A Baby by Easter (18 page)

F
our months later, Susannah and David's wedding day dawned hot and glorious in the Arizona desert.

“I don't want all the frills and frou frou,” she'd told David. “I've realized that it's what's in the heart that matters. Choose whatever you like for our wedding.” Then she'd returned to walking colicky Grace across the pool deck.

David, being David, had gone beyond anything Susannah could have imagined and as she stood inside his house—their house—on her wedding day, waiting for the music to begin, she couldn't believe what he'd done for her.

For starters, David had asked Hornby to work magic on the backyard. Roses climbed and burst and bloomed everywhere, their fragrance filling the air. White chairs with bows dotted the lush green grass and nestled near a fountain that spilled water over desert rocks and stones. Fronting the fountain stood a white filigree bower decorated in more roses and Susannah's favorite—limelight hydrangeas.

“Aren't you glad I persuaded you to buy this suit?”
Connie whispered. “You look gorgeous, a perfectly dressed bride at her garden wedding.”

“I only got into it because of all that swimming,” Susannah whispered back. “I don't know what I'd have done without Darla to egg me on.” But the truth was, the ivory shantung skirt and matching jacket looked stunning on her and she knew it.

She'd decided against a veil and chosen instead to weave a few bits of baby's breath through her upswept hair. Diamond hoops in her ears—David's wedding gift—were Susannah's only jewelry, aside from the beautiful yellow diamond solitaire on her ring finger.

“Are you ready, Susannah?” Connie asked.

“Yes.” She was ready to marry her Prince Charming and begin the life God had given her.

Connie gave the signal and the soft melodious sounds of a wedding song filled the air. Darla went first, wearing her favorite red in a stylish sundress that showed her beauty. In her arms she carried Grace, decked out in a white frilly dress with red trim that displayed her chubby legs, and tiny feet clad in white ballet slippers. David's idea. He was going to spoil his daughter rotten, Susannah had realized.

Connie walked out of the house, her dress also red. And then all eyes turned to Susannah.

She was nervous at first. But then her gaze met David's.

This is the man God chose for me,
she thought.
Because of God's grace I am worthy of love. I can give my heart to this wonderful man because I know that together we will share a future filled with joy and happiness. And love.

She stepped confidently through the door and walked toward the man who'd taught her that love could grow to encompass everyone.

Dear Reader,

Hello there! Welcome back to Tucson and my LOVE FOR ALL SEASONS series. I hope you enjoyed Susannah and David's story. I love the beauty and variations in Arizona and it was again my privilege to set a story in this location. Susannah's story could be that of many women across North America—alone, in trouble and desperate to figure out the next move. She'd lost faith in everything and everyone except one old friend who had loved her when she needed it. David, too, fights a battle of loneliness. Loss and responsibility have bowed him with life's worries. It takes Susannah's special courage to open his eyes to possibilities. And Darla—well, what can you say about darling Darla? Darla faces bigger issues than many of us will ever know. But she keeps hanging on to her faith in our God who loves each of us dearly.

Thank you so much for your cards and letters. I love hearing from each of you and try hard to respond as quickly as I can. I treasure each kind word you've shared about my books. They touch me as I hope my books touch you. I hope you'll enjoy
A Family for Summer,
the next book in this series. Meantime, you can reach me at Box 639, Nipawin, SK Canada S0E 1E0, at www.loisricher.com or through Steeple Hill.

Until we meet again, my prayer is that you will experience all that Easter offers: joy overflowing, hope that never dies and peace, the kind of peace God meant us to celebrate at Easter.

Blessings,

1. Think of your church, your neighbourhood, your town. Is there anyone you know in a situation like Susannah's? Could you befriend them or offer some type of help?
   
2. Discuss Darla's simple faith and reasons why so many of us struggle with trust in God.
   
3. David felt the full weight of his responsibilities and didn't want to take on any more. Do you think this added to his issues with control? How can we guard against trying to keep ourselves “safe” in an unsafe world?
   
4. Susannah had made up her mind fairly early in the story that she was going to give her child up for adoption. Talk about ways we organize our worlds to accommodate preconceived ideas we hold about what is right and what is God's will.
   
5. Connie offered sanctuary, love and her faith to Susannah without asking a lot of questions. In your church and community, are there people like Connie, who simply offer help without judging? Could you be one of them? Why or why not?
   
6. Susannah challenged David when she felt he was wrong about Darla's needs. Discuss how we can learn when it is appropriate to question and when we need to keep our ideas to ourselves.
   
7. Susannah offers Darla solid, steady love, something Susannah never received from her own mother. Consider why giving love like this often frees the injured child inside.
   
8. Susannah's mother refused to see or talk to her daughter for many years—partly to ease her own guilt, but perhaps partly in a misguided effort to help Susannah move on. Was she wrong? Why or why not?
   
9. David made it his business to dig into Susannah's past in an effort to help her face the future. Do you think he was wrong? Would you go to the same extreme for a loved one?
   
10. David offered a plethora of options for adoption to Susannah. Are there misconceptions about adoption in your group? List the most common ones. Think about open adoptions where the birth mother has full access to the child.
    
11. Both Connie and Susannah benefited from rich childhoods made possible through the generosity of their foster parents. How do you feel about fostering? Would you consider it?
    
12. Psychologists (and Susannah) say that feelings of self-worth are the most important in developing a child's healthy inner concept. Clearly Connie and Susannah's foster parents did an excellent job of parenting and yet Susannah ran away from them. Discuss how a foster parent might deal with such apparent rejection.
    
13. Susannah finally realized that her lack of self-worth was something only she could end—that she had wallowed in those feelings because she wouldn't accept her value in God's eyes. How do we build our own feelings of self-worth without becoming conceited?
    
14. Compare Susannah's mistaken belief with some of your own deeply held tenets. Are they from God or are they your own personal take on a particular situation?
    
15. David embraced baby Grace as his own daughter. Indeed, he saw her as the answer to his prayer for a family. Could you do the same?