You'll Think of Me

by Robin Lee Hatcher

  Two dreams—again hers and Derek’s—perfectly blended.

  “Only You, Lord, could have worked that out.”

  “Knock, knock.”

  She turned as Ruth entered the bedroom, followed right behind by Alycia. Her daughter looked pretty in a peach-colored dress, a garland of flowers in her hair. Not really a little girl any longer at eleven years old, already showing the promise of the teenager soon to come.

  “Are you ready to put on your dress?” Ruth asked. “The first of the guests are beginning to arrive.”

  Brooklyn nodded. “I’m ready.”

  More than ready, she could have added. Once Derek had proposed last Thanksgiving and she’d said yes, she had often wished they could forget the more formal ceremony and just elope. Only she’d tried that before, and it hadn’t turned out well—except for giving her Alycia. This time, her last time, she wanted to do it right. She wanted to make her vows before all the people who mattered most to her.

  Well, almost all. Esther Peterman wouldn’t be at the wedding, but perhaps she would be watching from heaven. And that thought, though tinged with sadness, made her smile.

  Then she wondered if her dad would come. He’d been invited, although she hadn’t asked him to give her away. That she’d been unable to do. She’d forgiven him for the pain of the past, but he would never truly be a father. It was too late for that.

  Ruth went to the wedding dress hanging on the closet door. She had worn the gown at her own wedding nearly fifty-five years ago. With a little expert help from a local seamstress, it had become a new creation for her new granddaughter to wear.

  Brooklyn’s eyes grew misty. She’d never known a grandmother or a grandmother’s love. Not until Ruth. She quickly wiped away the tears with a tissue as Alycia helped Ruth carry the dress to her. The sight of the two of them together threatened to bring back the tears. She thwarted them a second time, lest they fall on the gown and spot the delicate satin, and instead let the two ladies—one older and one younger—help her into it.

  “Wow, Mom. You’re so beautiful.”

  She smiled at Alycia before turning toward the mirror. She had tried on the dress numerous times as it had been altered, but it seemed like she was seeing it—and herself—for the first time.

  And she heard God whisper in her heart: This is how I see you, My daughter. You are a beautiful bride in My eyes.

  All of this, her everlasting Father had done for her. All of this, God had had in mind, long before she received an overnight delivery from an attorney on the opposite side of the country.

  God saw her. He knew her. He loved her. And He had brought her back to Thunder Creek to create a new family.

  Until this moment, she hadn’t known such complete happiness could exist.

  “Nervous?” Hank asked as the two men, along with the pastor, waited at the top of the aisle.

  Derek shook his head. “No.”

  “You know what? I believe you.”

  Derek smiled at his mom and dad, at his sister, Cara, and at his grandmother Ruth, all of them seated in the front row of white chairs. Aunts and uncles were in the row right behind them, along with all three of his cousins. Across the aisle and one row back, he saw Wendy Royal holding Miss Trouble on her lap. The dog, a sunflower fastened to her collar, sat up proudly, as if she understood the importance of the day.

  The stringed quartet off to his right began to play the traditional wedding march. Derek’s eyes lifted to the end of the aisle, and he saw Brooklyn.

  His heart just about burst at his first glimpse of her in her wedding gown. He’d always thought her beautiful. Even when he’d believed he didn’t like her and would never like her, he’d thought that. But somehow she was more beautiful today than ever before. Maybe it was the way she looked at him, with love and trust filling her eyes. He wondered if she knew how much her trust meant to him. It made him feel taller, stronger, more of a man.

  Alycia took hold of Brooklyn’s hand and escorted her mom down the grassy aisle toward Derek and the flower-covered arch. Not to give her away, but to come with her. The three of them through this ceremony becoming a family.

  Brooklyn and Alycia arrived, and Alycia gave Derek a smile as she passed her mom’s hand into his.

  “Thanks, kiddo,” he said softly.

