The Letters
Page 26
He told her a group of Amish and Mennonites had formed a committee to handle the settlement of claims outside the court process. They would use donations from Amish and Mennonite communities nationwide to reimburse those investors, the Plain people, who wouldn’t be using the court process.
Those people—all those sad, sad letters—they would be paid back. She still couldn’t believe it! She simply couldn’t believe it.
She told the bishop about Tobe’s involvement, about the elusive Jake Hertzler. At first, she wondered if knowing about Tobe might change the committee’s mind about reimbursing people. But no, Bishop Elmo said that revelation had no bearing on their decision.
“The Lord doesn’t ask us to judge how or why needs occur,” Bishop Elmo told her, his spiky gray eyebrows drawing together. “He only asks us to take care of those in need. We all have need, Rose. Each one of us.”
On the way home from the bishop’s house, she was a little sorry that he had wanted that phrase removed—“Miracula fieri hic”—from the bottom of the Inn at Eagle Hill sign. Miracles did occur, every day. Maybe they weren’t the kinds of miracles that could be scrutinized for scientific proof, but how could you ever test for a change of a heart? Or a healing of an emotional wound? Or the power of forgiveness? Miracles meant that God was at work.
Her thoughts drifted to the letter she had from Delia yesterday. She said that her son, Will, might be moving to Lancaster County in the fall to head up a new Wild Bird Rescue Center. “He has had some wonderful offers from veterinary clinics but thinks he will be turning them down,” she wrote. “I think it might have something to do with that lady vet he met at your farm.” Then she added that Charles had agreed to go to marriage counseling with her. “Things can get good again,” she had written and underlined it twice.
Yes, they can, Rose thought to herself. Corners could be turned. The pendulum would swing. Everything could change. As it would again, and again, and again.
She smiled, running a hand along the smooth arm of the white porch swing that Galen had made for her as a surprise. He called it their courting swing. Dear, kind, faithful Galen. She knew that he hadn’t been good to her because he expected anything in return but because he was who he was—a man with a genuine desire to help fix what was broken. He was good at that.
She felt a hard band let loose around her ribs and took in a long breath. This place, Eagle Hill, was her home. Soon, the cares of the day would creep in. She would need to rouse the boys and get the day started. There were new guests in the basement and she liked to bake her blueberry cornbread for first-time guests. Blessed guests.
But first, she’d just sit here, listen to the rain, and be thankful. Be thankful for the new day.
Rose’s Blueberry Cornbread
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup butter, melted
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
1⅓ cup cornmeal
¼ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, rinsed
In a bowl, beat eggs, buttermilk, and butter to blend. In another bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Stir flour mixture into egg mixture just until evenly moistened. Gently stir in berries. Spread level in a buttered 8-inch square pan.
Bake in a 375 degree oven until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes, depending on your oven. Let cool 10 minutes, then cut into 9 squares.
Discussion Questions
This story begins and ends at moments when Rose Schrock meets the sunrise. The rising of the sun contains all sorts of symbolism. What does it mean to Rose?
How were concerns for family different for each of the characters? Rose Schrock? Her mother-in-law, Vera Schrock? Delia Stoltz? Even Galen King, Rose’s neighbor?
Several kind people end up playing significant roles in the Schrocks’ life. Who is your favorite and why?
Delia Stoltz tells her husband, Charles, that a sincere apology, even if the committed wrong was accidental, helps the victim get on with his or her life. Do you agree with her? Why does Delia believe that an apology holds that much power?
Vera Schrock believes that her family has finally returned to the right church. Rose has a different point of view—she feels that she can worship God in any church. What are your thoughts?
Bethany has to learn a hard lesson: Jake Hertzler wasn’t the person she thought he was. Name someone in your life who has surprised you as you’ve gotten to know him or her—in a good way or a bad way. What has that experience taught you?
The reader never learns the truth of how or why Dean Schrock died. What do you think—was it an accident? Or did Dean take his own life?
In this first in the series, that uncertainty over Dean’s death lingered over many characters’ heads: Rose, Tobe, even Vera. What is the significance of living with unanswered questions?
