Faith Can Move Mountains
Thirty- eight year old Faith Livingston takes you on a journey as she loses and tries to regain her own" faith", due to the tragedies that unfold in her life..
Thirty eight year old Faith Livingston had the life she had always dreamed of. She married her high school sweetheart, had a job she loved and an adorable little farm house out in the country. She never imagined that everything she knew to be true about her life would soon just be a horrible nightmare that she could not awake from. She had obtained the name faith from her parents own strength and unwavering faith in God. Would she find her own strength and faith when tragedy strikes her life? She remembers her mother's words ringing in her ears,"Faith can move mountains". She would soon realize that it's easier to have faith when you are standing on top of the mountain and not in the valley trying to move it. Faith would soon realize that God does answer prayers and that he has a plan for each of our lives. Through a strange twist of fate, she finds herself on the road to happiness again...far happier than she thought that she could ever be...
Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Thirty eight year old Faith Livingston had the life she had always dreamed of. She married her high school sweetheart, had a job she loved and an adorable little farm house out in the country. She never imagined that everything she knew to be true about her life would soon just be a horrible nightmare that she could not awake from. She had obtained the name faith from her parents own strength and unwavering faith in God. Would she find her own strength and faith when tragedy strikes her life? She remembers her mother's words ringing in her ears,"Faith can move mountains". She would soon realize that it's easier to have faith when you are standing on top of the mountain and not in the valley trying to move it. Faith would soon realize that God does answer prayers and that he has a plan for each of our lives. Through a strange twist of fate, she finds herself on the road to happiness again...far happier than she thought that she could ever be...
Chapter 1 Losing Faith
News travels fast in a small town, and faster it seems, in the valley shadowed by the West Virginia Mountains. A product of her own parents unwavering faith, Faith Noelle was born to Richard and Emily Johnson on Christmas day twenty eight years ago. Richard, a hard working farmer and his loving wife, Miss Emily, owned a farm in Clay County West Virginia. Miss Emily was a name she adopted from her Sunday school students, who adored her. Sometimes Richard who also adored her, would refer to her as Miss Emily as he opened the door for her and wait for her to pass through,or when he would bring her her morning coffee. He was sweet like that. Pastor Dave had ask her to take over the preschool class at the local Community Church, she was delighted and graciously accepted. Richard was a deacon at the church, and the handy man whenever needed.
Richard met Emily when they attended the same high school. His family had moved here from Virginia in the middle of his Freshman year. His family bought a farm, in Clay County, in which they passed down to him to raise his family. Richard and Emily fell in love and were married by Pastor Dave, who was well up in his years now, right out of high school. They had always talked of having a family, maybe three or four children, but their plans just weren't working out how they had hoped. Emily still hadn't conceive after five years of marriage. They were heartbroken. Surely with the love they had for each other and for children, God would send them a child.
After years of trying, and many tears and prayers God sent them their miracle on a cold winters night. The sky was clear and the air was crisp. The stars lit the sky like diamonds for miles, as far as the eye could see. Emily tells the story to this day with a glow. Faith was all they could of ever hoped for. They knew that God would one day answer their prayers. Faith was a happy child, given more love than any child could ever dream of having. She attended church with her practically family from the day she was born. She sang in the choir, attended church camp, bible school ,and youth rallies, she was very active in the church, even as a teen. She was a cheerful girl, also smiling, but something happened, something that left her angry inside. Something terrible had taken away the light that shined so brightly in her eyes.
She became sad and somewhat bitter, and felt somehow she had let her parents down, as she failed to live up to the name they had so carefully chosen for her. Her parents, even in the face of despair, trusted in the Lord to bring them through, and she knew that God was with her, yet she leaned unto her won understanding. She chose the road that her flesh lead her to, she chose to wallow in self pity, to question, "Why me?" Although she still had faith in God, she wasn't holding onto that faith. She became distant,swallowed up by grief and pain, but God had a plan for her life and although she went her own way, God never left her side. Her parents saw the pain and sadness in her face, felt the distance, as she became withdrawn, and they began to pray that God would help her find her way, know that in HIS time table and not their own, their faith would prevail.
With a heavy heart she stands by the window of the old farmhouse she grew up in. The snow dances through the air as the wind blows almost as if it has it's own voice. She stares hauntingly as a teardrop falls from her chin onto the windowsill. She swallows hard wiping her bloodshot eyes. She remembers him...
