Introduction

Heather Hampton returns to Moses Lake, Texas, to help facilitate the sale of a family farm as part of a planned industrial plant that will provide the area with much-needed jobs. Heather's future fiance has brokered the deal, and Heather is in line to do her first large-scale architectural design--if the deal goes through.

But the currents of Moses Lake have a way of taking visitors on unexpected journeys. What was intended to be a quick trip suddenly morphs into Valentine's week--with Blaine Underhill, the handsome banker who just happens to be opposing Heather's project. Spending the holiday in an ex-funeral parlor seems like a nightmare, but Heather slowly finds herself being drawn into the area's history, hope, and heart.

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Excerpt

The future is a blank page, but not a mystery.
—A Tinker’s Riddle
(Written on the Wall of Wisdom, Waterbird Bait and Grocery, Moses Lake, Texas)
Chapter 1
Is it possible for nine months and three days of your life to haunt you forever? Can memories become like restless spirits, their long, thin fingers always reaching, and tugging, and grabbing? Their fingernails, in my case, would be some variation of floral pink, nicely manicured. Perfectly matched to a shade of lipstick and possibly a purse or some other accessory. Undoubtedly, this is not the norm for personal demons, but try telling them that. They won’t listen, I promise. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. In returning to Moses Lake, Heather is coming home to a place that was special to her as a young childhood, even though the memory was later marred by tragedy. Do you remember a special childhood place? What makes the places of our childhood live large in our memories?

2. Heather and Clay have vastly different personalities—Heather being more like their father and Clay being more like their mother. Do you think we’re always more like one parent than the other? How do our connections or missed connections with our parents shape us?

3. In spending time with her brother again, Heather realizes that there are memories and experiences we only share with our siblings. How are our sibling relationships different from any other relationships? Have you experienced sibling strife in your family at various times? How can we cultivate healthy relationships with our siblings?

4. Heather resents the past efforts of her aunt and the bridge-club ladies to coach and reform her, so that she could fit the parameters of Moses Lake. Why do you think they were so intent on this? Did they mean well, or not?

5. Heather recalls her past crush on Blaine shortly after she returns to Moses Lake, but when she meets him again, she learns that he isn’t the person she thought he was. Have you ever gotten to know someone you had only observed from a distance, and been surprised at the person inside?

6. When looking into the past, Heather idolizes her father, while her brother finds fault with him and is more understanding of their mother’s position. Where do you think reality lies? Is it common for siblings to have different views of family history? Have you ever experienced this in your own family?

7. As she spends time in Moses Lake, Heather begins to recognize that the tragedy in her past has limited her openness to relationships in the present. How does loss in childhood change us and shape us in adulthood? Have you seen evidence of this in people you have known? How can we move beyond past experiences that are painful?

8. When Ruth tells the story of her sisters, Lydia and Naomi, she ends with the dilemma of which one chose the right path—the sister who compromised herself to feed them, or the sister who clung to her faith. What are your thoughts on the paths chosen by the two sisters? How do you think you would react, if faced with such a dire situation?

9. In recounting her family history, Ruth says, “Terrible things had happened to us, after all—death, disease, hunger, our family torn asunder, abuses I cannot even speak of. How could a God who loves us allow such things, you might wonder?” What is your answer to this question?

10. In spite of her cancer and the tragedy in her early life, Ruth is peaceful in her spirit. In what ways, surrounded by a troubled world, can we cultivate a spirit of peace and abundance?

11. Because Ruth’s sister, Lydia, was brave enough, she was the only one who saw the circus. Ruth seems to regret that her fear kept her on the hill with the other girls. Has fear ever kept you from doing something that you later wished you’d done? If you had the chance again now, would you do it?

12. Heather eventually concludes that she can either love her quirky family the way they are, or not love them at all. Do you think this is true? Should we learn to accept people exactly the way they are, even if we don’t agree with some of the things we do? Why or why not?

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»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Author Lisa Wingate's web site

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