A reader, Paula, wrote me earlier this week and asked a question:

“I just finished Rekindled, and want to remember a direct quote from the book. However, when looking back through, I can’t locate it. It’s the one about forgiveness being the only gift that we can only keep by giving it away. I know it’s an imposition, but could you possibly send me the exact quote? I would appreciate it so very much. Rekindled is my favorite so far!”

So I went digging into the files on my laptop, back to the final copy edited version of Rekindled. I searched for forgiveness, and found this:

Thankful for the darkness and the noise of the wagon wheels over the prairie, Larson searched the night sky. Forgiveness was a strange gift. One that had to be shared in order to be kept. He might not understand everything the Bible said, but God’s Word was clear on that point.

I wrote Paula back and shared the location of the passage (Ch 22, pg 263 in the original version of the book, but there have been 10+ reprints since so another person’s copy may vary). But her note absolutely made my day!

It means so much that that specific passage meant so much to her. It did to me, too, as I wrote it. And it still does. Because the power—and accompanying obligation—of forgiveness is something God continues to impress on my heart.

Another thing I noticed as I looked up the passage was the date on the file—August 16, 2005. Almost ten years have passed since I turned in my first edited manuscript. Hard to believe.

I feel like I’m a slow writer (and I am by usual standards, let’s face it), but it’s encouraging to look back and see what God’s done in that time period. Eleven novels [some of them really l-o-n-g, LOL] and one novella. I never dreamed in younger years that I’d ever be a writer, so I’m especially grateful that Jesus guided my steps to this path. Because it led me to share stories of faith and hope. And it led me to you and to the connections we share, which are so precious.

So tell me…

Is there a quote from any novel that’s stood out in your memory as you’ve read through the years? Snatches of either narrative or dialogue from a character that really resonated with you? If so, I’d love to hear it. And if you would include the novel and author, that’d be great!

Can’t wait to see if we share some favorite passages and character memories!

Tamera

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