The Narrow Path

by Gail Sattler

  "I have never been more sure of anything in my life. Ich leewe die."

  She smiled and released his wrist, then wrapped both her hands around his. "You've got to teach me to say that. Yes, I want to be your wife. Do you want to be my husband?"

  Ted jumped to his feet. "Ja!" he exclaimed as he threw his arms around her waist and twirled her in the air, making the skirt of her costume billow out as he spun her in a circle. He then set her on her feet and kissed her as she had never been kissed before.

  The stranger who would be staying at Ted's house clapped and whistled. Everyone else quietly hustled away, and one woman whispered, "Do not look," as all the footsteps faded into the distance.

  "When?" she asked when he allowed her to get some air.

  "I must wrap up things here and find a suitable replacement for myself, which I thought was going to take months, but I think God has already provided a way."

  "Meaning?"

  "As soon as you get home, start planning for our wedding.I do not wish a long engagement."

  Miranda thought her heart would burst. She tightened her hold around Ted's waist and looked up at his face. "Ich leewe die," she stammered.

  Ted smiled and cringed at the same time. "Your accent, it is very bad. We must work on this. We can start on the way to the airport. The sooner you get back home, the sooner we can get married."

  "Yes, but please remember one thing." She reached and removed his hat from his hand, set it on his head, straightened it by wiggling the brim, then raised herself on her tiptoes and gave the top a pat. "Even in the city, never change who you are.And please, always keep the hat."

  Discussion Questions

  1. It didn't take Miranda long to realize that the situation in Piney Meadows wasn't what she had expected. Has this ever happened to you? What did you do?

  2. Lois immediately accepted Miranda into her heart and home, despite their differences. Have you ever met anyone who didn't quite fit in? What did you do to make them feel welcome?

  3. Because Ted frequently traveled to large cities for business reasons and had been exposed to temptations, he is protective of his community. Have you ever been tempted to do something that crossed the line? How did you deal with it?

  4. Miranda tried to participate in the women's functions, and even though they accepted her and she made friends with many, she felt as though she never really fit in. Have you ever been a newcomer and lacked the skills or personality to be "one" with the rest of the crowd? What did you do in this situation? How did you feel about the way people treated you?

  5. In chapter 9 Pastor Jake found himself in the middle of an ongoing argument between Ted and Miranda. Have you ever been caught in the middle of two people who both had valid points? What did you do to resolve the issue?

  6. One of the hymns had new meaning to Ted when he stopped to read the words and actually thought about them. What is your favorite hymn or chorus and why? When was the last time you really thought about the words you were singing in church?

  7. Ted inadvertently hurt Miranda's feelings when he wanted her to stand on the freight scale at the furniture factory (conversation from chapter 16). Likewise, Miranda hurt Ted's feelings when she said he wasn't exactly a "stud muffin" (chapter 17). Has anyone ever hurt your feelings when you knew they didn't mean it? Describe a time when you might have hurt someone's feelings in the same way.

  8. Ted found himself unusually moved by Miranda's simple gift of cinnamon buns because they were given with no strings attached. She just wanted to do something nice for him. How does it make you feel when someone treats you with unexpected kindness?

  9. When Miranda's medical problem caused gossip and dissension in her church at home, much harm was done, both to Miranda personally and to the congregation as a whole. When you hear gossip, how do you handle it? Do you listen and agree with the person talking, or do you investigate the facts before passing judgment?

  10. Miranda struggled to overcome her debilitating stage fright. What is your greatest fear? What do you do when faced with it?

  11. Miranda and Ted come from totally different backgrounds.How do you think they can overcome their differences and forge a new life together? Is it even possible?

  12. Did The Narrow Path cause you to change your mind about people who may have different traditions but the same faith? How?

  An Interview with Author Gail Sattler

  The theme of this book revolves around the differences between contemporary and Old Order Mennonite church communities. Have you experienced life in both? Which setting is most familiar to you?

  I attend a contemporary Mennonite Brethren church that is home to me. It's completely contemporary. In fact, I'm on one of the worship teams and play bass guitar. I haven't personally experienced life in an Old Order Mennonite community, but friends within and outside of my own church have experienced life in various stages of the church's life, growth, and development. Regardless of the differences between modern and traditional churches or locations, the Mennonite church has always had the same solid base of doctrine and values intermixed with history and community.

  What is the main component from the Mennonite lifestyle that shaped your story?

  The sense of community within the church plays a big part in the story. Mennonite churches range from the most contemporary to quite traditional, and each has its own individual personality, depending on personalities, preferences, and needs.When any Mennonite group assembles it's always done with love and fellowship, and I hope this book reflects that.

  Food and hospitality play a big role in the story. Why is that?

  Food and hospitality are a huge part of the Mennonite church.Even in the contemporary church where I am a member and despite the fact that people are busy and many of the ladies don't have much time to cook, there is always lots of food involved. Recently, one of our deacons went to a Mennonite men's retreat seminar, and part of his report back to our congregation outlined the great food.

