Where Hope Blooms

Sisters Grace and Charlotte are co-owners of the Magnolia Inn. Their aunt Winnie and shih tzu also live there. Guest Madison knows she should have fun at her college reunion, but is filled with dread. She finds the guy who in one move 15 yrs ago destroyed his life. Madison finds some old letters in a hatbox in the lobby. Sarah,is planning the wedding of her dreams, but just before the big day her fiance calls it all off. No matter what she plans to enjoy her honeymoon. Charlotte decides to hire a matchmaker to help her find true love. She reconsiders that decision when she goes on her first blind date.

There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child, but Jessie Jollymore has experienced through the youth of Hope Blooms, an inner city initiative she founded that engages at-risk youth, that sometimes it takes the children to raise the village. A dietitian who worked in inner city health for 15 years, Jollymore witnessed the challenges people face every day with food security, isolation, discrimination, and poverty. An idea bloomed of creating sustainable, youth-driven micro-economies: growing local food systems, growing social enterprises, and mentoring youth to become leaders of change. This led to over 50 youth ages 6 to 18 leading the way in growing over 3,000 pounds of organic produce yearly for their community, building innovative outdoor classrooms, and building a successful Fresh Herb Dressing social enterprise, with 100% of proceeds going toward growing food, and scholarships for youth. In this inspiring, vibrant book, the youth behind Hope Blooms tell the story of the social enterprise they built from the soil up, the struggles of "creating something from nothing," successfully navigating the world of business, and ultimately building resilience and leaving behind a legacy. Includes youth's words of wisdom, stories, and poetry, and over 75 colour photos.

Helen Schaefer isn't getting married That's what she's decided, anyway—because she simply can't stand to think she could love and lose again. After the death of her husband, she let her daughter down terribly and she's not about to risk hurting Ginny a second time. And meeting widower Alec Fraser—who's still dealing with his own grief—isn't enough to change her mind…at first. But after Helen spends some time with him, she starts to realize how much they have in common. Is it possible that Alec might want to have a relationship without commitment? And what will she do if he doesn't?

“Beautifully written...a story you won’t forget. --Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author When tragedy destroys everything you've built, how do you find the strength to go on? In Jamie Pope’s powerful novel, one woman must come to terms with grief—and a passionate but uncertain chance at remaking her future. In one shattering instant, schoolteacher Cassandra Miller lost everything that mattered to her. Stricken with guilt and sorrow, she has no reason to care about tomorrow. The last person she wants help from is the man she wants to forget. In childhood, Wylie Everett was her cherished best friend. In adulthood, he was the secret lover who left her without explanation. Now he’s the person who won’t let her go down without a fight. And as he renews her joy in small things, and challenges her to take a fresh perspective, the desire they once shared burns more fiercely than ever—and proves anything but safe. An ex-Marine, Wylie has always loved Cass, though their backgrounds were as different as could be. Years ago, he walked away believing he could never be good enough for her. But he’s never stopped regretting his decision. Now, helping her heal is the only way he can make amends, and hopefully make up for lost time. But their rekindled passion will be tested by pain he's never resolved—and mistakes for which forgiveness may not be enough. Can he and Cass find one last way to move forward, and risk rebuilding their lives...together? “Hope Blooms weaves a story of devastating loss, first love and the meaning of home....Deeply emotional, uplifting and ultimately joyful. --Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author

Deborah Malone is no stranger to the trials of life that can rob a woman of her self-esteem, but she discovered how God can use her despite her limitations and healed her from self-doubt. Discover your worth in God's plan as Deborah delves into how women from the Bible were all used by God, even while they were in Broken Places.

As a widow, you know your life will never be the same ... You can spend your days trying to recapture the past, but you will find it beyond your reach. You can hold on to your grief like a comforting blanket, but it will ulitmately smother you. Or you can find hope, rediscover a future, a life - oxygen with which to breathe. Interweaving stories from her twice-widowed life with Scriptures, the author inspires widows to journey from pain to wholeness by asking, "What might i gain from my loss?" Although Where Hope Blooms will not give you all the answers you seek, it will place you on a path of discovery. Let this book be a helpful guide on your journey towards wholeness. It offers insights that will encourage you, stories from which to glean fresh hope and sacred truths that will speak comfort and healing to your soul. Best of all, it points the way to that elusive new beginning - where the widow's heart once again dances, relishing the pure joy of being alive.

Gail Tsukiyama's A Hundred Flowers is powerful novel about an ordinary family facing extraordinary times at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution China, 1957. Chairman Mao has declared a new openness in society: "Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend." Many intellectuals fear it is only a trick, and Kai Ying's husband, Sheng, a teacher, has promised not to jeopardize their safety or that of their young son, Tao. But one July morning, just before his sixth birthday, Tao watches helplessly as Sheng is dragged away for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party and sent to a labor camp for "reeducation." A year later, still missing his father desperately, Tao climbs to the top of the hundred-year-old kapok tree in front of their home, wanting to see the mountain peaks in the distance. But Tao slips and tumbles thirty feet to the courtyard below, badly breaking his leg. As Kai Ying struggles to hold her small family together in the face of this shattering reminder of her husband's absence, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is falling. Once again, Tsukiyama brings us a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.

Sweet Contemporary Story Set in an Old Order Mennonite Community Amy Knackstedt moves with her children to Weaverly, Kansas, to escape the speculation surrounding her husband's untimely death. She hopes the new location will provide a fresh start for them all. But her neighbor, Tim Roper, is not pleased to have a Mennonite family living next to his apple orchard. When the children try to befriend him, he resists. Tim left the Mennonite faith years ago and doesn't want any reminders of his former life. Yet Amy and Tim find their paths colliding far more than either could have foreseen. Will this tentative relationship blossom into something more?