It was the day she had always feared. The day she had hoped would never come. Cold and snowy as the day she was born, she remembered how he had ran back in to kiss her bye before he had headed out to work that winter's morning. Her mind drifts back to the day she met him. She was sixteen and working as a cashier in a local grocery store.
Every day at twelve O'clock he went through her line. A Mountain Dew, a deli-sub, a Snickers bar and a bag of Funyuns. He worked at a nearby lumber yard where his father had gotten him a job right after graduation. He dropped by the store on his lunch break every day. She watched the clock each day as the hand grew closer to twelve her heart pounded harder inside of her chest. He seemed kind of shy. He made her smile and gave her butterflies.
She remembered him from school, he was a couple of grades ahead of her. She had always had a secret crush on him but was sure he didn't know she existed. She had taken the job for the summer, she remembered the first time he went through her line. She could barely look at him. She felt her face get warm and flushed, when he spoke to her.
"We went to school together, didn't we?'' he smiled. "I'm Alex", he added. "I"m Faith", she said bashfully. "Well nice to meet you Faith". "So did we?'' "Did we what?" she ask him with a puzzled look. "Go to school together silly", he laughed with a smile."Oh yeah", she too began to laugh."I think you were ahead of me."
Every day he bought the same thing. she smiles to herself as she remembers asking him if he had an addiction. "Doesn't everyone?" he had ask her. "I'll bet there is something that you just can't live without". She thought for a minute, not daring to say what she really couldn't do without, which was surely "HE," that was her addiction!!! "Hmmmm...maybe frozen Reese's, or Lime Tostitos."
When he was near her, she could barely breathe. He was tall and handsome, muscular with big strong hands. His voice was deep, yet he was soft spoken. His hair was jet black, just down on the back of his neck, and wavy. He had a light mustache. If there was such a thing as love at first sight, she had found it, or better yet it had found her. In a whirlwind romance Alex Livingston had swept her off her feet.
After two years of dating Faith and Alex were married in a small church in West Virginia, with close friends and family nearby. They lived a happy live out in the country near Faith's parents farm, yet far away enough to have their own privacy. Alex continued to work at the lumber yard, eventually moving up to the main boss in the company.
Faith had chosen a different path than her sweet mother who was a farmer's wife, living a simple life. She wanted more. She was sure there was something out there beyond those mountains. She was sure just as God had sent Alex to her, he would show her what she was meant to do in this life. Her faith was strong.
Alex was a good husband to Faith, a hard worker, he helped her father out on the farm as well as working at the lumber yard. Faith, unlike her mother wanted more than the life of a farmer's wife, or in her case the wife of lumber man. She chose the path of a career instead of staying home keeping the house, cooking, cleaning and waiting on her husband to arrive from work.
Although she did do all of those things that a good wife does, she went to school to be an EMT. She had always found that kind of thing fascinating./ Faith and Alex had a happy life together, he was her best friend he was her everything and now he was gone.
One day, one moment in time and her life had changed forever. This day, a sunny cold December morning had changed the entire path of her life in the blink of en eye, in the instant of one phone call./ She remembers it well, it was snowing, the ground was covered, it glistening like sparkling diamonds.
The sun was bright, almost blinding, and the sky was as blue as she had ever seen it before. A red cardinal perched itself on her windowsil as she stood by the window, coffee in hand. Alex had just left for work, he was running late, as usual no matter what time she got him up./He never left without saying, "I love you."
Even if he was in a hurry and had made it all the way to the car, he'd run back in and kiss her and say, "I love you". It was something she could count on. It was the same as every other morning. She set the alarm, got up and made coffee, made his lunch, and woke him up. He wasn't a breakfast person or a morning conversation person either. He rushed around like the Tazmanian devil and was out the door without a minute to spare with his to go cup of coffee in hand.
It was different on the weekends. The weekends was their time. Faith worked evening shift, usually 24 hour shifts. Alex worked day shift. So on the weekends they would get up early and go out on the deck together and sit out in the porch swing with their coffee. It was something they looked forward to. Watching the sunrise above the mountain tops, listening to the birds sing, it was so peaceful.
As the weather turned colder, they would build a fire in the den and snuggle up on the love seat together and drink their coffe and hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon on top. It was cozy and romantic. This morning seemed to be like every other work morning.It was a beautiful morning, a little rushed as usual, but nothing seemed to be out of place. He kissed her good-bye and told her he loved her and she watched him drive away.