  Are there specific people in your life who contributed to the characters in the story? Is there a Ted?

  Actually, there have been a lot of "Mirandas," and of course, my pastor and his wife have been huge supporters from the day I sold my first book, and even before that. So no, there is no one person in particular, and no, there is no "Ted." But I wish there was.

  There is a rumor that the models on the front of the cover work at your publishing company. Could this be true?

  It might be. Okay, yes, it is true.

  When Abingdon Press consulted me about the cover I had wanted to have Ted and Miranda center front on the cover, except that because of the nature of the book, we didn't want them to look like posed models but real people. To make them real I had some very specific requests. Ted had to wear suspenders and the hat that he was so fond of throughout the story, and Miranda needed the right accessories: her red cell phone, the red t-shirt, red lipstick and nail polish, and even red earrings.

  I think it started out as a joke, but in reality Michael and Christa from the marketing department were the perfect people to pose for the photo shoot. It was amazing how everyone in the office got involved and organized everything. Someone there actually owned a red cell phone, and when Christa posed she even wore red earrings but we can't see them behind the cell phone. So that turned out to be a bit of a funny story. But the result was perfect. I'm thrilled with the cover.

  Now that we know the "real" Miranda and Ted, have you continued to work with them?

  Christa and Michael were also very accommodating to pose for some photos used on my book trailer as well. (You're invited to see it at www.mennoniteromancenovel.com/page/book.) They even worked together to assemble the paraphernalia for the photo of Miranda's junk on the seat of the car. My request was for them to show the program disc for the Bible program next to the red cell phone, because the idea was that Miranda "read" in the car when she was stuck in traffic. Of course since we needed to use the same phone from the cover, which belongs to one o
f the office staff at Abingdon, that meant they had to take the photo. When it was done they sent me a series of photos, and it was very amusing. They had arranged the items on the seat of someone's car like I'd requested, then in the next photo they added a few more items, took a few more shots, and then kept adding more and more items. So every couple of shots, there was another item added until you see the end result. I must say it is perfect, and I absolutely love the purse!

  The whole experience between the cover and the book trailer has been very special, and I can't thank everyone enough to have made it so personal and extraordinary.

  So now that you've read the book, watch the book trailer and you'll see that everything in the video is actually from the book or mentioned in the book.

  Speaking of the book trailer, except for the photos from Abingdon we talked about, did you take all of the photos used in the shoot?

  Almost. With the exception of Ted and Miranda and the junk in the car, I took all the photos but one. The picture of the "special guest" from next door was taken by the daughter of my friend Naomi from my writing group, and the sound clip that goes with it was recorded by Kim, another friend from the same group. The closing shot really is the Minneapolis airport, taken from the observation deck while I waited for a connecting flight. You didn't ask but I also put together the sound track. (Great bass line, isn't it?)

  The main event in The Narrow Path is the Christmas pageant. I understand that Christmas and nativity scenes are special to you and your family.

  It has always been important to me to emphasize the true meaning of Christmas in our home. While I love the tree and decorations, that's not the true meaning of Christmas. Children need to touch things to understand that they are real, so I crocheted all the characters for a nativity scene when my children were younger. This way they could interact wth them on the floor instead of admiring (and never touching) them on the mantel. They were always set up on the floor where the children could move them and play with them and reenact what really happened without fear of breaking anything. Then every night at bedtime, I would pick up all the characters and put them back in their places for the next day.

  The wise men and the camel were kept on the dining room floor, the eastern most spot in our house. The shepherds and sheep were on the hearth, the innkeeper and the stable were under the Christmas tree, and Mary and Joseph and the donkey were set up in the middle of the living room carpet, moving a little closer to the stable every day as Christmas drew nearer.

  Then on Christmas morning they made it to the stable, the angel came out, Jesus was born, we said a prayer, and then we opened our gifts.

  Do you still do this now that your children are older?

  Yes, even though they laugh about it and are too old to play with the set. I still put it out all over the house each Christmas, except now before bed I have to recover the characters from the dogs instead of the children.

  Do you have a favorite novel from your early life? Did it shape the way you built your story?

  Charlotte's Web is my favorite novel from early in my life. It didn't shape this story, but I love the unique solution they found to a common problem and how it saved the day, or rather, how it saved Wilbur.

  So is red your favorite color too?

  Yes and no. I had a look in my closet, and there are a lot of red items, but really my favorite color is purple.

  Gail, you've shared with us about your life and how The Narrow Path came to be. You've told us that now you'd like to hear from your readers.

  Yes, definitely! I've added a message board to my website, www.mennoniteromancenovel.com. Come visit and tell me what you thought about the story and the characters. I'd love to talk with you, answer questions, and let you know what happens next!

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