Toward the end of last year, my husband and I decided to spend the winter months in Florida, where we could enjoy more days of warm sunshine instead of the cold snowy weather at our home in the Pacific Northwest. We made plans to arrive in Sarasota on Christmas Eve, and looked forward to our daughter and son-in-law joining us on Christmas Day. However, due to bad weather, our flight out of Seattle got cancelled and we ended up spending the next few days at a hotel. It was two days past Christmas when we finally arrived at our destination, only to discover that our vacation home had no heat and a cold spell had hit Sarasota. Several other things went awry while we were there, and we had to make new plans when things came up that had to be cancelled or changed to different dates. We did our best to enjoy our first two months, however, and I managed to get a lot of writing done.

On February 22^nd another unexpected event happened that quickly put an end to our time in Florida. We received word that our daughter had suffered a stroke and was in serious condition. After contacting my publisher to let them know what had happened, I asked them to cancel all five of the book signings I had planned to do in March and April. Then we closed up the house and secured a flight to Boise, Idaho, where our daughter had been taken to a hospital. I put the word out to our church’s prayer chain and asked for prayer via my Facebook pages. It was a comfort to know that our precious daughter had thousands of people praying for her, and we were ever so thankful that she received good care and her life had been spared. We did not return to Florida to finish out the winter as originally planned. We wanted to be close to home so we could go back and forth to the hospital in Idaho as often as possible.

Instead of being disappointed because our plans had gone awry, I thanked God for giving us safe travels and giving our daughter back to us. If you have been following me on Facebook or receiving my email newsletters, you know that our daughter is doing remarkably well. She still has a ways to go for a full recovery, but we believe in God’s time, and with her determination, she will get there.

Have you ever made big plans and had them go awry? How did you deal with the unexpected changes? Did you accept them and do what needed to be done? Could you feel God’s presence during the difficult time you faced? Did you grow in your walk with the Lord? I and our family members sure did. The situation we faced drew us closer to each other and especially to God. It has been a reminder that our strength is in Him.

In my recently released novel, Letters of Trust, Eleanor had a hard time trusting her husband, Vic, because of the lies and excuses he had told her concerning his addiction to alcohol. Eleanor’s first attempt at trying to help Vic was when she went to see their bishop and received counseling from him and his wife. This step gave her the courage to reach out to an organization that might help Eleanor, as well as her husband.

What are some ways a married couple can communicate their feelings without arguing or hurting someone’s feelings? Is it possible for a couple, whose marriage is in trouble, to learn how to trust each other again?

While we may not be able to trust every person we met, the Bible tells us that there is One in whom we can always put our trust. “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” Proverbs 30:5 (NKJV). Isn’t it good to know that God is like a shield to us, and we can put our trust in Him with every detail of our lives?

In my novel, Letters of Trust, Eleanor’s parents had some reservations about her marrying Vic. They’d heard rumors about some of the things he’d been involved with before he joined the church, and were worried that his old habits might resurface.

My husband and I recently celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary, and my thoughts went back to the day we announced to my parents our intention to get married. They weren’t happy about it—not because they’d heard any rumors about Richard’s actions before he’d become a Christian. They were concerned because Richard and I had only known each other a few months. Both my parents and Richard’s parents said that our marriage probably wouldn’t last. We proved them wrong, but it wasn’t because we were trying to make a point. We honestly loved each other, and the most important thing that has kept us together all these years is our commitment to God, and to each other.

Do you think there is ever a time when a parent should speak up or intervene when their grown child wants to marry someone of whom they disapprove? Should the couple marry anyway, in spite of their parents’ disapproval? How can a situation like this be handled in such a way that no one’s feelings are hurt?