Kevin tried to stay strong. When he looked over at Aja, he lost it as he watched her place a flower on her mother’s grave. Baby Kevin started to cry.
“Daddy, it’s okay. Can I read now?” Aja said.
MISS ME, BUT LET ME GO
When I come to the end of the road,
And the sun is set for me . . .
Why cry for a soul set free?
. . . So when you are lonely and sad at heart,
Go to the friends we know,
Bury your sorrows in doing your deeds,
Miss me, but let me go.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
Kevin cried a little more. But then he reached out and wrapped his arms around Aja and Jewel, who held their new son. He leaned down as Aja kissed the baby and whispered to Jewel, “I love you, you know that?”
“Yes, Kevin, I know.”
Epilogue
I could not wait to start writing in my journal again.
It had been a while. The baby was fast asleep and I went and sat on the porch.
Dear Jesus:
I am truly blessed. This has been another year filled with lots of highs and lows. Each year presents its different set of challenges: victories, tragedies, old and new beginnings. I guess if I didn’t have You to trust or believe in, I’m not sure what I’d do. It’s funny how things happen. We search for answers and sometimes we just have to accept the fact that You are God and You owe us no explanations. We must enter into Your presence through praise and worship and it is only there that we find rest. I just have to trust that it will all make sense . . . one day. I’m finally learning that death is a part of life. We all have to go sometime. For now, I will celebrate every day. I’ll try to encourage myself during the hard times and be open to whatever instructions You have for me. God, I want only Your will for my life. I’ve stopped believing that every day has to be problem free. I’m still growing, still trying to be that Proverbs 31 woman. She left some big shoes to fill and I’m beginning to doubt if she ever really existed. Lord, I’m sure it was You who gave Stacy the wisdom to make that will. It’s amazing, as much as she and Jewel used to fight, Jewel was the very person Stacy trusted with little Kevin. It was You who knew Angel was supposed to be the third partner in our firm. She’s still praying about it, but I know in my Spirit it will happen. It was You, Father, that caught Rex just in time before he fell into pornographic addiction. He’d been sneaking off to those strip clubs all this time and none of us knew it. If I had to practically give birth there to expose it, then so be it. Continue to use me, Lord. But I would have rather have had a different story to tell my child. Anyway, I’m glad that You love us so much. You allow us to fall, but You help us back up to learn a lesson. Father, I know I get angry with You at times, but You always welcome me back to Your arms. It’s me who’s always the stubborn one. I can’t wait to hear Angel’s first sermon. I’m glad she finally said yes to Octavio and it’s a blessing to attend their couple’s ministry. Wow, a lot has happened, but I know this is all a part of Your divine plan. I love You and praise You for it. I’m thankful to sit at Your feet, if only for a moment. Uh-oh. Gotta go, I think the little one’s awake!
I love You.
Your daughter,
Lexi
READERS’ GUIDE
1. What adjustments do you believe Lexi had to make once she went from being single to married life? Do you think marriage changes the dynamics of married and single friendships?
2. When Angel explained her reasons for changing her membership to Lakewood Church, why do you think Jewel wasn’t so accepting? When and under what circumstances do you think it is appropriate to consider changing your church membership?
3. When a person acquires more responsibility in her life, how does she continue to make God a priority? How does a person maintain that balance?
4. Do you think men are less likely to forgive a hurtful pass than women? Why or why not?
5. How do you think Kevin should have handled the issues between Jewel and his ex-wife? Do you think Jewel had a fair assessment of the circumstances?
6. Why do you think Anthony Stanton had such a strong reaction to his championship loss?
7. Why do you think the men did not openly demonstrate their prayer life until their trip to Las Vegas?
8. What do you think are the spiritual benefits of keeping a journal?
9. Do you think Rex should have remained with the law firm after finding out the impropriety of his father-in-law’s business?
10. Are there any prayers in The Sunday Brunch Diaries that affected you personally?
11. How do you believe couples in this century can improve communication?
12. What are some of the most common issues facing couples of this generation that would threaten their union?
13. Do you think many married men go to strip clubs? What do you think prompts such behavior? Do most people view that as an addiction or do they excuse it away?
14. What Scriptures do you rely on during a time of crisis?
About the Author
Norma L. Jarrett is a speaker and author of the novels Sunday Brunch and Sweet Magnolia, which was an Essence national book club selection. She is a graduate of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and North Carolina A&T State University. Her work has garnered praise in Ebony, Essence, Upscale, USA Today, Gospel Truth, Publishers Weekly, and other publications. Among her honors, Jarrett has been awarded a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for her literary work. She attends Lakewood Church in Houston, where Joel Osteen is the pastor.
Also by Norma L. Jarrett
SUNDAY BRUNCH
SWEET MAGNOLIA
Also by Norma L. Jarrett
Waiting to Exhale meets Church Folk as Lexi, Capri, Jermane, Angel, and Jewel start doing brunch each week to trade tales of their love lives, law firms, and the Lord!
“How fun and rare is this—that once in a ‘famished’ while, sistas are able to gorge on the ‘delicious morsels’ of such fine literary cuisine…Enjoy!”
—VIVICA A. FOX
When a New Orleans wedding reunites two feuding sisters, will their faith be strong enough to heal the rift between them?
“Norma Jarrett has crafted a beautifully written, soul-stirring story that touches the heart.”
—RESHONDA TATE BILLINGSLEY,
author of I Know I’ve Been Changed
Broadway Books • Available wherever books are sold • www.broadwaybooks.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2008 by Norma L. Jarrett
All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States by Broadway Books. an imprint of The Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.broadwaybooks.com
BROADWAY BOOKS and its logo, a letter B bisected on the diagonal, are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jarrett, Norma L.
The Sunday brunch diaries : a novel / Norma L. Jarrett. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
1. African American women—Fiction. 2. Female friendship—Fiction. 3. Church membership—Fiction. 4. Christian women—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3610.A77S863 2008
813’.6—dc22
2007052774
eISBN: 978-0-7679-3009-3
v3.0
100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
The Sunday Brunch Diaries Page 21