  “You’re welcome,” she answered the same way, then added, “Dad.”

  He felt his heart do a cartwheel in his chest, amazed how that single word made him feel. He’d hoped, of course, that’s what she would call him, but he hadn’t known it would feel this good when it happened.

  Alycia’s smile widened before she turned and accepted the bridal bouquet from her mom, afterward stepping to Brooklyn’s left side. Derek’s gaze, meanwhile, returned to the bride. He could see his own joy mirrored in her eyes.

  Adrian Vinton cleared his throat.

  Derek gently squeezed his bride’s hand before looking at the pastor.

  “Dearly beloved . . .”

  As Adrian began to share about the union between a man and a woman, Derek couldn’t help remembering how a few years ago all he’d wanted was to own the land he stood upon now. He’d thought he needed it to achieve his goals. How little he’d understood at the time. About what was important in life. About dreams. About love. About God.

  And then he recalled that old saying. The one about how a man made plans and God laughed. Only now he realized God had never laughed at his plans. The Lord had simply planned something infinitely more precious for Derek—and for Brooklyn and Alycia—than he had been able to imagine himself. Something sparkled in Brooklyn’s eyes, and somehow he knew that her thoughts had traveled a similar path.

  Not caring that they hadn’t reached that point in the ceremony, he leaned in and tenderly brushed her lips with his. “I love you,” he whispered.

  The pastor stopped talking. Behind him Derek heard the titter of soft laughter.

  When he straightened, Brooklyn laughed too.

  It was a sound full of joy and trust, love and hope, and ever so much more. A great harvest, the farmer in him realized. And Derek planned to go on nurturing and harvesting that special crop for years and years to come.

  A Note from the Author

  Dear Reader:

  I hope you enjoyed your visit to Thunder Creek and meeting Derek, Brooklyn, Alycia, Ruth, and the rest.

  Although You’ll Think of Me is first and foremost a romance, it included some serious real-life issues—most specifically the longing for Daddy that is a tragic common thread in today’s society. I am a “daddyless daughter” myself, losing my father when I was an infant, and I have come to understand how that absence deeply affected my life, both personal and spiritual.

  Included after this note is an excerpt from a paper I wrote a few years ago about this crisis in our society. I used tidbits in the pages of this novel, but there is far more to share. I hope you’ll take a moment to read it. Perhaps if we all understand what the absence of fathers is doing to daughters, we can somehow turn the tide.

  Of course, by the time you read this, I will already have another story or two in the works. To learn more about my past and future books, please visit my website at www.robinleehatcher.com and sign up for my newsletter and/or blog.

  In the grip of His grace,

  Robin Lee Hatcher

  Discussion Questions

  Brooklyn was abandoned physically and/or emotionally by her parents and her husband. Have you experienced the pain of abandonment? How did you overcome it?

  Derek felt that the loss of the ten acres put an end to his dreams. Have you ever had to put your dreams into God’s hands and trust Him, no matter the outcome?

  Which character in You’ll Think of Me did you most relate to? Why?

  Brooklyn’s father is a bitter man who rejected his only child. He does not change during the story. Do you think Brooklyn handled that rejection in the appropriate way? Is it possible to honor one’s father and mother, even under such circumstances?
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  Although never reconciled with her father, Brooklyn found a new family in the people of Thunder Creek. We are all called to be part of the family of God. What does that mean to you? How do you help others feel a part of that family?

  Derek blamed Brooklyn for coming between him and Chad when they were younger. Did you think that was true? Could you understand Derek’s regret that he never asked his best friend “the hard questions”?

  Brooklyn struggled with how to relate to God as her heavenly Father. Have you experienced anything similar? If so, how did you overcome it? If not, how has that blessed your walk with Him?

  Both Esther and Ruth were mentors in Brooklyn’s life. Have you had a special mentor in your life? How do you think that mentor’s advice and wisdom helped steer you along a better path?

