Forever Friends (15 page)

Authors: Lynne Hinton

“What we have we share with you and you will always remain in our hearts.” Beatrice cupped the pastor's face in her hands.

“Forever friends,” Charlotte repeated. And the words had been a benediction.

And there in the garden, surrounded by the women who had birthed her in faith, raised her to her womanness, and helped untangle her from sadness, she found a way to depart, her soul with wings, wide and strong and opening into a string of long, clean days.

“Sorry it took me so long. Our machine broke.” The mechanic reached into the car and handed Charlotte the credit card form to sign.

“So, you're leaving Hope Springs,” he said, noticing all the boxes in the backseat and remembering the news of her resignation.

She wrote her signature without response. Then she tore off her copy and handed the form back to the mechanic. “A person never really leaves Hope Springs, does she?” She reached for her sunglasses and strapped on her seat belt.

He stepped away from the car, smiled, and shook his head. “Nah, I guess not,” he said.

And the young pastor checked her mirrors to see behind her, turned her head left and right, then faced straight ahead.

She dropped down her visor, touched the pink stone she wore around her neck, pulled away from the service station, and headed west.

Reading Group Guide for Forever Friends

W
ELCOME
B
ACK TO
H
OPE
S
PRINGS
, W
HERE
F
RIENDSHIPS
L
AST A
L
IFETIME

Open
Forever Friends
and travel to a small town full of delightful, quirky charactersâfriends you'll have forever. See why the
Rocky Mountain News
calls Lynne Hinton's books “reminiscent of Jan Karon's Mitford series” and why Jacquelyn Mitchard says to miss them “is to deny yourself a small treasure.”

The women of Hope Springs Community Church have weathered some pretty fierce storms: Louise's unrequited love for her best friend, Charlotte's struggle to find her own place in the community, and Jessie's yearning for a life outside of the small Southern town. Now, the bonds of friendship are tested again when Margaret learns whether or not she is cancer free, and Beatrice learns some surprising secrets about life in Hope Springsâand about the value of trust in any relationship. But what do the friends do when they discover that one of their own is leaving? Join Louise, Jessie, Charlotte, Beatrice, and Margaret for an homage to friendship you'll never forget.

T
OPICS FOR
D
ISCUSSION
:

1. Peggy DuVaughn's grandson is in jail. She reluctantly shares this information and asks for help from her pastor. How comfortable would you be confessing that someone in your family had been arrested? What are the emotions you think this grandmother was experiencing?

2. How is friendship best expressed when a family member is facing legal trouble? How does a friend demonstrate support during such a difficult time? What would you want from your friends if you were in this crisis?

3. Margaret has struggled with a serious illness and learns in
Forever Friends
whether or not she is cancer-free. What does cancer or any other serious illness do to one's sense of well-being?

4. Louise says that a secret is not always a good thing. Are secrets inherently burdensome? Should there be secrets?

5. Jessie requested communion before her trip. What rituals are important to you before you travel? Do you travel with good-luck charms, saints, tokens, photographs, or other items to feel more secure?

6. Jessie has a premonition that something bad is going to happen while she's away. Have you ever had such a feeling? Did you change your plans because of it? Did the bad thing ever come to pass?

7. Margaret tries to talk to Lana about marriage. What words might you have shared with her? What's your advice for a young married couple or for an unsatisfied married person? What does a young couple need today to stay married?

8. Lamont discusses feeling ashamed for what he has done. How does a person overcome shame? How do friends help in this process?

9. Dick tells the story of his brother's past. He feels disappointed because his hero has fallen. Have you ever set a person on a pedestal and then been disappointed by them? How does it feel to discover that a hero is human and makes mistakes?

10. Charlotte has dreams about her father. What do you think of the dreams you have? Do they reveal anything about you? Do you have recurring dreams?

11. Jessie brings up a difficult issue when she discusses the painful history of slavery and its effect upon her and upon African-Americans today. How comfortable are you discussing this history with others of another race? Have you ever talked about it? How did it make you feel? Do you think a complete healing has happened in this country regarding the history of slavery? If not, how will we heal?

12. Charlotte confesses that she wishes she had peace. The older women discuss how they finally found their peace. Do you have the kind of peace they claim to have? What helped you achieve that peace? How important is having peace?

13. Charlotte decides that churches know how to feed one another. How important is food to fellowship? How important is sharing a meal when trying to create community? What is it about eating together that is disarming and intimate?

