Read and Review: Before the Dawn and Sweet September

Verse of the Day: Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and you shall find it opened unto you.

A test of faith during a time of our greatest doubt is a painted and framed picture of what Carolynn Aarsens "Before the Dawn", and Tricia Goyers "Sweet September", have to offer. These two books belong to the same series "Home on Heather creek, and follows the story of a heartbroken but prayerful Charlotte Stevensons and her family who without question hold a mirror to our own trust in God, when things take an unexpected and tragic turn. Its calls to question: who do we turn to, when life doesn't go as we expected it? God or our own philosophy?

When Charlotte loses her only daughter in a fatal incident and finds herself fostering in her three grandchildren, she learns quickly that although mistakes are made, God is one of second chances. If ever a story to remind me of my hope, love and faith in the creator, Aareson and Goyer presented them, through the up and down hill battles of a new reality for the Stevenson's that left me confident that faith in Christ to overcome my own struggles is something that will never yield in it's power and that prayer is our answer that always delivers when it needs to.

In "Before the Dawn", we are introduced to Charlotte, her husband Bob and their son Peter, just moments after their daughters funeral and we get a glimpse into their grandchildren's lives. I feel as though if any young adult or teen ( anyone really) who's lost someone is introduced to this story, they will be able to find themselves and connect with one of the three. For someone who may distance themselves in order to not feel responsible for the loss of a person : you'll have the eldest son: Sam. For those who are in one way or another trying to find ways to cope by staying connected with people from their past that may have already moved on: there's Emily, the eldest daughter. Then, for the seemingly objective Daydreamer who makes the most of situations by immersing into a world of their own: you have little Christopher. For mothers who may take a stern and hard to understand view of life and the upbringing of children, there's Charlotte, For fathers who make take a hard outlook on the realities of life without the need to soften or change it for the benefit of those around them, you have Bob, and finally for the sons, who have never felt "enough" for their fathers and struggles most of their life just to see the day their dad tells them "good job" you have Peter. Not to mention the colorful palette of characters throughout the story leading into Sweet September, by Tricia Goyer, there is truly a character for everyone who may have delt with loss or a supporter of someone who has lost a loved one.

Sweet September gives us a much needed and appreciated background on the Stevenson's through a brief history of the dust bowl that struck the face of Oklahoma in the early 1900's, when a family passing though in need, stopped at the Stevenson's doorsteps when Bob had only been a child. It was a story to remind us all just how great any small act of humility can be. What awesome service it is to be of a humble and giving spirit. To love one another as God so loves us.

My rating: 10/10 Quills, will read again

"For the love of life and literature, stay prayerful, stay positive, and write on!"