  What was your favorite scene in the book? Why?

  Missing Daddy, Missing Pieces

  My childhood was wonderful in countless ways, filled with love and laughter. I was nourished, cherished, and to be completely honest, spoiled. However, there was a definite absence of testosterone in my family. My grandfathers died years before I was born. My father died when I was four months old, and my mother never remarried. One aunt was divorced. Another aunt was widowed. My four cousins were girls. The only males were an uncle with no children of his own and my brother, older than me by twenty-one months. While I regretted not having a dad, I didn’t understand how deeply that absence affected me—and especially the decisions I made as a young woman—until later in life.

  My father didn’t leave by choice. His life was taken from him when the small plane he was in crashed and burned during a hunting trip. But the way that he left did not diminish the effect a fatherless home had on me. No matter the reason for a dad’s absence, it is felt, and it is felt as strongly in a daughter’s life as in a son’s. Perhaps, in some ways, more so.

  Monique Robinson, author of Longing for Daddy: Healing from the Pain of an Absent or Emotionally Distant Father, called the absence of fathers an epidemic in our society: “It has hit homes from east to west, north to south, affecting the wealthiest and the poorest, male and female, as well as all races and ethnicities. Society has allowed it, and the church hasn’t been able to stop it. Children, teens, adults, even the elderly are all crying on the inside because of it.”*

  Furthermore, Bravado Garrett-Akinsanya, PhD, LP, a clinical psychologist, stated, “Despite [a father’s] importance in the home, researchers have described the decline of fatherhood as one of the most basic, unexpected, and extraordinary trends of our time. In 1960, only 11% of children in the U.S. lived apart from their fathers. By 2010, that share had risen to 27%.”**

  From 11 percent to 27 percent is a drastic change, and it happened in my lifetime. As a child in 1960, I had only one friend who, like me, was fatherless. All of my other friends lived in two-parent homes. Today that is more of an oddity.

  Garrett-Akinsanya went on to say

  More specifically, the researchers found that the quality of fathers’ involvement with daughters was the most important feature of the early family environment in relation to the timing of the daughters’ puberty so that girls growing up in father-present conditions reach puberty later than girls growing up without a father present.

  The information is important because multiple studies show that when girls reach puberty younger, they become sexually active earlier and are more likely to get pregnant in their teens. Daughters of single mothers are 53% more likely to marry as teenagers, 111% more likely to have children as teenagers, 164% more likely to have a premarital birth and 92% more likely to dissolve their own marriages.*

  When I read those statistics, I was stunned by how closely they mirrored my personal journey. From a young age I felt the absence of a father in my home—and in my heart. I was determined to fill that empty place by marrying and having a family. I married young and had my first child while still a teenager, and sadly, that marriage ended in divorce when I was in my thirties.

  Gabriella Kortsch, PhD, a psychotherapist, said “a little girl needs to see herself reflected in the love she sees for herself in her father’s eyes. This is how she develops self-confidence and self-esteem. This is how she develops a healthy familiarity with what a positive expression of love feels like.”**

  My mother often told me that I was the apple of my daddy’s eye, but I never got to experience those positive expressions of love from him. I know I would have benefited from them.

  In a paper published in the College Student Journal, Franklin B. Krohn and Zoe Bogan quoted statistics from Getting Men Involved: The Newsletter of the Bay Area Male Involvement Network (Spring 1997). The last statistic struck a nerve with me. It said that fatherless children were 20 percent less likely to attend college than those with fathers.*

  At the age of sixteen, college should have been on my radar, but it wasn’t. True, I don’t recall my mother ever encouraging me to plan for college; maybe I simply wasn’t listening. Instead of college I got married. Years later, to my deep regret, I never encouraged my own daughters to dream of higher education. Had my father lived, however, I’m convinced I would have had very different aspirations—for myself and later for my daughters. (Note: Both of my daughters eventually went to college and have their bachelor’s degrees, and inspired by them—proving that it is better late than never—I am a part-time college student myself.)

