Status Updates From Unexpected Gifts (Sugarvill...

You might be surprised at the amazing things that come from the simple act of choosing love over fear.

“You may not realize how beautiful Sugarville Grove is because you’ve always lived here. But I’m seeing it with fresh eyes, and it’s simply spectacular.”

I wasn’t the smartest in my classes at school, but I made up for it by being very organized. I write everything down on a calendar, and every morning, I take a look to make sure I remember what I’m supposed to do that day.

This was not her. But she could get used to this new version of herself. Maybe this was the one she’d been meant to be all along.

the truck was rather like the man himself. Sturdy and reliable, if a little old-fashioned.

He drove a vintage red pickup, the kind that looked as if it had been plucked straight from an old postcard or holiday painting. Not that she knew much about cars, but it appeared to be a classic model, with a rounded body, wide fenders, and a gleaming chrome grille.

“Of course. They have to be your first priority. I’ll take whatever you have left.”

“Newcomers? How long have they been here?” Abby asked.

“I’d say around ten years.”

Abby laughed. “That’s not exactly what I’d call a newcomer.”

“That’s because you’re not from around here.” Luke winked at her. “But we won’t hold it against you.”

“How generous.”

He’d forever touched her heart the moment he kissed her. Would he wake to regret it? Or would he feel as she did? That it was a gift. An unexpected one, but one nonetheless.

(Source of the title!)

Her heart felt as if someone with a large, strong fist was squeezing it, wringing it dry of blood and filling it with tears instead. Ramona, I’ll do my best. I promise.

After I lost my mom, it took a long time for me to feel normal again. But someday, you will. It doesn’t mean you miss her any less, it just means you’ll have found a new way to be in the world. Even without her.

Sarah left … made him feel like wormy, bruised apple that had fallen to ground before fully ripe—piece of fruit no one wanted … Luke no longer shiny or without scars or holes. And he no longer tasted sweet. Did she see more than his bruises and scars? Could she see past holes in his heart and glimpse man he’d been once, before heart had been broken?

“Will you come and see me when you get home?” Lily asked him.

“Yes, but you’ll be asleep by then.”

“It’s okay, as long as I know you’re coming back,” Lily said.

Jack was yawning so wide Abby was afraid his face might break in two.

“those precious children deserve the best and I’m not that—but your kindness has made me feel less alone.”

“Welcome to being a parent,” Luke said. “We all just do the best we can and ask God for a little help.”

“Sometimes he shows up through other people,” Abby said. “And he sure has tonight.”

One minute at a time. That’s the best she could do.

A gesture that had become all too familiar to Abby even in the short time she’d been with them. The Sophie shrug. Heartbreaking and frustrating at the same time.

A woman in science didn’t get ahead by acting sensitive or sentimental.

Even when she wanted to burst into tears in middle of test or rotation, she’d kept it all inside. Sometimes, she wondered where all those unshed tears had gone. Did they evaporate? Or did they collect in invisible well inside person, just waiting to leak from heartsick eyes moment one let go of tenuous control over their emotions?

Maybe he was imaging things, getting ahead of himself.

(imagINing? 😅)

his mother often told him he was too protective of her. She needs to know she can do new things. When you act scared, she will too.

His father sat at the table, too, reading The New York Times on his tablet. Luke still found it hard to believe Walter Hayes had transitioned from the old-school paper, but his love of the earth’s resources trumped any ties he had to the past.

When Luke and his father had remodeled the kitchen, Grace had insisted on keeping the table. Too many family memories had been enjoyed at that table, she’d said. “Like me, she’s a little old and battered but can still get the job done.”

Luke is 36.

Earlier, Abby noted that Luke is 4 years older than she & Ramona were. So Abby is 32.

“You’ll never replace their mother, not because you won’t be perfectly capable of looking after them, but because no one can. But you’ll find your way. If you love them, you’ll be enough.”