I never doubted the love my adoptive parents had for me. It was real. It was deep. It was secure. I thrived because of that love. I was so accepted as their daughter that no one could ever deflate my life or my position in the family among my cousins or other members of the family. I was proud of whom I was that whenever I was referred to as "Sam and Viola's adopted daughter" my response was, "Yes, I was chosen." Babies are born every day to unwed mothers and to couples who are married but don't want a baby. It is a sad fact that unwanted and unloved babies are numerous in our society. Being the child of an unwed mother who gave me up for adoption never decreased my self worth. My biological mother performed the most unselfish act in the world by allowing me to have a secure home with loving parents because she wasn't able to provide those important elements in my life. God arranged for there to be someone waiting in the wings to take up my life when my biological mother dropped it-someone to mold my childhood and help me be the person God planned for me to be. My God-given parents were an awesome gift. They left me a legacy, a huge bank of memories that no one can ever take from me. The value of my life, constantly validated by all of the warm remembrances of my growning up years, can never be diminished, in spite of rejection and disappointment. The memories are mine-they are mine to keep forever. And forever is a long, long time.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px 'Adobe Garamond Pro'} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 21.6px; text-align: justify; font: 10.0px 'Adobe Garamond Pro'; min-height: 12.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 21.6px; text-align: justify; font: 10.0px 'Adobe Garamond Pro'} p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px 'Adobe Garamond Pro'; min-height: 12.0px} p.p5 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 10.0px 'Adobe Garamond Pro'; min-height: 12.0px} p.p6 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 10.0px 'Adobe Garamond Pro'} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space: pre} Never underestimate the arrival of the unexpected. What we consider to be a 'hardship' in life may only be God's gentle hand guiding us on the road of life. Each adversity in life can bring us closer to God, even though we don't understand why such incidents have to happen. Incidents when you feel lost, without hope, and unloved can be the times you grow closer to God. It is then that you can learn to rely on God more. It is during these times that you can be reassured of the presence of God in your life. When I think of you my God, it boosts my spirit and gives me hope. Because of your love I know that I will not be taken in by all of the grief in my life. You are so compassionate to me. You show me every day that you are my faithful friend. You always let me know that you will be with me to help me do the right things and it's because of you that I am able to face each new day, each new challenge. (Lam. 3:22-24 paraphrased) Hardships can strengthen our reliance on God. They can grant us the opportunity to increase our faith and to mature as a Christian. Hardships, adversities, afflictions, challenges, trials, tribulations, misfortunes (whatever we choose to call them) can bring us into the depths of God's love and help us recognize the plan God has for our lives. God's gifts are not always what we feel they should be because we overlook their value by their appearance. God knows what we need to have a richer, fuller life. Never underestimate the gifts from God in your life: some may look like 'Hardships' but are actually God's 'Love' in action. Hopefully within the pages of this book, you will learn and understand that: God SEES us through our hardships, God HELPS us through our hardships, God HOLDS us through our hardships, God STAYS with us through our hardships.
There are events in our lives that change the world, as we know it. They give way to how we must face the future and not only that, they dictate what the future holds for us. The death of a loved one is an event that we would like to erase and pretend never happened, but that is virtually impossible. It is then that life becomes a new journey-an uncharted course filled with decisions which hopefully lead to a new and fulfilled life. Helen Sheppard faced the unexpected death of her husband and his death changed the course of Helen's life. Now, she is a sojourner in a world not of her choosing-a world without the one she shared life with for over forty years. Death not only separated her from her first love, but destroyed her hopes and dreams of tomorrow and amended her plans for the future. Helen faces many challenges on her journey down the road of widowhood, but the one thing she has come to accept is that Jake Hubbard, whom she met while visiting her sister in South Carolina, walked across her heart and his footprints would remain there forever. This is the turning point in Helen's life and even though she doesn't realize it at first, she begins to escape her caged world of loneliness, resentment and confusion and enter a world of hope, direction and fulfillment. Forced to travel life's journey accompanied only by her memories of the past, Helen earnestly seeks a way to overcome the vast emptiness that has filled her life. Helen is a courageous woman who is not willing to get stuck in grief, but strives to move on with her life even when faced with the disapproval of her adult children.
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