  In his book What a Difference a Daddy Makes, Dr. Kevin Leman wrote, “A woman’s relationship with her father, more than any other relationship, is going to affect her relationships with all other males in her life—her bosses, coworkers, subordinates, sons, husband, brothers, pastors, college professors, and even Hollywood movie stars.”**

  In addition, Iyanla Vanzant, a lawyer and inspirational speaker, said in an episode of Oprah’s Lifeclass that “the role of father is to teach his daughter how to be in a nonsexual, intimate relationship with a man. In fact, it’s the first relationship a daughter has with a man and therefore teaches her how a woman should be treated.” Daddyless daughters, according to Vanzant, often fill the void in their lives by a willingness to “settle” when it comes to a partner.*

  My own experience tells me that Leman and Vanzant are correct. In my early years I was ill prepared for romance or marriage because I had no real knowledge of what those relationships should look like.

  When I was in my late thirties, the man who is now my husband took me home to meet his family. He is one of four boys, and during my first weekend with his brothers, I felt as if I’d fallen through a rabbit hole into another dimension. Their masculine behavior toward one another was foreign to me—funny and overwhelming at the same time.

  Fortunately, guys do not overwhelm me anymore. Today I count many men among my friends, and as a writer I have learned to empathize with them.

  But are there still missing pieces inside of me because I’m a “daddyless daughter”? Yes, I’m sure there are. Still, I am more than a girl who grew up without a dad. I am a woman of faith, and I believe that anything that happens in my life can work for my good—even the loss of a father—if I am open to the Lord’s healing power and direction.

  That is my choice, so that is what I choose.

  * Monique Robinson, Longing for Daddy: Healing from the Pain of an Absent or Emotionally Distant Father (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2004), Kindle edition.

  ** Bravado Garrett-Akinsanya, “Growing Up Without a Father: The Impact on Girls and Women,” InsightNews.com, November 3, 2011, accessed October 22, 2014, http://www.insightnews.com/2011/11/03/growing-up-without-a-father-the-impact-on-girls-and-women/.

  * Bravado Garrett-Akinsanya, “Growing Up Without a Father.”

  ** Gabriella Kortsch, “Fatherless Women: What Happens to the Adult Woman Who Was Raised Without a Father,” Trans4mind.com, accessed October 22, 2014, http://www.trans4mind.com/counterpoint/index-happiness-wellbeing/kortsch4.shtml.

  * Franklin B. Krohn and Zoe Bogan, “The Effects Absent Fathers H
ave on Female Development and College Attendance,” College Student Journal 35.4 (2001), accessed October 22, 2014, http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/College-Student-Journal/84017196.html.

  ** Kevin Leman, What a Difference a Daddy Makes: The Lasting Imprint a Dad Leaves on His Daughter’s Life (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000), Kindle edition.

  * Iyanla Vanzant, “Daddyless Daughters: How Growing Up Without a Father Affects a Woman’s Standards and Choices,” HuffingtonPost.com, July 13, 2013, accessed October 20, 2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/13/daddyless-daughters-standards-mistake-define_n_3587142.html.

  About the Author

  Robin Lee Hatcher is the bestselling author of over seventy-five books, including A Promise Kept and The Forgiving Hour. Her well-drawn characters and heartwarming stories of faith, courage, and love have earned her both critical acclaim and the devotion of readers. Her numerous awards include the Christy, the RITA, the Carol, the Holt, the Booksellers Best, and Lifetime Achievement Awards from both Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers.

  When not writing, Robin enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, Bible art journaling, reading books that make her cry, watching romantic movies, knitting prayer shawls, and decorative planning. She and her husband make their home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with Poppet the high-maintenance Papillon, and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon cat). Robin loves to connect with her readers online and hopes you’ll join her there.

  RobinLeeHatcher.com