Seasons of the Heart (Oke)

“Sure, it's unusual to have an eighteen-year-old mother when you're twelve. But when you're an orphan and she's your aunt—and the only mother you've ever had—well, as I explained, it had worked out real well. “That's why I got so riled up when I heard Grandpa and Uncle Charlie talkin' about findin' a fella for Auntie Lou! “You see, somethin' had to be done! I couldn't just sit back and watch our special family get broken up. But with Grandpa and Uncle Charlie workin' so hard to get Auntie Lou married off, I really had my job cut out for me. “Then, when that poor preacher came along, it really got complicated.... “And maybe you'll find out what I found out—about the best kind of family, I mean.”

Best-selling author of Too Long a Stranger and Julia's Last Hope, Janette Oke is loved for her inspirational novels. In Once Upon a Summer, Oke weaves the tender tale of 12-year-old, Joshua, who has been raised by his 18-year-old aunt and their grandparents. He has grown accustomed to their close-knit family, but that is all about to change when Joshua's aunt considers marriage. Johnny Heller touchingly narrates the trials of faith this family must face.

"I don't know who was most excited that morning when the three of us hoisted packs on our backs and started off down the trail. Just before we disappeared from view of our yard, I turned for one more wave. You woulda thought we were marching off to war or something. I even saw Aunt Lou blow her nose on her white hankie. They all looked glad and sad at the same time-happy we were doing something we really wanted to do, anxious that everything would go all right, and a bit sad we were growing up." On the brink of manhood, Josh was facing important questions about life, about love, about himself…"I sure was having a time of it trying to sort out all these different ideas and feelings-maybe I should just go fishing!"

Pioneering inspirational author and perennial best-seller Janette Oke is renowned for her touching novels of faith and virtue. The Winds of Autumn is the continuation of the heartwarming family saga begun in Once Upon a Summer. On the brink of manhood, Josh lives with his Aunt Lou and spends all his time studying or fishing. When a new teacher arrives at his school, Josh prospers under his tutelage. Meanwhile, the teacher's beautiful daughter begins to stir new feelings in Josh. Listeners will cherish this tale of life and new love.

Though life seems to be moving others ahead, Josh appears to have come to a dead standstill. What does the future hold? Life was full of choices. The only problem was figuring out what to do! “What do you plan to do—after graduation? Are you gonna be a minister—or what?” Or what, my mind echoed in frustration. What? I had been asking myself the same question over and over. And I still didn't have an answer. Graduation was only a month away, and it seemed that I was the only one in our small town school who didn't know what to do with life after the big day. It wasn't that I hadn't given it a thought. In fact, I thought about it most of the time. I prayed about it too. But I still didn't have an answer except to say honestly, “No—I don't know yet.” And I'd been saying that for a long, long time.

Internationally best-selling inspirational author Janette Oke is beloved for her novels of faith. Winter Is Not Forever is the continuation of the touching Seasons of the Heart saga begun in Once Upon a Summer (K1041) and continued in The Winds of Autumn (K1052). Featuring a folksy narration by Johnny Heller, this tale of a young man ready to graduate from high school and begin his adult life is touching and poignant.

“In the dimness of the early morning I could see field after neighborhood field as I let my gaze wander around me. First there was ours—I supposed I would always think of the farm as ours—Grandpa's, Uncle Charlie's and mine, though in truth it really was just mine now. Guess that was one of the reasons I was whistling. Just yesterday Grandpa and Uncle Charlie had signed all the official papers to make the farm mine—really and legally mine. Joshua Chadwick Jones they read, clear as could be. The full impact had yet to hit me. But I was excited. Really excited. I mean, what other fella my age had a farm his own, title clear and paid for?” “I sobered down a bit. It was a big responsibility. I mean, I was the one who had to make the farm bring forth now. Had to support Grandpa and Uncle Charlie and myself....And adding to the challenge was a desire for a family of my own....”

Janette Oke is a pioneering author of inspirational fiction. Her novels are international best-sellers that entertain as they refresh the soul. Spring's Gentle Promise is the fourth and final books of the Seasons of the Heart series that follows Joshua Chadwick on his journey into adulthood. Josh is as happy as a clam now that Grandpa and Uncle Charlie have signed over the family farm to him. But soon the serious responsibility of managing the farm has him looking for help-and maybe even a family of his own.