Something "was" terribly wrong. How could she not have felt it somewhere deep inside of her. 9 am, the phone rings, "Hello", Faith answers after just two rings. "Ma'am, this is the Sheriff's Department, is this Mrs. Livingston?" asks the stern voice on the line. There was a silent pause, "Ma'am, are you there?
Faith felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. She knows all too well what the voice was going to say next. After years of being an EMT, she she knew that between the icy roads and the Sheriff's Department calling, this could not be a good sign. She answered the question and then felt all the strength leave her body as she heard him say," There's been a terrible accident".
Everything grew dim as her heart began to race. She grew completely numb as her eyes began to water and she struggled for words." Mrs. Livingston?"..." Mrs. Livingston?"..." Ma'am, are you there?"Everything was muffled as she dropped the phone to the floor. There was a terrible accident on the interstate. A mini-van full of children on their way to school collided with a truck on the icy roads. Three children and two adults were critically injured, all flown out by Medivac , two adults were pronounced dead at the scene. It was Alex.
The world stopped turning and the silence was deafening. She dared not question God out loud, but the questions burned inside her and soon turned to anger. How could be this God's plan? How could she walk through this life alone. A million things race through her mind. Had she been selfish not having children with Alex, for choosing a career? Her parents had heard the news and raced to be by her side.
The door was unlocked and they found her laying on the floor by the fireplace with the phone in her hand.It was a long night. They gathered her a few things and took her out to the farm house where she had grown up. She laid in her bed and cried herself to sleep in the room she had slept in as a a young girl.
One thing Faith soon realized is that life goes on. The sun keeps rising and setting, the birds keep singing, and the world keeps turning. She often contemplated the idea of jumping off somehow, but inevitably she was on for the ride so she may as well buckle up her seatbelt.
She would often stand in front of her kitchen window and look at the beautiful mountains. God's portrait, it was breathtaking. There she would talk to the Lord...
Dear Heavenly Father, your word tells me that you won't put more on me than I can bear. I trust in you and I know they you have a plan for my life. I know I'm not suppose to question you, but I don't understand. You that I loved Alex with all of my heart, and I know that he loved me too. We were happy, I don't think I could ever find that again,I don't know if I would even want to. That kind of love only happens once in a life time. They say where one door opens, a window is opened. I don't know if I will ever find my window.
Her heart grew sad, thinking of the love she had lost, the love she still felt in her heart. She knew she would never find that again. How could she? She often wondered to herself. She was sure that lightening didn't strike twice in the same spot, and she would never have that kind of fire and passion again. Apart of her wanted to though, to find someone to love and get that in return. She felt guilty for thinking about it.
Then she thought of the dream she had been having. There was a man with the most beautiful eyes ,she saw those eyes and once again wondered why they felt so familiar to her, she remembered the way his hand felt in hers. She felt so comfortable with the mysterious stranger . Maybe he was the "man of her dreams." He reminded her of Alex, she often thought, yet something was different.She couldn't quite place her finger on it. "Oh well", she smiled and sipped her coffee. The thought of her mysterious dream visitor gave her a reason to allow herself to sleep at night.
She had spent so many sleepless nights since the accident, sleep was a pleasant thing, something she looked forward to. The morning sun caresses the mountain tops. The birds cheerfully delight in the hint of spring that fills the air. The sky is clear and blue. The smell of spring is in the air, although the trees are still barren from the winter. She takes a sip of coffee, Hazelnut creamer this morning, filling the air with a sweet aroma. The old wooden porch swing sways back and forth with a continuous, almost hypnotic, "squeak." Still a bit chilly in the mornings, she sports a mid length sweater over her favorite pink and whit flannel pajamas. Her feet warm inside of her fuzzy socks she got from her mother at Christmas. Her hair piled loosely on top of her head in a clip, some strands falling down, a tussled morning look. She closes her eyes as she feels the warmth of the sun on her face.
She embraces the tranquility of the morning. A beautiful morning, the songs of the chirping birds stirred up a happiness inside of her. Soon the flowers would be blooming and everything that is brown and barren will be green and full of life. She smiles as she remembers the flower garden Alex made for her every year. She laugh to herself as she remembers him covered in potting soil from head to toe and how she got so mad at him for dragging it through the house after she had mopped that day. It makes her a little sad. Alex wouldn't want her to be sad, she often had to remind herself of this. It was hard to be happy without him. It was something she never dreamed she would have to do. It was a feeling she had hoped to never have to experience, an emptiness, almost a gaping hole inside.
