When Jeb finds Fern and Walton Baer on the roof garden of the Skirvin, he is alarmed by the past intimacy they seem to have shared. Like Fern, we may avoid discussions about certain aspects of our past with our spouse. Prior to marriage, how much should be divulged and what should remain hidden?
If you’ve read the first books in the Millwood Hollow series, what was your impression of Fern? How did it change? Do you feel others know you because you have been authentic? Do you suffer from trying to present your life as perfect in every way? How do you feel when you are loved in spite of your flaws?
Angel prepares to leave with Claudia but Willie and Ida May will remain under Jeb’s care until she has had the chance to scope out what a life with Claudia might be like. In spite of her flaws, Angel has always made the responsible decision when it comes to her siblings. This was a common thread among people I interviewed who have lived through hard times. How might sibling relationships vary today as compared to families who lived through the Great Depression? What can we learn about relationships by studying lives lived in adversity?
Fern wants nothing to do with Walt Baer until she finds out his wife has a terminal illness. She accepts the volunteer assignment of taking time to care for her. Did she do this out of an ulterior motive or was she motivated by compassion?
Even though Angel and Claudia have come from the same parents, distance and a dissimilar set of learning tools have shaped their lives differently. How has Angel’s character changed since she last saw Claudia? What were the factors in her life that served as a change agent?
Nash serves as get-away man for a gangster relative. But he paints himself as a chauffeur to Angel and seems to believe his own fictions—that clothes make the man, that a wad of cash in his pocket makes him a winner. He even compares himself to the men who sit along the roads in migrant camps, believing he has found success while they have succumbed to the wound of national failure. Have you gone through hard times? Did a new set of clothes help your sense of self-worth? Improve your circumstances? How did hard times help shape your views of personal success or failure?
An artist in a wheelchair symbolizes hope for Jeb and his acquired belief that adversity and pain create beauty and a window to the soul. Because God has given us all the gift of free will, He may use adversity to open our hearts to Him, or provide a window into our souls. Has life taught you any similar lessons?
Angel has a different view of family and home at the end of the story than the opinion she touted at the beginning of the series. What has she learned about what makes up a family? Have you or someone you know had to create a family out of a patchwork of lives? What was learned from it?
Sadly, we have to say farewell to the Nubeys and the Welbys, but not to one another. I hope that you have enjoyed your visit and that you have found a connection of friendship in sharing this series with others. If you have not yet considered a life of faith in Jesus Christ, please know that He loves you and has a plan for your life. You can pray right now and know the transformation that comes when you embark on the great journey of faith. Please write and let me know how faith came alive to you through the reading of this series.
Your friend and sojourner,
Patricia Hickman
www.patriciahickman.com
GET THE COMPLETE STORY OF FERN COULTER AND JEB NUBEY IN …
THE MILLWOOD HOLLOW SERIES
BY PATRICIA HICKMAN
FALLEN ANGELS
Discover a young Jeb Nubey on the run from the law and the mistaken identity that forces him to take on three abandoned siblings and a new persona for himself in the town of Nazareth, Arkansas. In order to obtain food and shelter for himself and the children, Jeb struggles to perpetuate the deceit with the assistance of Angel, the eldest child. Desperate times create desperate folks, which is the motivating force behind the dramatic events to come. This gripping tale of love, hardship, and redemption unfolds amidst the dark turmoil of the Great Depression.
NAZARETH’S SONG
Nazareth has become home to Jeb and the three Welby kids in his charge. Just as they are settling into a comfortable life, the peaceful community is launched into a battle between the town’s prosperous banker and its hungry, desperate citizens. Jeb must find a way to balance his newfound responsibility as mediator in the raging war with his role as guardian of an increasingly rebellious Angel. To add to the strife, Jeb is in the midst of a personal dilemma as he tries to win the heart of one woman while being pursued by another. Jeb is torn between providing for those who depend on him and defending those who need him most.
WHISPER TOWN
Jeb has made a life for himself in Nazareth, finding fulfillment in his accidental roles as minister and father. Life continues to bring Jeb along unanticipated paths when an infant is left at his doorstep one evening. The baby is black and when Jeb cannot locate any relatives, he feels compelled to care for her. Her presence incites division within the community and awakens the troubled undercurrent of racism in this southern town. Jeb fights to protect his new dependent and keep the citizens from destroying the town and the relationships that have been built.
Earthly Vows Page 24
