WWI, three strangers boarded
the SS Olympic and became friends with similar quests. This final story follows
Quinten Aspinall as he searches for his three missing siblings who were shipped
from Derbyshire, England to Canada, without his mother’s consent, on an orphan
ship to become indentured servants.
“The war was over. He’d
survived. A major accomplishment to say the least. Yet that blessing paled when
he thought about the fate that had befallen his family. Becky, Cecil, and
little Harry. Lord, keep them safe – wherever they are.”
After informing his employer of
his plans, he is tasked with also bringing back the Earl’s niece, Julia
Holloway, who left with a wounded soldier to be his caregiver and make her own
way in the world.
Arriving in Toronto, Quinn makes his way to
the charming Mrs. Chamberlain’s boarding house from the previous books. Julia and
Quinn are drawn together in unexpected ways that go far beyond him retrieving
her from Canada; some dangerous, some tense, some sweet. *“I found a charming
eatery on the next street. I doubt they have true English tea, but I’m willing to brave it if you are.” She gave a light laugh that went straight to his chest. “I’ve yet to find a truly good cup of tea,” she said, “though Mrs. Chamberlain’s came very close.”
**“Everything about Julia – her
beauty both inside and out – drew him to her like a bee to nectar.”
***“He, Grace, and Emma had come
to Canada, each with their own hopes and dreams for the future. And after
enduring hardship and loss, they had all found their path. Surely the hand of
God had been on their lives every step of the way.”
The relationship between Mrs. C
and the Reverend was very sweet. The
difficulties of the young siblings, particularly Harry were sad to read, but
not unlike the situations of the orphan train children here in America.
The COVER is fantastic featuring
Quinten in period clothing, with gentle street lamps behind him.
I enjoyed reading the author’s
endnotes about Dr. Barnardo’s homes and the thousands of children sent to
Canada from England, particularly how little had been written about them.
I recommend this story if you
enjoy drama and romance in a historical setting.
Thank
you to the publisher / author who sent me a review copy. My honest opinion is
my own without expectation or compensation.
Canadian Crossings Series
1 TheBest of Intentions – Grace Abernathy’s story 07/2018
2 TheHighest of Hopes – Emmaline Moore’s story 03/05/2019
3 The Brightest of Dreams -
Quinten Aspinall’s story 02/04/2020
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| Connect with the author at SusanAnneMason.net |
Residing in Brampton, Ontario, Canada with her husband,
children and cats; Susan describes her writing style as ‘romance sprinkled with
faith’ She loves incorporating inspirational messages of God’s unconditional
love and forgiveness into her characters’ journeys.
