Saturday, September 28, 2019

About the Book

Book: Stitches in Time

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Contemporary Amish fiction

Release Date: October 1, 2019

Detachment had worked well as a life strategy for horse trainer Sam Schrock. Until he met Mollie Graber . . .

New to Stoney Ridge, schoolteacher Mollie has come to town for a fresh start. Aware of how fleeting and fragile life is, she wants to live it boldly and bravely. When Luke Schrock, new to his role as deacon, asks the church to take in foster girls from a group home, she’s the first to raise her hand. The power of love, she believes, can pick up the dropped stitches in a child’s heart and knit them back together.

Mollie envisions sleepovers and pillow fights. What the 11-year-old twins bring to her home is anything but. Visits from the sheriff at midnight. Phone calls from the school truancy officer. And then the most humiliating moment of all: the girls accuse Mollie of drug addiction.

There’s only one thing that breaks through the girls’ hard shell–an interest in horses. Reluctantly and skeptically, Sam Schrock gets drawn into Mollie’s chaotic life. What he didn’t expect was for love to knit together the dropped stitches in his own heart . . . just in time.

Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to the little Amish church of Stoney Ridge for a touching story of the power of love.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Carol-award winner Suzanne Woods Fisher writes untold stories about inspiring people. With over one million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction, ranging from Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World to the historical novel Anna’s Crossing.

More from Suzanne

Have you ever felt the tug to become a foster parent?

On any given day, there are nearly 438,000 children in foster care in the United States. Most states have a critical need for more foster parents, and the number of children placed in foster care increases yearly.

There are plenty of assumptions about having foster children, but most are incorrect. The media has a tendency to focus on the negative, but from all the research I conducted to write this book, for every bad news story, there were two good ones. Good stories just don’t make the news.

Below are some of the most common assumptions about foster care, with corrected information that is applicable across the United States (but keep in mind that each state has their own requirements).

Myth: Kids in foster care are bad or troubled.

Truth: Children in foster care are good kids taken out of a troubled situation. They need a caring foster parent who is patient and understanding. When given the opportunity, most of these children begin to thrive.

Myth: To be a foster parent, you need to be married and own a home and be a college graduate.

Truth: You don’t need to be married or to own a home or even be a college graduate. That means if you’re single or renting, you can be a foster parent.

Myth: I can’t afford to be a foster parent.

Truth: There are monthly reimbursement rates for children in foster care based on the level of care you provide. Medical and dental care is paid through state Medicaid programs.

Myth: Most kids in foster care are teenagers.

Truth: The average age of a child entering foster care is seven years old.

Myth: Most kids are in foster care because their parents have abused drugs.

Truth: Now, this one is not a myth. It’s true. There are fifteen categories that can be responsible for a child’s removal from a home. Drug abuse from a parent has had the largest percentage increase.

Myth: Fostering could require a commitment until the child turns eighteen.

Truth: Generally, children remain in state care for less than two years. Only six percent spend five or more years in foster care.

Myth: It’s too hard to give a child up to his biological family.

Truth: Most children are in foster care for a short time, returning to their biological families. Reuniting a child to his family is the ideal situation. Foster families provide a safe haven for a child. Healthy grieving is to be expected, but it’s for the right reasons. It’s healthy.

Myth: You can’t adopt foster children.

Truth: In 2016, more than 65,000 children—whose mothers and fathers parental rights were legally terminated—waiting to be adopted. Also in 2016, more than 20,000 children “aged out” of foster care without permanent families. Research has shown that those who leave care without being linked to a “forever family” have a higher likelihood than the general youth population to experience homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration as adults.

Is there room in your heart and family for a child in need? There are many ways to get involved, some that do not even require foster care. One recommendation: volunteer with The National CASA Association (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Children. You can find out more information here: www.casaforchildren.org.

Or consider small ways to connect to children in need—after school tutoring at your public library. Volunteering at a community center. Buy Christmas gifts for a family in need through an Adopt-a-Family program with a local church. Support a family who does provide foster care with respites—babysitting or meals. There’s many ways to get involved to care for children in need. And every little bit makes a difference.

Warning!!!! Before reading this book you will need several boxes of tissues. This has been an emotional journey for me. The writing is so empowering with how much God loves us. There is a lot of references to sheep in the story which I thought was visually perfect to illustrate how much God loves us. I am reminded of one story in the Bible where Jesus leaves ninety-nine sheep to go after the lost one. I feel lost sometimes and wonder what my purpose is. What keeps me going is knowing that no matter what, God is there to comfort me.

Izzy so desperately wants a child. Her desire is very strong but it did hinder her in areas that slowly come to the surface. When you have been abandoned as a child it is hard to realize that there are people who love you. The author gracefully lets us witness a young woman who is having trouble waiting on God, find her way from feeling unwanted as a child to what God's purpose for her is. There are others things blocking Izzy's happiness like her husband becoming a deacon. It was interesting to read about an Amish marriage and how they have problems like everyone else. This part of the story opened my eyes to some things I thought about Amish but were unfounded. They are not perfect, but strive to live unashamed lives. Yes they stumble, but they seek counsel and and ask forgiveness. We all try to hide our sins, but God has a way to bring them to surface.

The meat of the story for me was how the author gives readers insight into Foster Care. There are so many children waiting for their forever home. When there is talk that the community will take in foster care children for a period of time, Mollie jumps at the chance to take in two young sisters. Little did she know that she would have her hands full. What the girls need most is love, direction and acceptance. I loved how we see Mollie examine herself and see where her insecurities are. My heart went out to the children in the story. The perception that foster kids are troubled kids is not always true. Most of them have come from abusive homes where they witnessed how insignificant they are. Mollie's journey was very emotional as her desire to make an impact on these children will also teach her about love and asking for help.

The story is a wonderful journey of unconditional love and how important it is to give children guidance and a feeling of belonging. The author's eloquent story about foster care is one we all need to be aware of. I have always had a desire to adopt a child but always found excuses not to. I wonder what opportunity did I pass up to make a difference in a child's life? I loved the way a community comes together in this story to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.