Book Review: In the Shadow of the Sun King

Brand new author Golden Keyes Parsons has written a historical christian fiction book called "In the Shadow of the Sun King" It is the first book in  her series she calls A Darkness to Light Series. This book takes place in 17th Century France. It is about the Clavell family as they try to be Christians in a France that is Catholic only with a king who is determined to wipe out all the Christians. Madeleine Clavell's family is the center of the story. The dragoons have come to find her two boys to send them to Catholic school for re-education. Unable to find the boys the dragoons camp out at the Clavell mansion causing Madeleine to journey to Versailles to plead with King Louis to leave her family alone. Madeleine was once in love with King Louis and he was in love with her. Madeleine hopes to rekindle this friendship to save her family. When Madeleine refuses the king's advances, King Louis decides to destroy the Clavell family. He has her husband put into the Bastille and sends her daughter to a convent to be re-educated. Madeleine arrives home to find her home destroyed, husband and daughter gone, but her boys still safe in their hideout. The Clavell's & servants flee for Geneva to safety and to start the search for Francois and Vangie. The family goes through many trials and struggles, even to the point of questioning their faith. But God sends someone or something into their lives to remind them that He is controlling all that is happening.

Golden Keyes Parsons does a great job in telling a story of no matter what your circumstances are you need to hold on to your faith. She shows that the road is not always easy or has a happy ending,but God is always faithful.

Golden Keyes Parsons keeps you glued to your seat from the first page to the last. You don't want to put the book down, because you want to see where the next turn leads, who will help the family next and how the Christian message is delivered. Based on 17th century history and her family, Golden Keyes Parsons writes so beautifully that you feel that you are on this journey with the Clavell family. I can not wait for Fall 2009 when she publishes book 2 of this series. Golden Keyes Parsons is definitely an author to add to your reading list. 

Praying Backwards

Please follow the above link to learn about Praying Backwards and join me and others as we pray for the Presidential canidates, their families, and our country tomorrow night. No matter who will be our next President we are commanded by God to pray for our leaders. Whoever becomes our President after Nov. 4th, God has a reason for him to be our leader. Let us always remember to pray for him each day.

My Son "The Bear"

Those who have viewed my blog have seen that my son has been called to be a missionary. He has been called to take the Messiah to Mali. 23 years ago I knew that God had a special plan for him. I found out I was pregnant when I was 5 1/2 months along. All seemed to be going well until my 7 month visit when the doctor wasn't getting heart tones and I had not yet felt him move. I had to return to my OB doc 2 weeks later. If no heart tones or movement, they were going to do an emergency sonogram.

 

Praise God the doctor picked up good strong heart tones. I spent the whole nine months never feeling him move. The doctor said it was probably because he implanted in the wrong location in the womb and would probably only be about 5-6 pounds. My husband and I tried to figure out when we had time to get pregnant. He was in the Navy then and the squadron was switching to civilian contractors. The skipper did not want any work to be left for the switch over so he worked the guys 18-20 hours a day. So, David got up, went to work, came home, showered, ate supper and went to bed for about 4-5 hours and repeated. Days off were few and far in between, but somewhere we had time to get pregnant.

When we counted back to the most likely time of conception, at the time the embryo would have implanted we had a wreck. We T-boned a sports car that turned in front of us. My seat belt pulled hard across my abdomen as I tried to sling forward. We figured that is what caused him to implant in the wrong spot. 

Bear then decided to be 4 days late, which for me was good since we were having revival with an awesome Cajun preacher that week. We headed to the hospital on Thanksgiving morning in labor further along than doctor wanted (we lived a hour from the hospital). At the hospital labor progressed well until the last 19 minutes. I had a contraction that would not quit, which cuts off the babies oxygen. Baby re-oxygenates when contraction stops. Pain was all in my back and so bad that I stood up in the stirrups 3 times. David had to become the straps to keep me in the bed. The doctor told us that the baby was face up instead of face down and too far in the birth canal to turn. After 19 minutes of non-stop contraction, Bear's head came out. I remember the doctor sliding across the room (well maybe not that far, but it was back away from me for sure) and commenting that this was a BIG baby probably 10 pounds. WHAT HAPPEN TO 5 POUNDS!

Bear was finally born at 11:53 Thanksgiving morning. But far from thanksgiving at the time. He did not cry, they rushed him to the isolate and he was limp and as blue as blue jeans. While the doctor continued to work with me the nurses worked on Bear. I just knew my baby was dead and it was my fault for requesting pain medication in the  end (epidurals weren't readily used then). He had a heart rate but no respirations. After a few minutes that seemed like hours they rushed him and David to the back room where they aggressively worked on getting him to breathe. David finally after an hour came to tell me that Bear was ok and weighed 9 pounds 11 ounces. 