She wasn't sure how to fill the void inside if her. She didn't want to entertain the thought of someone ever trying to fill Alex's place in her life. She tried to keep busy. She decided to clean out drawers, closets, the garage, the basement, every place she could possibly organize, clean out and throw out. She decided to give it all to the church who held an annual yard sale for the youth group, keeping out a few sentimental things that she tucked away neatly in a box that she kept in the top of her closet. It was therapeutic for her to cleanse and purge, and keeping busy helped her sanity, or what was left of it, anyway.
The phone rings, and she heads back in, empty coffee cup in hand. "Hello," she answers. "Well good morning," a happy voice greets her on the other end of the line. It was Her mother calling to check on her, something she often did. "Your father and I are going to revival tonight dear, can we pick you up around 7 PM?" Her mother worried about her sinking into a deep depression. She had always been faithful to attend church with her family at the small Baptist Community Church a few houses up the road from the farm. It was a small town where everyone knew everyone. Her neighbors, cousins, friends, and family all attended most ever service.
Faith had not attended much since Alex passed away. It just wasn't the same, sitting by herself, seeing his seat empty. It was more than she could bare. So she slowly started to miss services and eventually stopped going altogether. Pastor Dave often stopped by to check on her, and always made sure to invite her to Sunday services. She smiled and thanked him graciously, with each invitation. She had always intended to come back, but she needed some time. "I don't know mother," Faith sighed. "Maybe I"ll go with you Sunday morning." "Well, you think about now, and if you change your mind, just give us a call, ok?" "I love you, honey." "I love you too, Mother."
She hangs up the phone, walks to the kitchen and pours another cup of coffee. Deciding it needed brightened up from the pale yellow and white, she redid the entire kitchen in bright red. Candy apple red curtains with white sheers. Chefs for a theme, cookie jar, canisters, dish towels, pot holders, you name it. She may of went overboard, but she had fun. It cheered her up, she bought a bright red toaster and can opener, kitchen utensils, even a new microwave, which was long over due anyway.
She was sure it came over on the mayflower. It still had a dial instead of buttons. Her kitchen table was a small round table with metal legs and a white fake marble looking top with metal around the edges, old fashioned, fifties style. She decked it with red place mats and napkin rings with golden rings holding white cloth napkins.
Now when she walked into her kitchen it brought a smile to her face. She even had a red mug tree that held six red coffee cups. The coffee cups were a gift from her girlfriend Anita that she went to school with, she moved to California to pursue a modeling career after high school. The were adorable red and white cups that said, "Faith, Hope & Charity," in fancy black lettering on either side of each cup. She brought them when she came in for a visit last summer. She stands by her kitchen window, coffee in hand, looking at the mountains against the turquoise sky. God's handy work, she thinks to herself. She gets a whiff of the apple cinnamon candle she lit earlier and sighs. Thinking of how she loved the scent of it.
She takes a sip of coffee and sits her cup on the counter top. A small radio plays a familiar song, one she hadn't heard in years, "Slip Sliding Away." It was Paul Simon, from Simon and Garfunkle. She loved that song as a teenager, more than that, she loved the sound of his voice, a sound that reminded her of Dan Fogleberg, or John Denver, a James Taylor sound, another voice she could of listened to forever. She loved James Taylor," Handyman," "Carolina," "Fire and Rain," anything and everything he sang. She loved the songs of the 70's. It depends though, sometimes she would get on an 80's kick. She would jam on Cinderella, Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Dokken, the list goes on. Today she was in a mellow mood so the station that played the "Oldies but Goodies," worked for her mood.
With nothing really planned for the day, she decided that even though she had went through nearly a pot of coffee, she needed a nap, it was still early in the day, early enough not to ruin the day if she retrieved a bit of shut eye. She didn't sleep well last night, or the night before even. She was restless. A body pillow was definitely not the same as her husband. She had alot on her mind, that made it hard to sleep. She tried reading, but she couldn't concentrate. She even started cutting back on the caffeine after 3:00 PM.
Her head was still spinning with a million thoughts. She soaked in long hot baths with wonderful smelling bath oils and beads. It felt great, but she still couldn't fall asleep easily. Her mother bought her a set of CD'S with the sounds if nature, thunder storms, the sounds of the ocean, rain, peaceful relaxing sounds. Which did relax her, but she lay awake imagining she was in all of those places, with her imagination running wild.
