Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday October 25, 2007

Gail Bradford tells two stories in New Century's anthology, Inspiration From The Heartland and I was touched by each as they are powerful stories for young people, one about a boy somewhere around 12 and the other a high school boy who had been abandoned by his father prior to birth and raised by his mother.

From The Inside out weaves a tender tale of a 12 year old getting past his youthful fear and near disdain for his aged grandfather when while visiting him in an assisted living home the grandfather patiently teaches his grandson about how God works on taking the rough edges off people. Gramps never mentions God, but the illustration is very cleverly, yet dramatically clear.

In the Crafts Room at the home, grandpa shows Pete how to take jagged, rough rocks and make them as smooth as jewelry. The process takes seven days, so Pete is shown rocks that have been through the little mill gramps uses and then the rough ones he is putting in this week. Pete is fascinated as he watches his grandfather fill a cylinder just over half full, fill it the rest of the way with water and grit and then turn on a tiny motor to spin the cylinder for the next seven days. As Pete's grandfather explains the process he teaches Pete one of life's great lessons when he says:

"Pete, nothing good happens in a hurry."

The miracle in Gail's story is that at the age when pre and early teens are turning off parents and grandparents Pete develops a deep respect and love for his widowed grandfather. I sure hope many adults read this and learn to do something interesting and let the kids come to you.

The Breakfast Angel is classic struggling mother raising her son after the father abandons them, yet Gail tells this story in her way and you cannot put the book down nor do you want to. Against all probability if not odds Jefferson Jones, high school freshman is a winner in a loser's world. He is tempted to throw a track meet, gets up early each morning to work at a restaurant before going to school and through literally stumbling over a homeless man sleeping on the sidewalk, Jeff comes to an appreciation of the sacredness of all human life, even that of the worthless bums sleeping on the benches in the park and others on the sidewalks.

You'll have to get the book to grasp the meaning of Jeff hearing the voice of a homeless man saying over the phone, "No, This is Jefferson Jones." Get the hanky.

I first met Gail A. Bradford on her 70th birthday and I am amazed at her writing skills, her plain and simple faith in the Lord and her wry humor. The other day while telling why she writes she said as near as I recall, "I am a CPA with a creative writing bent. Creativity and accounting are not a good mix. (Under my breath I screamed a hearty amen). So, I use fiction based on truth to exercise my need to write and hopefully influence others with hope."

In my opinion Gail uses her gift well.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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