When they brought Bear to me to finally get to hold him, they carried him like a 3 month old on their hip, he was that big. I had a hard time believing he was mine, but I was thankful that he was okay. They had to take him back to the nursery after letting me hold him for 30 minutes because he still wasn't breathing like he should, but they told me I could have him in my room when I got there. So, I called the nursery to bring me my baby, 7 hours after he was born and I had only seen him 2x's and held him only on 1 of those times. The nurse came to the room without Bear to inform me there were complications and the doctor will be in to talk to me. I was alone at this time because David had gone to get his mom and our daughter. He got back as the doctor came in. We were informed that Bear had a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) on the right and the left lung was 1/2 filled with fluid. We were also informed that his left clavicle had been fractured. All complications of his size in being born naturally. I told David that as soon as he got home to call the prayer chain and get Bear on it, if his lungs didn't clear, he was going to have to have 2 chest tubes. 

Ok now slight side to how he got his name. When he finally was brought to us, my mother in law held him and asked what were we going to call him. We said Benjamin Wesley Yarbrough, which means "Son of my right hand from the west meadow quick to serve the King". Bear was covered in black hair. Mom looked at him and said "What a gentle Ben". Both David & I thought immediately of the bear Gentle Ben. And Bear stuck.

The Good Lord answered our prayers and Bear's lungs were healed the next morning. The doctor was amazed. Six weeks later his shoulder healed. Bear had a few minor problems with eating, he couldn't keep formula down and had to have it thickened to get his nourishment. I wasn't able to breastfeed, because he was never satisfied and once I supplemented he preferred the bottle. 

When he was 3 months old, we were at our church's time of fellowship and dinner. I had laid him on a blanket face up, he still wasn't allowed face down due to his shoulder even though it was probably healed. The pastor's daughter and other girls of my youth department asked if they could hold Bear. I was grateful for someone else to hold a 3 month old the size of a 1 year old. The pastor's daughter had no sooner turned her back on Bear's blanket, after picking him up, that the fluorescent light above the blanket shattered. It was at that moment that I knew that God had something special planned for Bear and the enemy was trying to stop it. 

Bear informed us in the ninth grade that he was giving up sports to go full time in the ministry. The 110% he gave to wrestling and football, he put into learning about Jesus and God's will for his life. He turned to 2 special men in our church who mentored Bear. These men have gone to be with our Lord and are watching from above the fruit of their labor with Bear. Bear's dad and I thought he was going to become a youth minister, he is great with the youth. 

But God had other plans, bigger plans, plans that will take Bear across the ocean to a country in West Africa called Mali. And who would ever think that this 10 pound 22 inch long child would grow up to be 6 foot 5 inches and the brain that absorbs anything you put in front of him. 

I truly experienced Thanksgiving on that November day in 1985 and have been thanking God everyday for the work that He is doing in my son.

Bear Yarbrough Reaching Mali for The Messiah

Real Caring

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12 Gold Beads

My grandmother passed away on August 20, 2008. All I have left to remember her by are 12 gold beads. These beads have a very special meaning to me.

I was born in Pelzer, SC where Nanny and Papa lived and where my daddy was born also. I was even delivered by the same doctor that delivered daddy. Momma and I lived with Nanny and Papa my first year of life because daddy was in the Navy and on sea duty. Nanny worked in the local 5 and 10 store. Every year on April 15th start with my first birthday she bought a gold bead and put it on a gold chain. After momma and I started to stay with daddy and follow where ever the Navy sent him, I would go to Nanny and Papa's for the summer. I started knowing about Nanny buying the gold beads when I was 5 or 6. I would beg her to let me have them and wear them. She would only say not now they are for you when you are older. Every summer I looked forward to going to see Nanny and Papa and seeing the new bead on my necklace. The summer of my 9th birthday was my last summer with them, for the Navy decided to send daddy overseas for the next 6 years. Nanny quit working after she bought the 12th bead. When the Navy decided to send daddy back to America I was 15 and didn't spend as much of my summers at Nanny and Papa. I had an after school job and friends and my boyfriend now husband. I had forgotten about my necklace and apparently so had Nanny.

Papa died 2 years ago with Alzheimer's and unfortunately Nanny also had it. As momma and my aunt cleaned out the house to sell it earlier this year, they found all of Nanny's jewelry and my necklace. As my husband and I left to go to the funeral, I realized I had left without any jewelry on. But when I arrived at the funeral home momma handed me my necklace. I quickly put it on and handled each bead remembering the joyous times I had with my grandparents.

These beads will help me to remember the great times I spent with my grandparents. Going to work with Nanny, going to church and chewing all of her gum, wearing her jewelry and perfume, getting up at 3am to watch the train go by (the tracks cut through their backyard), helping Papa with his garden, eating watermelon on the concrete picnic table that daddy made and I now have in my backyard, and watching Johnny Carson with Nanny every night.

Pelzer is now a place for my memories. The house belongs to someone else, boy how they have changed it. No more family living there. The graves are in Anderson, but that's all that is there. Nanny and Papa are reunited with their Lord and Savior.

New Blogger

Hi to all who read my blogs.
I am new to blogging. Great friends have gotten me hooked almost to the point of having to call myself a "geek". I plan to use this site to journey through my nursing career as a hospice nurse and my faith in Jesus Christ. I welcome any and all comments. I feel that negative and positive comments will help me to grow and make this blog beneficial to all who read it. It's late and I have studies to do for my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing. I will start my journey tomorrow as God has just this week brought me on a long way and taught me so much. So until tomorrow.... Good night and God Bless (to quote the all time best comedian Red Skeleton).