Sweet Contemporary Story Set in an Old Order Mennonite Community Amy Knackstedt moves with her children to Weaverly, Kansas, to escape the speculation surrounding her husband's untimely death. She hopes the new location will provide a fresh start for them all. But her neighbor, Tim Roper, is not pleased to have a Mennonite family living next to his apple orchard. When the children try to befriend him, he resists. Tim left the Mennonite faith years ago and doesn't want any reminders of his former life. Yet Amy and Tim find their paths colliding far more than either could have foreseen. Will this tentative relationship blossom into something more?
"Each of us observes our faith in our way, just as we deal with grief as best we can in our own personal manner. The loss of loved ones may result in a loss of faith, or it may send one into deep religious contemplation--"prayer without ceasing". Children and adults may also see death in a very different light, and often the adults cannot answer the simple, powerful questions that only a child will ask. Young widow Amy Knackstedt and her three children leave behind the life they have known in Ohio and move with other Old Order Mennonites to a new life in Kansas. Hoping to distance her family from the speculation over her husband's tragic death, Amy lets her faith guide her as works to provide for her children's future through her quilt business. Tim Roper is the owner of the apple orchard near Amy's new home, and he is not pleased to learn of his new neighbors. A former member of the same religious order, Tim left the Mennonite way of life behind years ago. As a young man, he had forsaken his Mennonite upbringing and legally changed his name from Rupp to Roper. Later, the loss of his wife and son in a car accident drove him even further away from his faith, touching him with bitterness. He doesn't want to hear the sound of children's laughter, or see the unspoiled innocence of their hearts, but the Knackstedt children find a way to break through his barriers. As they help him work in his apple orchard, they also work their way into his heart. Thirteen-year old Bekah acts out her grief over losing her father by wanting to be like Mr. Roper and leave the order. Eleven-year old Parker, who will always be somewhat off-pace due to a brain injury, declares Mr. Roper to be his best friend. Five-year old Adrianna, both precious and precocious, is just plain irresistible. Most disturbing of all to Tim is his emotional response to Amy's gentle beauty and the warmth of her concern for her family and those around her. While Tim tries to think of a way to distance himself, circumstances continue to conspire to keep them in each other's company. When he acknowledges to himself that he loves Amy and the children, he must also make a choice of whether he can return fully to the ways of the Old Order Mennonites. Amy cares deeply for Tim, but she is afraid to give her heart to someone not fully committed to the faith as she is. When a previously unrealized connection from the past comes to light, can Amy and Tim let hope fully bloom? Simple pleasures such as sun-warmed earth and working in harmony with nature, the pull of a needle through cloth to make a quilt, and the satisfaction of nurturing others through the preparation and serving of needed sustenance are all healing in their own way. Go forward in faith, let your heart find its solace, and live each day to the fullest.
Review Copy Gratis Bethany House Books"
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Virginia (4 out of 5 stars)