Triumph Through Trial, A Story of Renewal
The stress of living a dream public persona and a nightmare private reality threatens to destroy a family unit, taking each member in its wake. Through a variety of physical and emotional weapons, one by one they will crumble.
Cynthia is beautiful, educated, secretary of the church, and happily married with wonderful children. She is an accomplished hostess and the picture of Christian love. She has the perfect marriage and life—well, not exactly perfect. Her husband, children, church members, and life in general seem to get in the way of her perfect life. Feeling robbed of the life she so richly deserves, Cynthia lashes out and her family pays the price.
Michael is successful, educated, and deacon of the church with wonderful children. Michael and his children have a close relationship. They count on him for advice, guidance, and unconditional love. Serving God is one of Michael’s greatest joys. He and his children delight in helping others. Michael loves every part of his life except for his marriage, which is stressful and unfulfilling to say the least.
Karen is the eldest child and bears the brunt of emotional destruction welded by her mother. Kevin is the only male offspring and uses humor and sarcasm as shields to protect himself. Kathy, the youngest, is sweet and seldom is a victim in the war, but lately watching the slow erosion of her family is taking a physical toll on her.
Michael longs for the marriage that Cynthia believes they have and dreams of providing a safe haven for their children. After twenty-five years of marriage, Michael is losing hope of his dream becoming reality. Can he match the public persona and the private reality? What will it cost to get that kind of marriage and home-life? Is it worth the cost? Who will pay the cost?
From the Author:
This story is too often true in homes in America. We show a different side of ourselves in public than we actually live. We want everyone to believe that we have the perfect family. In reality every family has issues. Every family has at least one member who doesn't live up to expectations or seems to bring drama in their pockets to every family gathering.
When I started this story, I KNEW the ending I want to write. However, while writing, the characters began to take the story in a different direction. By the time I finished, I was surprised at the ending. There are parts of the story that I can't determine where they originated. All I can say is that God somehow used my hand to write a story about a Christian family with many problems and still loved each other. Some of their problems couldn't be solved. The family had to grow with the problems until God revealed the solution. This is not a poor me story. It is the reality of family life on paper. It includes many humorous exchanges and a few heated arguments. The hand of God can be seen many times as He shapes each family member into the person He intended.
Cynthia is beautiful, educated, secretary of the church, and happily married with wonderful children. She is an accomplished hostess and the picture of Christian love. She has the perfect marriage and life—well, not exactly perfect. Her husband, children, church members, and life in general seem to get in the way of her perfect life. Feeling robbed of the life she so richly deserves, Cynthia lashes out and her family pays the price.
Michael is successful, educated, and deacon of the church with wonderful children. Michael and his children have a close relationship. They count on him for advice, guidance, and unconditional love. Serving God is one of Michael’s greatest joys. He and his children delight in helping others. Michael loves every part of his life except for his marriage, which is stressful and unfulfilling to say the least.
Karen is the eldest child and bears the brunt of emotional destruction welded by her mother. Kevin is the only male offspring and uses humor and sarcasm as shields to protect himself. Kathy, the youngest, is sweet and seldom is a victim in the war, but lately watching the slow erosion of her family is taking a physical toll on her.
Michael longs for the marriage that Cynthia believes they have and dreams of providing a safe haven for their children. After twenty-five years of marriage, Michael is losing hope of his dream becoming reality. Can he match the public persona and the private reality? What will it cost to get that kind of marriage and home-life? Is it worth the cost? Who will pay the cost?
From the Author:
This story is too often true in homes in America. We show a different side of ourselves in public than we actually live. We want everyone to believe that we have the perfect family. In reality every family has issues. Every family has at least one member who doesn't live up to expectations or seems to bring drama in their pockets to every family gathering.
When I started this story, I KNEW the ending I want to write. However, while writing, the characters began to take the story in a different direction. By the time I finished, I was surprised at the ending. There are parts of the story that I can't determine where they originated. All I can say is that God somehow used my hand to write a story about a Christian family with many problems and still loved each other. Some of their problems couldn't be solved. The family had to grow with the problems until God revealed the solution. This is not a poor me story. It is the reality of family life on paper. It includes many humorous exchanges and a few heated arguments. The hand of God can be seen many times as He shapes each family member into the person He intended.