“If you’re a mother, you might think Tabitha is a strong woman, just because she has seven children. Tabitha, however, faced perhaps the greatest challenge of her life in 1979. Her husband, a brilliant chess player, had driven to another city perhaps 100 miles away to compete in a chess tournament. Imagine how Tabitha felt when she received a phone call that they’d found her husband’s vehicle in a remote location, with blood staining the driver’s seat and keys still in the ignition. Her eldest child was sixteen, her youngest child five years old. But Tabitha mourned him and went to work, knowing she had seven children who depended on her. She raised them alone with all the drama and ups and downs that parenthood brings.

Fast forward to 1993, when West Coast authorities discovered a delirious man, wandering in a desert-like area. Their investigation revealed he was Tabitha’s long-missing husband. What a phone call that must have been for Tabitha, to learn her husband was still alive. Her husband had used his brilliant strategizing to concoct a plan to fake his death and start another life, not once, but twice. After leaving the tournament in 1979, he’d headed west, assumed another identity, and eventually remarried. Then things went sour, and he tried the same disappearing act again.

But my story comes back to Tabitha. Looking at the peace and joy on her face as she talks about the goodness of God, you’d never guess she experienced hardship and betrayal. I know she claims her strength from basking in her relationship with her Heavenly Father. Human strength falls short. Human wisdom would tell Tabitha that it’s natural to be bitter, to desire revenge on the man who abandoned not only her, but her children. But Tabitha walks in freedom and joy. That is true strength. When my own troubles threaten to drag me down, I look at Tabitha and smile. Her wisdom and gentle strength have often comforted me. One day, I hope to have the same strength.

I found the inspiration for my latest book, All That Glitters (Barbour Publishing), when reading about America’s Gilded Age. That time period has always fascinated me with its barons of industry and their lifestyles extravagant enough to make Donald Trump envy them. Women ran the households and spent money without a thought. The daughters of these families had very limited prospects and matches were often made with business in mind. What obstacles might a young Christian woman face in such a home? Like Tabitha, my heroine’s circumstances spiral out of her control during the summer of 1895 in Newport, Rhode Island, and no amount of money can rescue her.

(ordering link: CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=605596&item_code=WW&netp_id=647277&event=ESRCN&view=covers )

Thank you, Lyn, for having me as your guest today.

Award-winning author Lynette Sowell is a past secretary of American Christian Fiction Writers. Lynette is a Massachusetts Yankee by birth, but a Texan by choice, where she lives with her husband and two teenagers, plus five cats who have their humans well-trained. Readers can learn more about Lynette’s books at lynettesowell.com, visit her on Facebook, or read her blog at Slices Of Life, http://myslicesoflife.blogspot.com.

Recipe:

Thrown-together Salsa

1 large can diced tomatoes

½ onion, finely chopped

3-4 fresh jalapenos, finely chopped

½ c. to 1 c. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

½ c. to 1 c. green onion, chopped

Mix all the above ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate. Enjoy with tortilla chips. Hints: use a mini-chopper or food processor for all the finely chopped ingredients. Also, for a milder salsa, clean the seeds from the jalapenos before chopping.”–Lynette

Thanks for sharing that wonderful story, Lynette. But your phrase about wanting to have the same strength as your friend is one you should use with caution. We never find out how strong we are in the good time, such as “Summer time and the living is easy.” We usually only find our strength when it’s put to the test. As I always say, “Give me a boring life and exciting books to read.”–Lyn