Book Cover Illustration by Caramia
Caramia's Art
Preface
Several years ago, my faithful friend, Sherry Jenkins, shared this with me:
Sometimes we must walk through mud puddles to find out how good our shoes are.
On February 6, 2009, Sherry lost her beloved son, Danny, who was just 35 years old. Suddenly and without warning, I watched as her world came crashing and tumbling down around her. Oh, how I wanted to comfort and console her—and to take away her pain—but, all I could do was just sit with her, listen to her, cry with her, encourage her, and pray. I often wondered during that time how God must have felt when His only Son, Jesus, was nailed to the cross.
Even though Danny is in Heaven now, there were times when I, too, felt that same suffocating darkness of grief, sorrow, and despair. I have two children and two grandchildren of my own—I can’t imagine the depth of Sherry’s pain—words cannot express the deep sympathy I feel for Sherry and her three beautiful daughters, Tasha, Jacy, and Kirsten, her wonderful Val, and her precious mother, Lois. They’ve gathered enormous strength from the many friends who have continuously gathered around to support, comfort, and console each of them.
I know how important it is to remain strong in my faith and to keep my eyes open to the little things I can do for Sherry and her family. As I look back now, God was and is with each of us every step of the way. He knows our own special needs, and I know that He will never leave nor forsake us. It’s so important that we lean on Him day by day. Sometimes there just are no answers to the whys, what-ifs, or what-nows.
We each are given a choice when faced with life’s most difficult tragedies or challenges: to become bitter or better. Sherry and her family have chosen to celebrate Danny’s life and to cherish the wonderful memories they have of him.
Sherry knows there will be many tough days ahead, but she has learned how important it is to cling to God’s Word in the toughest of times. She has surrendered it all at Jesus’ feet. And just like Danny, she, too, has been a reflection of Jesus to so many of us. She has learned how important it is to love deeply, to laugh out loud, and to live life to the fullest!
Sherry is learning to dance in the rain.
In Loving Memory of Sherry’s beloved son,
Daniel Oliver Jenkins
July 6, 1973–February 6, 2009
This book is dedicated to
Sherry Jenkins
Contact the author at darlenesballard@aol.com, sign guest book or visit her website www.darleneballard.com or
I believe one of the greatest gifts we can give another is the message of hope. By no means am I saying that I have arrived at any destination—but I am well on my way to learning how to dance in the rain—and you can too!
Is fear, hopelessness, anger, pride, or depression paralyzing you from being the best that you can be? Maybe your marriage needs healing or you have just gone through a heartbreaking divorce. Maybe you are suffering from an addictive behavior or from a traumatic event that happened to you. Maybe you have lost everything in a fire or from a hurricane. Maybe you are overwhelmed with financial debt, in the middle of a foreclosure, or have just lost your job. Maybe you are battling a life-threatening disease or—maybe you have just lost a loved one.
We all have suffered or will suffer sometime during our lifetime. If we look close enough, we can find broken and wounded people scattered everywhere—looking for someone or something they can cling to in the midst of life’s most difficult storms. In this book, you will find The Message of Hope—it’s found in Christ Jesus who loves you unconditionally and with an everlasting love. He will never forsake or abandon you! He would have died for you—even if you were the only one in the entire world. That’s how special you are to Him. I’ve heard it said, "Sometimes the Lord calms the storm, and sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child."
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