My husband gave me a rose. I added water and the preservative that came with the flower. The next day the flower’s stem drooped, the bloom tilting toward the kitchen table. However, I was busy and didn’t throw it away. When I walked in the room the next morning, the rose stood straight and proud in the vase. Puzzled, I leaned down and studied the flower. I checked it later that afternoon, then another time early in the evening. After five days, the rose still stood upright on its stem, its petals only aging a tiny bit around the edges. Then, the rose had my curiosity. To learn why the rose wilted so soon then perked up, I asked several friends, who are more knowledgeable about flowers than I am. They couldn’t explain it. Finally, I called a well-known florist in Georgia. The people there had never heard of a fresh flower sagging. Maybe I wasn’t meant to understand the rose, but simply to enjoy it. Sometimes I slump like the rose with the strength to stand tall nearly gone from me...
More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Contemporary Romance: New Beginnings in Shady Springs by Sarah Anne Crouch -- When the storm passes, can two guarded hearts believe in love again? Perfect for fans of heartwarming Christian romance, this tender small-town story weaves together friendship, faith, grief, and healing as two guarded hearts must decide whether love is worth trusting again. (Contemporary Romance from Scrivenings Press) Second Shot at Love by Carolyn Miller -- Ten years ago Genevieve Rivas made a mistake that changed her entire family. Since that, she’s done all she can to make up for it and make them proud and is now working as a junior doctor in one of Seattle’s leading hospitals. Everything is finally tracking as it should be, until one day a blast from the past re-enters her life. Ten years ago, Kyle Tinkler thought he had it all. Until a night of celebration went too far and he lost the person ...