Dreams Deferred  (April 2019) Amazon

Frances Matthew Hall is obedient to family tradition: all firstborn sons will serve as a priest. Now Matt officiates at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas. But when on Easter Sunday, he notices a beautiful young woman who takes his breath away, he must fight against his attraction to her or leave the priesthood and alienate his entire family.

Mary Louise Graham is a middle school teacher and devout catholic. Yet no amount of service to the community can ease the heavy load of guilt she carries. God can never forgive her unspeakable mistake. But when Father Matt tells her about a forgiving God through His son Jesus Christ, she’s free. Only thing, the Godly priest now means more to her than he should.

Can two people find their way to each other amidst insurmountable obstacles? Dreams Deferred is inspired by the author’s great grandfather and great grandmother’s story.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The Long Way Home Amazon (January 10, 2019) 

David Maguire’s tour of duty in Germany is over, and he’s returning home to Oak Mountain, Alabama in search of a job. After a long flight from Frankfort, he shares an Uber with Dallas resident Jada Atwood.

Jada Atwood, a registered nurse midwife, is on her way to a medical conference in Queens. If only she could live up to her father’s legacy at the hospital where she works, she could prove worthy of his reputation. Marriage awaits yet her fiancé has yet to offer a ring.

When the Uber driver must make a stop to pick up a passenger at a Queens shopping center, two men who robbed a nearby bank commandeer the Ford as a getaway car. But when they discover two passengers, they have to get rid of the extra baggage.

After the kidnappers murder the Uber driver, David and Jada fear for their lives. Will they find their way home or die in a Pennsylvania forest?

Dancing in a Field of Daisies, a devotional    Amazon   (January 15, 2019)

The Christian walk is sometimes filled with potholes, rocky paths, and steep hills. Yet the Lord is there making the way straight. June Foster shares her journey—the joys and the trials—through fifty devotionals she’d written over the last ten years. Some are geared toward those of us who’ve reached the twilight years, yet all embrace the joy and peace only a life with Jesus can offer. Come alongside June as she explores God’s word and rejoices in the Lord. Leave your cares and join the dance in a field of daisies.

For me, the view of the sled is a statement on the deceit of the pursuit of happiness.

The first movie that comes to mind is Back Street which is about a man, played by John Gavin, who is tricked into marrying a drunk, when he really is in love with Susan Hayward's character. I was twelve or thirteen when I saw it for the first time, and I found myself wanting John to stand up to his wife, get a divorce, and be with the one he was in love with. Without thinking about it, I wanted the man to commit adultery.

The next movie that made me root for the bad guy, A Place in the Sun, which is based on Theodore Dreiser's American Tragedy, was about a man, Montgomery Clift, who fell in love with the boss's daughter (Elizabeth Taylor), but his girlfriend, Shelley Winters, was with child. So he took her out in a boat and didn't rescue her when she fell overboard. Something in me wanted him to get away with murder so he could marry the girl of his dreams. (Scott Peterson????)

And who can forget Ocean 11? Who didn't want them to get away with burglary and the theft of millions ?

Movies can be insidious. They can change our values without us even knowing it.

Yes, I'm very old. My favorite was Love Story. But, tell me, what exactly does "Love means never having to say you're sorry," mean? The way I see it, love means saying you're sorry. What do you think?