Sitting her cup in the sink, she turned on the water for a second to rinse her cup and was off to curl up in favorite fuzzy blanket and hopefully fall asleep. Finally, after listening to the illusion of it raining on her roof top, she peacefully drifted off to sleep.
12:00 PM
Faith was awakened to a knock on her door. "Just a minute," she called out, looking at her alarm clock sitting on her bedside table. "Noon," she grumbled to herself. She had hoped to only take a "cat nap." She didn't have any plans anyway, she just didn't like to feel like she had slept the day away. She got up and with a quick glance in the mirror as she passed, "Ugh!" she mumbled, and headed down stairs. She heard the knock again,"Hang on a sec!" she made her way to the door as quick as her feet could carry her. She open the door and was surprised to find her cousin Savanna.
"Oh my goodness!" she threw her arms around her with excitement. She hadn't seen Savanna in ages. They used to be so close, like sisters but they grew up and life got in the way. Growing up they were inseparable. Savanna was the daughter of Faith's mother's sister, her aunt Shelia. Shelia and Faith's mother Elizabeth were very close, and spent alot of time together, which meant Faith and Savanna spent alot of time together. Faith and Savanna started kindergarten together. Both nervous, they held hands and waited on the big yellow school bus to take them off to Bridge Elementary, where they would be in Mrs. Messenger's class. With frilly dresses, ribbons in their hair, and white ruffled socks they were on their way to start the big day.
From kindergarten through the fifth grade Savanna and Faith were like two peas in a pod. Where you saw one you saw the other. They played house with their baby dolls, played store with their little cash register and little pink shopping carts, they made mud pies and even had a lemonade stand. The girls raced their Big Wheels down the big hill behind Faith's house, swam in the creek, and fished with their daddy's, while mom enjoyed the peace and quiet. With each adventure making fond memories that would last a lifetime.
When the girls were in fifth grade, Uncle Joe got a job that moved Savanna's family three hours away, in Elkins West Virginia. Their visit's became less frequent, although they kept in touch by phone. The girls were sad, but Uncle Joe had been offered a good job working with his brother for a company their father owned. So the family said their goodbyes, picked up and moved one Saturday morning. It was a day both Savanna and Faith would not soon forget.
I think, if I were writing this, I'd start w/ a prologue that would give the reader a brief account of Faith and Alex's meeting, and progressing through their marriage. Not their whole marriage, but special parts of it, so that the reader can get an idea of why Faith is so devastated at the beginning of the book.
From all the research I've done, and things I've read, it's been said that the first line of the book has to be a really catching one. I've also read that if you start out with a long narrative, the reader will get bored easily. You want to incorporate Faith's childhood into the book, but from what I've seen and read, it's usually done in bits and pieces while you're reading so that eventually the reader gets the big picture. In one of the books I've written, I had a couple who also had a history but the book was more about what happened when they found each other again, or after the fact. I started it w/ a prologue to give an idea of what their relationship had been like before they re-connected years later.
If I was writing your book, this is how I would start.
It was the day she had always feared. And now, standing in the window of the old farmhouse, a home she'd grown up in, and one she'd eventually shared with her husband, tears dripped onto the windowsill as a bone-deep sadness (enveloped, pervaded, wrapped around, consumed, overwhelmed) her. She recalled how, just this morning, a few short hours ago, he'd run back in from outside to kiss her goodbye before he'd left for work. It was something he'd done every single day of their __ years of marriage.
It was something he would never do again.
And now, on a day as cold and snowy as the day she'd been born, that Christmas morning twenty-eight years ago, she watched hauntingly, with a shattered heart and a horrible sense of emptiness, as the snow danced in the blustery air outside. The boards of the old house groaned with the force of the wind. And her thoughts drifted back to the day she'd met him, that day twelve years ago...
And then start w/ her maybe at work and he comes through the checkout line, something like
She was sixteen the first time she ever saw him. Working the checkout line at the local supermarket.
But everyone's writing style is different. I'm no expert, but I've researched writing for hundreds of hours online. I've written 14 books, but I'm always going back and revising things. I've also read a lot of books. One of them that I found really informative is "The Idiot's Guide to Getting your Romance Published."
Thanks:) I am working with an editor:) I may use the first part for a blurb on the cover. I know it needs alot of work! I do like the over all story though.
Debut novel by Andrea Barbosa: Massive Black Hole now available!
- wvcoffeechick
on May. 4, 2011 at 7:11 AM