Bringing Maggie Home
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2. Hazel’s overprotectiveness drove Diane to be a much less affectionate mother to her daughter, which in turn left Meghan wondering if her mother truly loved her. Why do past events affect present situations? How can we be certain we aren’t allowing the past to negatively influence our present?
3. After Maggie disappeared, Hazel’s father turned to alcohol for comfort. What other hurtful things do people use to numb their pain or escape their problems? Why aren’t these long lasting? As Christians, what should we do when life feels overwhelming?
4. Diane made the decision to accept Jesus as Savior when she was a child, but then resentment toward her mother and some judgmental people at church led her to run from God. Have you ever been tempted to judge people for choices they made that offended you? Is this what we are called to do as Christians? How can we love the sinner while abhorring the sin?
5. Meghan viewed Hazel and Sean as the two most stable, dependable people in her world. What made them different from everyone else?
6. Diane believed that God orchestrated events to bring Meghan, Diane, and Hazel together. Do you believe God plans our pathways or merely uses our pathways to bring us to His will? Explain.
7. Hazel told Meghan, “There is no one so damaged that grace can’t redeem him….[God] never sees us as too far gone.” Do you believe this? Why or why not?
8. Sean had a strong faith, which he shared with Meghan in both word and action. He told her “God’s got this” when referring to her grandmother’s surgery and the search for Maggie. How can we trust that “God’s got this” when we encounter challenges in our lives?
Acknowledgments
As always, great appreciation goes out to my family—my wonderful parents, who taught me to love Jesus and to always chase my dreams; my husband, who handles the mundane so I can escape into my make-believe worlds; and my children and grandchildren, who give my heart a reason to sing.
Special thanks to my daughters—Kristian, Kaitlyn, and Kamryn—for putting up with my many failings. As Diane told Meghan, “Everything I did was out of love.” Now that you are all mommies, too, I hope you understand.
A special shout-out to my Lit and Latte ladies for your prayers—I finished this manuscript on time, so God certainly answered.
Another special thank-you to my dear soul sister, Kathy—all those trips to Las Vegas gave me a base on which to build. Your friendship is so precious to me. I love you muchly!
Thanks to my agent, Tamela, who works behind the scenes to make my dreams of writing possible.
Appreciation must be offered to Tanya Emery, my church friend whose Arkansas accent let me hear the characters clearly in my head.
Huge thanks to Shannon, Julee, Jamie, Jessica, and the entire fiction team at WaterBrook—your advice and expertise is invaluable as I grow in this craft.
Finally, and most importantly, praise be to God, who guides me, molds me, upholds me, and forgives me. You are my Strength and my Joy forever. May any praise and glory be reflected directly back to You.