Be sure to visit Lynne and Hope Springs online at www.LynneHinton.com

Acknowledgments

I gratefully acknowledge the expertise and assistance of the editorial staff at HarperSanFrancisco, especially Renee Sedliar, Chris Hafner, and Priscilla Stuckey. Thank you for sharing the vision.

About the Author

LYNNE HINTON
is the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed novels in the Hope Springs series,
Friendship Cake
and
Hope Springs
, as well as
The Things I Know Best
and
The Last Odd Day
. She lives with her husband in New Mexico.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

P
RAISE
FOR
L
YNNE
H
INTON

Friendship Cake

“I would welcome a friendship with Lynne Hinton. I would welcome an invitation to sit down at her table, but mostly I would welcome her next book.”

âMaya Angelou, author of
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

“
Friendship Cake
will give you plenty to chew over. Delicious!”

âRita Mae Brown, author of
Rubyfruit Jungle

“Hinton's characters seem as real as the nearest church group or book club, and they all season this stew to perfectionâ¦. Reminiscent of Jan Karon's Mitford series.”

â
Rocky Mountain News

Hope Springs

“Like Rebecca Wells, Hinton has a knack for tapping into a woman's longings for lifelong, authentic, messy friendships.”

â
Publishers Weekly

“[An] anthem to friendshipâ¦. To miss it is to deny yourself a small treasure.”

âJacquelyn Mitchard, author of
The Deep End of the Ocean

“
Hope Springs
portrays the struggles and yearnings of the human heart against a backdrop of small-town graces and female friendships. It is a lovely novel filled with hope.”

âSue Monk Kidd, author of
The Secret Life of Bees

“In Lynne Hinton's
Hope Springs
a beautiful story grows side by side with powerful truth. It caused my soul to bloom.”

âPhilip Gulley, author of the Harmony series

“With unexpected humor, sensitive dialogue, and an intimate knowledge of relationships, Lynne Hinton shows us that the ongoing capacity to love and give is the very essence of womanhood.”

âAnn Howard Creel, author of
The Magic of Ordinary Days

“An evocative story of friendship and fellowship, love, loss, renewal, and the boundless strength and great good humor unique to women, regardless of age or life-experience.”

âSuzann Ledbetter, author of
North of Clever

“For all those who loved
Friendship Cake, Hope Springs
will be like a garden party with old friends.”

âLoraine Despres, author of
The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc

“With a loving eye for her characters, Lynne Hinton tells a gentle story of faith, healing, and redemption.”

âBrenda Jernigan, author of
Every Good & Perfect Gift

“If books had a taste, this one would be the genuine tangy sweetness of a small homegrown strawberry.”

âLois Battle, author of
Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary and Sewing Circle

Forever Friends

“I want to move to
Hope Springs
and I want these strong, wonderful women as my friendsâ¦forever. Whatever you do, don't miss this book!”

âCassandra King, author of
The Sunday Wife

“Lynne Hinton writes about the kind of life we all dream of havingâabiding friendships, deep roots, and love no-matter-what.”

âPhilip Gulley, author of the Harmony series

“Lynne Hinton's talent shines in
Forever Friends.
Fans of the Hope Springs series will be delighted with this one.”

âMichael Morris, author of
Slow Way Home

“
Forever Friends
is a wise, moving novel of the sustaining power of friendship. Hinton's charactersâ¦learn that love, like grief, can never be measured and that the blessing of true friendship bestows many gifts, among them forgiveness and grace.”

âPamela Duncan, author of
Moon Women
and
Plant Life

“Lynne Hinton writes about the most important thingsâfamily, friends, and faithâwith grace, wit, and a keen insight. This highly readable novel was a pleasure from the first page to the last.”

âSilas House, author of
Clay's Quilt
and
A Parchment of Leaves

“
Forever Friends
is a faith affirming read. [A] finely crafted book on the power of fellowship and faith.”

âKatherine Valentine, author of
A Miracle for St. Cecilia's

ALSO BY LYNNE HINTON

The Hope Springs Series:

Friendship Cake

Hope Springs

The Things I Know Best: A Novel

The Last Odd Day: A Novel

Meditations for Walking

Copyright

FOREVER FRIENDS.
Copyright Â© 2003 by Lynne Hinton. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Adobe Digital Edition April 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-194449-9

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