The Widowerâs Fresh Start
After losing his family, Jack Simon moved to the remote Alabama woods to be alone. But when an uncommunicative boy appears on his property, everything changes. Dedicated social worker Elise Ramsey explains the boy is an orphan with autism who lives in a nearby childrenâs home. The beautiful woman seems so hopeful about young Codyâs kinship with Jack, and despite his vows to never be a husband or father again, Jack canât help being drawn into both their lives. But can the rugged recluse truly open his heart again and chance loving the woman and boy whoâve come to mean so much to him?
âThatâs the first sound Cody has made with me,â Elise said with a smile.
âBut you said he can communicate.â Jack remembered her mentioning it on the first day.
âHe could before the accident.â
âAnd now he doesnât.â Jackâs empathy toward the boy intensified. Yes, Jack had lost his family, too, but heâd only withdrawn from society. Cody had withdrawn from everything.
âNow he doesnât,â she repeated softly.
âWithout speaking, Iâm guessing the chances for an autistic boy to be adopted are slim to nil,â Jack deduced.
Elise didnât answer, but her silence said everything. The boy needed to communicate in order to stand a chance at a family wanting to adopt him.
Pondering Codyâs situation and what he could do to help, Jack carefully maintained his distance from the woman in his kitchen.
He didnât want to stand too close, didnât want to be too close. But he also needed her to understand that he didnât want to stop seeing Cody.
Today was the first day Jack had felt alive in a very long time.
Dear Reader,
While writing this book, I received a phone call I never wanted to receive. âIâm at the hospital.â Those were Mattâs words, and I could tell from his tone that it wasnât good news. If youâve read anything about me or follow me on social media, you know that five years ago I met a twenty-four-year-old young man who needed a kidney and hadnât found a match. God put it on my heart that day that I would match, even though his family members hadnât. And God doesnât lie. We were a perfect, better-than-sibling, all-six-antigen match. Merely six months after meeting Matt, I gave him my kidney, and it began working in the operating room. Praise God!
Matt has become a son to me and my husband, a brother to our other two sons. We love him, his beautiful wife, Brittany, and their boys, our grandsons, Ryan and Brooks. They are family. So when Matt called to explain that heâd had a sinus infection and that the antibodies to fight the infection had viewed my kidney as foreign...and started attacking, my heart plummeted. My prayers skyrocketed. But as of today, the kidney has not started working again, and Matt has returned to dialysis.
One of the most painful things Iâve ever had to hear came a month ago, when Matt said, âIâm sorry. I hope you donât regret what you did, because you gave me a better life for five years and gave us two beautiful boys.â I couldnât get the words out fast enough. âThere are no regrets. Only blessings. Am I confused about why this is happening? Absolutely. We were the âmiracle matchâ as they termed us in the hospital and on the news. But God gave you five years with a working kidney. God gave me a son, a daughter-in-law and two more precious grandbabies. And God has been here, the whole time, working through the joy and the pain.â
Will we face storms in life, the way Jack and Elise face storms in this book? Absolutely. But God never promised a perfect life, not here, though we will have that perfect life one day. Where we donât receive those hospital calls, donât watch our loved ones suffer, donât wonder what we could have done to have made things better. And until then, God is right here, all the time.
I wanted desperately to portray how much we need God in the stormy times of life. This book, these characters, have touched me so deeply, and I truly hope theyâve touched you too. And if youâre facing storms, I pray for you to turn to God. Let Him be your anchor in the storm.
As always, I welcome prayer requests from my readers. Write to me at: Renee Andrews, PO Box 8, Gadsden, AL 35902 or through email at renee@ reneeandrews.com and I will gladly lift your requests to our Heavenly Father in prayer.
If you would like to keep up with me, my family, my books and my devotions online, please join my Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/AuthorReneeAndrews
Blessings in Christ,
Renee