"A Stitch in Time"
By Suzanne Woods Fisher

About the Book:

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.

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My Thoughts:

Whenever I hear that Suzanne has written a new creation, I feel the intense need to get it as quickly as possible. I KNOW that I will love it! My expectations for any work by this author is very high!! This book was no disappointment. Suzanne weaves an endearing tale using her unique, outstanding talent as a storyteller, one that keeps the reader engrossed from beginning to end. Although this is book two in The Deacon's Family, it can easily be enjoyed as a standalone. As I had read the first in this series, I felt that I was returning home to visit my dear friends.

Stitches in Time deals with aspects of life that we rarely think of taking place in a peaceful Amish community. alcoholism, infertility , childhood abandonment , dealing with a past full of hurt. This author capably combines these topics together into a tale that appeals deeply to ones' emotions. The use of the twenty third Psalm takes on special meaning, as Izzy shepherds her flock of sheep . Relating this to knitting indeed conveys a very clear message to all of us.

The characters are so realistically described that you immediately become their best friends, feeling their emotions deep within. They are people who could easily be our neighbours , flawed, real and yes, lovable too. The pain of not being able to have children had special meaning to me. we were also unable to have biological children and took the adoption route. My heart hurt for the foster girls who each had their own particular quirky and different characters.

The plot moves at a quick pace with unexpected twists and turns that I must admit at times had me close to tears. Not all events were joyful! The book ends with everyone coming together in the way that God wanted them. He was there to shepherd them through their valleys that were often so deep , there appeared to be no way out! Following the good shepherd is an example of which we all need to be reminded.

Suzanne Woods Fisher has once again left a message deep within my heart. As in all of her other books, she has caused me to examine my life. Am I following and trusting the good Shepherd as I should??

This is a book not to be missed. Just have a few tissues nearby to blot the tears that come to the surface as these dear people travel a rocky road called life.

This book was received as a gift. The thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own.

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.