Waiting for Morning, Forever Faithful Series #1
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Wonderful Life Lessons
This book shows us that even as Christians we can go down the wrong pathway. Hannah Ryan is a wife and mom of 2 daughters. It seems as though they have the perfect family life, with Christ being the center of their family. So what went wrong? What could make God seem so far away?
Tom Ryan, husband of Hannah and father of their daughters, has taken their girls on a yearly camping trip right before school was to begin. They had the "perfect" trip. Then tragedy strikes. A man that is trying to stay sober had a crisis in his life and he made the choice to start drinking. Then he got behind the wheel of his car. Big mistake! He hits the Ryan car and Tom and one of the girls (Alicia) is killed. Jenny survives but is hospitalized for a short period of time.
Hannah had been praying for her family the entire time all of this was happening. So what made her turn against God after she received this tragic news? I believe Satan attacks us at our most vulnerable times. He convinced Hannah that God didn't hear her prayers or chose to ignore them. Everything goes downhill from there. Hannah turns away from God and from her surviving daughter, Jenny. Jenny is so upset when she hears her Mom ranting and raving about how that "drunk" man took everything. He ruined her life. She had nothing left. Wow. I can only imagine how Jenny felt. Her Mom is saying she has nothing now? What about Jenny? How devastating for her!
You will want to read this book to find out if or how Hannah gets her faith back. Will she let go of her hatred and revenge for the man that caused the accident and took part of her family? How does Jenny fare? Will Jenny and Hannah ever return to the relationship they once had?
God tests our faith in many ways. Hannah definitely had a trial to go through. God doesn't promise us an easy life, but He does promise to always be with us. But what happens when we turn away from God? We should not judge anyone that turns from God. God wants us to love them and nurture them back into his fold. None of us knows how we will react then we have a crisis in our life.
March 23, 2013
Book Review: WAITING FOR MORNING by KarenKingsbury
There are good books, and then there are really good books. Karen KingsburyâÂÂs Waiting For Morning is one of those really good books.
Hannah RyanâÂÂs husband and two daughters were on their way home from a camping trip when a drunk driver collided with their car, killing HannahâÂÂs husband and oldest daughter.
Consumed with grief and hate for the man who destroyed her family, Hannah spends every minute pursuing the prosecution of the drunk driver to the fullest extent of the law, hoping that by putting him behind bars she will find peace again. Meanwhile, devastated by the loss of her dad and sister, HannahâÂÂs surviving daughter Jenny battles depression and grief alone.
When a police officer remembers her husbandâÂÂs dying message, will the letter he sends Hannah contain the truth that will set her free? And will Hannah realize that Jenny needs her love and support, before itâÂÂs too late?
Have tissues handy! Waiting For Morning is a story of hope and forgiveness that will touch your heart and stay with you for a long time. This book was excellent, well-written, and I would not hesitate to recommend it.
March 1, 2013
Hits Close to Home
Everyone who has waited for the familiar roll of wheels in a driveway, who has paced the floor sure that calamity has struck, who has prayed for the particular care of their loved ones, will understand the opening moments of this book. It is that time in-between when they should have been home and when their familiar feet pound up the front steps, those eternal minutes between what actually is and what could be. Those moments are agonizing, they tremble with all kinds of possibility, and they mutely stand by with your heart in their hands, careless with it, unrelenting in their unknowing.
If, at the end of the in-between, you believed your concern silly or unwarranted because the headlights once again washed the windows and your laughing people slammed the car doors before they trooped off to bed, then you came through that tunnel of time unscathed. Many have ended that period with the tears that come with notifications that are unbearable and crushing. For both the relieved and tormented, Karen Kingsbury writes a tale of wrenching loss and immense forgiveness. There is much pain and heartache in this book, but there is also hope. When the incomprehensible happens, when the fantasies you wondered about in the in-between are much less terrible than the truth, how do you move on? How do you keep your faith?
The wonder of God is that he knows our names, feels our pain, and understands our questions. He would not leave us in our misery and grief, but he would allow us to feel them as deeply as necessary. He recognizes the depths of our sorrow â not just because he is our creator, but because his own runs just as deep. KingsburyâÂÂs novel takes us all the way to the bottom of that ocean of pain, and then shows us how the love of God can redeem even the most painful and incomprehensible tragedy.
As I read Waiting for Morning, I was struck not just by how much it moved me, but how much I related to the characters. There are instances in all of our lives when we feel betrayed and hurt by others. When we weigh the wanting in all our own hearts, itâÂÂs hard to justify our inability to forgive. Yet, there it is. As I read, I recognized some I needed to forgive. I had been carrying some weighty bitterness, some heavy differences, and in the end, these chains were forged by me, carried by me, and scarring me â not them. If Waiting for Morning helps no one else, I appreciate the way in which it moved me closer to the cross, returning the grace Christ gave me to someone else. That definitely makes it worthy of attention. Just keep a box of tissues close at hand. This one hits close to home.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade CommissionâÂÂs 16 CFR, Part 255
May 14, 2012
Make the Most of Every Moment
Waiting for morning is an incredibly emotional text! Once the tragedy hits (very early on in the story) you will not want to put the book down until you know there is some sort of healing for Hannah Ryan â which makes this a quick read.
While this story is fiction the circumstances and emotions are very true to life. Kingsbury is known for making her characters seem like your next door neighbor, your sister, or your best friend. It is likely that as you read about Hannah Ryan you will hurt for her as if you really know her. It is just as likely that you know someone who has lived a similar tragedy.
Each chapter of the book is prefaced by a verse from the Book of Lametations. The verses mirror Hannah's journey to healing and set the tone for each new chapter. I enjoyed this detail.
I appreciate that Kingsbury does not shy away from writing about sadness, anger, hurt, and tradegy in the Christian life. This book is not exception. We know that being a Christ follower does not give us a free ticket to avoid all pain. Sometimes I find it obnoxious when Christian authors spin things to be overly perfect and warm fuzzy. I also recognize that while Kingsbury brings restoration to the events she writes about in her books, the outcomes aren't always as predictable as the reader may assume.
I would recommend Waiting for Morning. The story is another great reminder for all of us to Make the Most of Every Moment.
Multhomah Publishing Group provided me with a copy of this book for review.
April 23, 2012
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