Saturday, August 29, 2009

Design for Life

Today I received the beautiful cover for my Sweetheart Rose story, Design for Life. I wrote this story for the Flower Basket series, but also to encourage my youngest daughter, Becca, to follow her dreams no matter what life might throw at her. Ironic, since this week, life threw us a hugely unexpected curve ball from left field and I spent the week in the Intensive Care Unit with my husband. We were lucky that he followed his instincts and we went to the ER in time, so his heart attack was mild. A cardiac catheter’s not the most pleasant procedure, but it found 95 percent blockage in an artery, and the stent the heart surgeon implanted will prevent a future occurrence, with some diligence on our part.
It’s times like these that really throw life into sharp perspective, and priorities fall immediately into line. Having my husband well enough to come home again took the number one slot, and everything else fell away. So if I owe you anything, please be patient, I’m working my way through everything.
Life’s lessons can sometimes be harsh, but it’s what we take away from them that’s important. Yes, following your dreams is still important, but having someone to love who loves you equally provides the essential basis from which everything else flows and grows. Something else I hope Design for Life conveys.
I’m still working on the final edits, but here’s the story blurb:
Becca Lyndon puts her dreams on hold by leaving art school to care for her ailing mom. Working full time at The Flower Basket leaves precious little time, but she squeezes in night classes at the local college. When Mike Hunter fills in as a substitute teacher, she worries about a repeat of the critical reviews he gave her work when he substituted at her high school three years earlier. His reason comes as a complete surprise, but can she trust him? Or will he disappear like her father? When that possibility looms all too real, she’s determined never to let the design for her life unravel again. Following her bliss requires work, but pays off in more ways than she ever imagined. She also learns that one door might close, but another can open—and lead to unexpected opportunities.