Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

finding home

Wait! Everything's wrong! A review of A Sweethaven Homecoming by Courtney Walsh

A week ago, the long-awaited, much-anticipated sequel to A Sweethaven Summer released. (I wasn’t the only waiting for this, right?) And I could not wait to dive in to A Sweethaven Homecoming, return to the Michigan town of Sweethaven and find out what the gang had been up to.

Earlier this year, author Courtney Walsh introduced us to Campbell, who after her mom’s death, journeys to Sweethaven to meet her mom’s core group of childhood friends and help reconnect their lives. I don’t want to spoil anything from that book, so I’ll keep the plot recap to a minimum. Let’s just say the first book left a bit of a cliffhanger, with much to be resolved.

I eagerly dug into the sequel, which focuses more on country music star Meghan Rhodes’ battle for her kids in a not-so-sweet homecoming to Sweethaven. I trudged through the first chapters, not because they were poorly written but because no one was happy. This book is FULL of hard situations. Broken relationships. Insecurity. Feelings of helplessness, bitterness and unforgiveness. At one point in the story, a character says, “God, what is going on? Everyone I love is hurting right now.”

I. Am. So. There.

When I read, I often want to escape the reality of life. As the characters struggled and struggled and struggled some more, I just wanted to put the book down and walk away because I didn’t want to hurt anymore. (I know, it’s just a story, but man, do I love these characters.)

Isn’t that how life is sometimes?

What’s great about this story is that the characters make hard decisions. They do unexpected things: like forgive the unforgivable. They reconcile. They choose to fight for what’s important. They love, even when they aren’t loved in return. They take risks. I was especially impressed with the love and commitment the men in this book demonstrate. They don’t give up on their women who have issues. (There are men like this out there. Don’t give up on the male of the species, ladies.)

And they learn that some things are worth the pain.

So, lest you think I didn’t like this book, let me leave no doubt: TOTALLY WORTH IT.

In fact, I find myself a little sad right now because I finished the book so quickly and had to leave the town of Sweethaven for a couple of more months until the finale, A Sweethaven Christmas, releases.

I’ve heard said that great authors create a world readers don’t want to leave. Walsh has created a charming, inviting, homesick-inducing world with Sweethaven. I want to hug the ladies featured in the book and learn from them. (Am I weird?) I want to eat Adele’s food (she’s kinda like Paula Deen) and see Campbell’s photography and attend Jane’s Bible study and hear Meghan’s songs and drink Luke’s coffee. (Okay, so he’s not a lady, but he does figure into the plot.)

A hearty “well done, friend” to the author.

And to fellow readers, this is a series you don’t want to miss.

Saturday Smiles: Home is … edition

Home is where the heart is, so the saying goes.

Home is so much more than that and often leaves me at a loss for words. This week we left the home where we were raised, where our extended family lives and returned to our now home, where our kids have grown up, where one of them was born, where our life and ministry are.

And in between those two places, we find bits of home.

Like with our friends Josh and Rachel and their three girls. Their home is our waystation on our trips from south-central Pennsylvania to Illinois and back. Our kids play together. Our talks last long into the night. And every time we leave, we wish we didn’t have to.

And in Toledo, Ohio, which is a sort of halfway point. When we took the kids there two weeks ago to meet my parents, we stopped at this park. On our way back from Illinois this week, we stopped there again. For lunch. And a hike. To a swinging bridge.

Even though we’d only been there once before, it felt familiar. Like we weren’t exactly nomads or strangers.

Because that’s exactly how I feel right now. Like people without a home. Wanderers. Lost in the wilderness.

But still we get glimpses of “home.”

Like with our friends Paul and Dawn and their girls, who three years ago were unknown to us but now are our closest friends in the area. The kids and I went to their daughter’s birthday party last night and Phil met us there after work. As our kids played together after the party wound down, Dawn and I talked in the kitchen and the men-folk sat outside talking through life. There was something comforting about the whole thing. We’ve journeyed together and are now in the same “what in the world do You have for us God?” boat. And even when it seems like the boat might be sinking, it’s nice to be in it with other people.

And when a friend and mentor at church gifts us with a Book of Common Prayer. Words can’t fully describe how this touches me. I am drawn to the ancient practices of Christianity and knowing that someone recognized this and thought to provide a means to discover those practices more fully is soul-strengthening.

And moments like this.

Watching the fireworks in our hometown with the people we love. This was one of my favorite things about the Fourth of July festival growing up. I’ve been reluctant to take the kids out to a fireworks display because of the late hour and the crowds and such.

But grandparents make these sorts of things much more manageable.

My heart always breaks a little when we leave because I know we miss these sorts of opportunities more than other families. Maybe that just makes them more special.

And this one I throw in just for fun. In the midst of stressful circumstances and not knowing where to go next or when, these kids are a gift. They say  hilarious things and do hilarious things and give us moments of unparalleled joy (between moments of unparalleled frustration).

These are my reasons to smile this week.

“Home is …”

How do you fill in the blank?