Seasons (Lahaye)

What does a child's life-threatening illness cost the neighbors of Cedar Circle? What joys can be hidden in life's greatest tragedies? Behind brightly lit windows and on front porches, marriages are tested and mended, hearts broken, hopes resurrected, dreams released and reformed, values and futures shaped, and faith rekindled...or found for the first time. Taking the best and worst of human circumstances - the tender moments, the laughter, the tragedies, and the triumphs - Beverly LaHaye and Terri Blackstock weave from them a poignant, warmly human novel. Gently uncovering the inner struggles, stresses, and joys that surface among neighbors living on a quiet cul-de-sac, the authors show us the power of ordinary lives being knit into a strong, many-textured fabric of family and friendships.

On the quiet cul-de-sac of Cedar Circle, where neighbors are close friends, fierce winds of circumstance threaten to sweep one couple away. Their Down's Syndrome pregnancy is shattering news for Tory and Barry Sullivan, but the option Barry proposes is abhorrent to Tory. It will take a wisdom and strength greater than their own to carry them through. That, and the encouragement only a loving, close-knit community can provide. Over kitchen counters and across the miles, the women of Cedar Circle lend their support to Tory and to each other as all of them face their personal struggles, heartaches, and joys. Shining with bright faith and friendship that illuminates the stormiest night, Showers in Season explores the junction of life's realities, the cost of obedience, the power of relationships, and the promises of God.

When Cathy Flaherty's teenage son, Mark, is arrested for selling drugs, her neighbors once again show that Cedar Circle is more than a suburban cul-de-sac. It is a tightly knit circle of friends whose faith, love, and encouragement help each other make it through the changing seasons of life. More is at stake for Cathy than her son. With Mark in juvenile detention, the single mother of three finds herself struggling over whether to marry Steve Bennett, a man she truly loves. It will take strength and wisdom for Steve to see Cathy through this time of family conflict. Fortunately, he is not alone. Other lives, each with concerns of their own, weave together in a strong show of mutual care and support. And through the hands and hearts of this loving community, God moves.

Cancer is a short word for something that has such a devastating impact. Why would God allow it to strike Sylvia Bryan - and why now, of all times, when her mission work back in Nicaragua is bearing such fruit and beset by such needs? For Sylvia, the ravages of surgery and chemotherapy are just part of the struggle. There are the questions, the emotional upheaval - and through it all, one deep desire: that God will use her illness, and that she will glorify him through it. As the friends of Cedar Circle lend their love and support to Sylvia and her husband, God is at work, knitting hearts, shaping and changing lives, and, out of this season of pain and sorrow, drawing forth blessings that are unforeseen, joyous, and enduring. Some of God's greatest gifts come in life's darkest wrappings. Sylvia Bryan has known this truth for years. But she never anticipated the cost she is about to bear in walking it out. Concerned over her increasing fatigue, Sylvia's husband, Harry, has sent her home from their mission work in Nicaragua to undergo testing. The diagnosis is numbing: cancer - a stark, terrifying word that will utterly reshape the trajectory of Sylvia's life. How could Sylvia have breast cancer? She struggles with why God would allow such a thing now, at the most fruitful time of her life. The children at the orphanage in León need her. A church in the village needs renovating after the recent hurricane. Her beloved husband depends on her. And there are scores of people, young and old, who need to hear about Jesus and learn about his love through Sylvia's hugs, her smile, her care, compassion, and laughter. Sylvia's malignancy requires strong treatment. With Harry now at her side, she endures a mastectomy and the devastating effects of chemotherapy - and her neighbors at Cedar Circle gather round to lend their support and prayers. As these precious friends pour their love into Sylvia and receive hers in return, each of them wrestles with concerns of their own. Cathy and Steve Bennett, clashing over sixteen-year-old Mark's educational choices, work through the complexities of raising a blended family. Tory Sullivan's new job at a school for Down's children is filled with challenges, rewards, and insights into her own Down's daughter. And Brenda Dodd prays with all her heart for her husband, David, to know the Lord. In this book of the bestselling Seasons series by Beverly LaHaye and Terri Blackstock, the bitter and sweet moments of life give substance to love and faith - and in the midst of friendships, God works in unexpected, powerful ways.