One theme in this story is that God works through all things for good (Rom. 8:28). When have you seen his hand in your life, where something bad turned into something good?
Author Note
This novel is entirely a work of fiction, and all the main characters are products of my imagination. However, the part about Schrock Investments was inspired by a true story. In the news recently was a story about a Plain man who ran an investment company that went bankrupt. Amish and Mennonite communities took up a donation to reimburse the Plain investors for their losses, because they would not, unlike the other investors, make claims with the Securities and Exchange Commission to be reimbursed out of liquidated assets. Such claims would be contrary to their beliefs about not judging another or taking an individual to court. I found that piece of the news story to be fascinating, and that was why I wove it into this story. Any other similarities are coincidental and not intentional.
Acknowledgments
With each new book, my appreciation for the Revell team continues to grow. It’s quite astonishing to realize the care they take to get a book right—its cover, scenes and characters, grammar—and then the marketing and promotion too. Each person goes above and beyond to get a book ready for the shelf and into the readers’ hands. Special thanks to Andrea Doering (aka ACFW 2011 Editor of the Year); to Barb Barnes (Grammar Queen), Michele Misiak, Janelle Mahlmann, Robin Barnett, and Twila Bennett (Marketing & Publicity Geniuses), Cheryl Van Andel and Paula Gibson (Cover Artists Extraordinaire) for your keen eye with all the details. To Amy Lathrop, for being so much more than a publicist.
As always, my gratitude extends to Joyce Hart of The Hartline Literary Agency. The only agent who was willing to take me on! I hope I’ve made you glad for that fateful decision, Joyce. I know I couldn’t be in better hands.
A smile to my family, who has a way of keeping a healthy perspective about this writing gig—bumping into my chair as they pass by on the way to the washer and dryer, texting me with grocery lists during my radio show, using my computer to check their Facebook updates when they know they are not allowed to touch it. Sigh. Where would I be without all of you?! Without 3-D characters, that’s where.
My heartfelt appreciation goes to my first readers, Lindsey Ciraulo, Wendrea How, and Nyna Dolby, for being such a huge help with that critical first draft (and second draft too!). A thank-you to Chip Conradi, who took time to give me excellent legal insights. He helped to make the downfall of Schrock Investments as credible as possible. And to my husband, Steve, for sharing his know-how in the world of accounting and investments over coffee at our favorite little coffee shop. Steve doesn’t even like coffee.
A thank-you to Jeff Camp for answering questions about brain surgery. Jeff said he was particularly grateful for excellent care from the neurology staff at the University of California, San Francisco. A big hug to AJ Salch for answering equine questions with me. And one last thank-you to Lindsey Bell and Melinda Busch, my crackerjack Latin translators, for helping me with the phrase,
Miracula fieri hic. Miracles are made here.
And to the Author of all miracles . . . how can I ever thank you enough? You’ve blessed me in ways I never imagined and never deserved. To God be the glory, amen.
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the author of the bestselling Lancaster County Secrets and Stoney Ridge Seasons series. The Search received a 2012 Carol Award and The Waiting was a finalist for the 2011 Christy Award. Suzanne’s grandfather was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Her interest in living a simple, faith-filled life began with her Dunkard cousins. Suzanne is also the author of the bestselling Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life, both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year award, and Amish Values for Your Family: What We Can Learn from the Simple Life. She is the host of Amish Wisdom, a weekly radio program on toginet.com. She lives with her family and big yellow dogs in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Books by Suzanne Woods Fisher
* * *
Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World
Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life
Amish Values for Your Family: What We Can Learn from the Simple Life
A Lancaster County Christmas
LANCASTER COUNTY SECRETS
The Choice
The Waiting
The Search
STONEY RIDGE SEASONS
The Keeper
The Haven
The Lesson
THE INN AT EAGLE HILL
The Letters
THE ADVENTURES OF LILY LAPP
(with Mary Ann Kinsinger)
Life with Lily
A New Home for Lily
A Big Year for Lily
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