Description:
As the wife of a naval aviator in sunny
Pensacola, Florida, Liv Tulley eagerly anticipates the first Christmas in
several years with her husband, daughter, and extended family. Then her husband
is unexpectedly deployed for an undetermined amount of time, smashing her white
Christmas dreams. Can she find God's peace in the midst of life's pieces?
Excerpt:
Liv finished
filling out the necessary paperwork in the medical clinic waiting room, doing
her best to keep her fears at bay.
She rose to her
feet and carried the clipboard with the completed paperwork to the
receptionist. The harried woman took the clipboard without so much as a glance
her way. "Have a seat. A nurse will call you back momentarily."
Liv trudged back
to the worn gray chairs and slumped into one of them, once more cognizant of
her reason for being here. October marked her second month without her period.
For most women her age, that would be a sign of promising things to come, but
no such luck in her case. She'd known since her daughter's birth that having
more children just wasn't in the cards for her. A fact that made Chesney's life
even more miraculous.
She gnawed the
inside of her lip and watched a little boy--probably about two years
old--playing in the floor with a toy car. Without warning, the fear returned,
bringing with it only one thought. Was it possible that she'd somehow inherited
the gene that lead to the ovarian cancer that claimed her grandmother's life?
Was that the reason for her current symptoms?
Liv pressed her
lips together and forced her thoughts to happier ones. How wonderful it would
be to add a fourth member to their clan. Chesney would make such a great big
sister, and Jeff would be ecstatic to have another child. Since being promoted
to lieutenant a few months ago, he had qualified for a stateside assignment as
an instructor pilot at Pensacola NAS. How wonderful would it be to be able to
raise a child with his or her parent actually around to help out? Even the few
short months of having her daddy at home had made a huge difference in Chesney.
A pent-up sigh
whooshed from her lungs. This current line of thought was landing her nowhere
except in the dumps. There wouldn't be another baby. She grabbed her large sack
of a purse and rummaged inside until she found an old envelope. Forcing the
baby blues away, she started a to-do list of things to accomplish for her
family's first Christmas together since before Chesney was born.
Get the Christmas shopping done. Well,
that was a no-brainer. But this year it was especially important, since they'd
also be buying gifts for nieces, nephews, siblings, aunts, and uncles. How fun
it would be to have both sides of the family all together again in the mountain
cabin vacation rental her mother had located online.
Now happy
thoughts wound their way through her insides. Liv leaned her head back against
the Plexiglas partition and allowed the happiness to wander unchecked. Warm
sweaters, cups of cocoa, a gigantic tree stuffed with presents, laughter of
loved ones, and fluffy white snow.
Though she loved
the sunny weather of Pensacola where Jeff was stationed, during the holidays
she always yearned for the cold weather and snow of her Colorado upbringing.
This year it would finally become a reality.
She straightened
in her seat, checked the clock above the receptionist window, and returned to
her list. Buy Chesney some cold weather
clothing. Hmm, maybe she could order a ski bib online, since there was very
little to no chance that she'd find one in Pensacola.
One thought led
to another, and Liv scribbled as quickly as possible, unwilling to let even the
smallest detail escape. A few minutes later, she brushed some escaped frizzy
hair from her face and once more scanned her list. Yeah, that should do it. Now
if she could just get these health concerns out of the way so she could
concentrate on more pleasant tasks.
Liv glanced at
the clock once more. Unbelievable. She'd been here for a half hour already. At
this rate, she'd never make it to Chesney's preschool in time to pick her up.
She grabbed her cell phone and hit speed dial for Darcy, one of many military
wives in her group who all looked out for each other.
Her friend picked
up immediately. "Hi Liv. What's up?"
"My blood
pressure."
Darcy's
contagious giggle sounded through the phone. "Let me guess. You're still
waiting to see the doctor."
"How'd you
guess?"
"Umm, 'cause
I've been there and done that. Need me to pick up Ches?"
"Yeah, if
you don't mind. And if a miracle occurs and I get out of here in time, I'll
shoot you a text."
"Sounds
good."
Liv had just
dropped the phone back into her purse, when a short blond nurse in pink scrubs
called her name from the doorway that lead to the exam rooms. She followed the
nurse through the door where the dreaded scales awaited. After getting off the
scales, fresh resolve took root in Liv's mind to cut back on carbs and lose those
ten extra pounds that had plagued her since Chesney was born. Four years was
way too long to lug around the unwanted weight. She followed the woman down the
hallway and dutifully entered the room to which she motioned.
The nurse smiled
and pulled the door toward the closed position. "Dr. Amy will be with you
soon."
Liv perched on
the edge of the exam table, once more on pins and needles about the potential
problem. Lord, please let me be okay, and
please, please, please, don't let this affect our Christmas plans.
Purchase Links:
Author Bio:
Amazon best-selling author Cathy Bryant loves to write
heart-stirring stories of God's life-changing grace, and has done so through
six Miller's Creek novels, two Bible studies, one Christmas novella, and two
devotional books written in collaboration with other Christian authors. She's
also written for
The Upper Room devotional
magazine. When she's not writing, you'll find her rummaging through thrift
stores, romping in the great outdoors, or up to her elbows in yet another home
improvement project in the mountain cabin she shares with her minister husband
of over thirty years. You can connect with Cathy in the following online spots,
including her website:
http://www.CatBryant.com,
where you can download a free eBook copy of one of her novels.
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