gardening Archives - Tricia Goyer

I love writing books, and I love when readers are able to walk into bookstores and pick up a copy just as it comes out, yet I’ve written some books where doing that hasn’t been so easy. In fact many readers haven’t purchased books from my Home to Heather Creek series because for many years these books were only available through the Guidepost book club.

If you’re one of those people I have great news! My Home to Heather Creek books are now available on Amazon, including Sweet September! In fact you can get the whole Home to Heather Creek series there! Here is the order of the books in the series:

Before the Dawn by Carolyne Aarsen
Sweet September by Tricia Goyer
Circle of Grace by Leslie Gould
Homespun Harvest by Robert Elmer
A Patchwork Christmas by Kristin Eckhardt
An Abundance of Blessings by Carolyn Aarsen
Every Sunrise by Tricia Goyer
The Promise of Spring by Leslie Gould
April’s Hope by Robert Elmer
Seeds of Faith by Kristin Eckhardt
On the Right Path by Diann Hunt
Sunflower Serenade by Tricia Goyer
Second Chances by Leslie Gould
Prayers and Promises by Robert Elmer
Giving Thanks by Kristin Eckhardt
Holiday Homecoming by Carolyne Aarsen
Family Matters by Diann Hunt
All Things Hidden by Tricia Goyer
To Love and Cherish by Leslie Gould
A Time to Grow by Robert Elmer
Sentimental Journey by Kristin Eckhardt
Helping Hands by Carolyne Aarsen
Growing Pains by Diann Hunt
In God’s Hands by Leslie Gould

Want to know more about these stories? Here’s something I wrote about my experience writing Sweet September. Of course I wrote this before we opened our home to four girls … so our “garden” is still growing!

How a Garden (and a Family) Grows

I love gardening. Well, let me clarify … I love writing about gardening. It seems both down-to-earth and oddly romantic to live on a farm like Bob and Charlotte in Sweet September. The idea of planting seeds, watching their progress and then eating of our labor delights me—which is why my husband and I planted a garden this year.

It was only our second attempt at a garden. The last one we had was more than 15 years ago. We had just moved to Montana and we’d bought our first home. Before the grass was in, I staked out a large spot and planted everything I could think of. Row after row after row.

The produce had come in thick, but so did the weeds! My kids and I would literally dig through the weeds to find the green beans and tomatoes. It was work! Maybe that’s why it took me so long to attempt gardening again.

This year my husband and I decided to be more realistic. We planted two types of tomatoes, squash and cantaloupe. And as we watched the small plants grow, we dreamed of the harvest. Every day we peeked at the growing plants and invited our new children to do the same.

Just like Bob and Charlotte, we opened our home to three little ones, children who came to us through adoption. We adopted Alyssa in 2010 as a newborn, and this year we added Bella and Casey to our family by adopting from the foster care system.

As summer days stretched their warm rays, our plants and our family took root and grew. Then reality set in.

Our squash got nibbled by bugs and some of our tomatoes got bud-end rot. Our children had struggles, too, with bonding, being able to trust and opening up their hearts. There were days I questioned if my hard work was going to produce anything good. Yet what I discovered is that both growing a garden and growing a family takes time, dedication and patience. Both are harder than one would think … but worth the effort!

I’m thankful that in both cases we turned to God for help, and he was gracious to do so. Our Creator designed the plants and growing seasons. He also designed our family.

As summer comes to an end I’m enjoyed many fine meals with our produce. I’m also enjoying the new smiling faces around the table and the family that God continues to grow!

Originally published at Guideposts.org

I hope you have a chance to enjoy these stories from Heather Creek! I had a joy writing them and I know the other authors did too!

Discover the books by @TriciaGoyer you probably haven’t read, but should! #amreading

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Hope can be a verb or a noun. Used as a verb it means we want something to happen. We hear stories of tragic events and hope everything and everyone will be safe. We may hear from a friend or loved one who shares a need. We end the conversation with “I hope everything works out.” Newly expecting parents may say, “I hope it’s a girl,” or, “I hope it’s a boy.” Students walking down school hallways utter, “I hope I get an A in this class.” “I hope I make the team.” When we are going through difficult time hope becomes a noun <click to tweet>. HOPE is something we long for. We long for a particular thing to happen to lift our spirits and bring peace. It is our hope that a loved one recovers from an illness or accident. It is our hope that a relationship can be saved. It is our hope that a new job can be found to replace the one we lost.

It has been my experience to find hope when others put actions to their words. In December of 1988 the youth of South Park Baptist Church gathered for a Happy Birthday Jesus party. I attended the party since Don was serving as youth minister. I taught a youth Sunday School class and helped out on retreats.

There were a few of the youth who had babysat for us since our arrival in Alvin a year earlier. That evening following the games, singing Happy Birthday, and eating cake one of the youth leaders got up and began to speak. He called Don and I to the front and began to thank us for all we had done to help guide our young people to a better understanding of Christ. He then presented us with a gift. In those days it was popular to give a money tree. The tree was actually a branch that was spray painted white and decorated with small ornaments. The tree was then placed into a decorated flower pot.

While the adults had pinned bills to the branch, the youth had placed their loose change into the pot to hold the tree upright. I’m sure none of them thought of anything big coming from their nickels, dimes, and quarters. Yet they put them in anyway, hoping it would help tell us how much they loved us.

On that dismal, damp, chilly January afternoon as I raced through our home trying to pick up what I would need to be at the hospital with Don, my eyes fell onto that flower pot sitting on the kitchen counter. I would need to notify people of Don’s condition. I hadn’t even talked to his or my parents about the accident.

Those were the days before cell phones and I knew my only source of communication would be pay phones. I grabbed the flower pot, dumped the change into a lunch bag and put it in my purse. Later I was able to use those nickels, dimes, and quarters to call family and friends asking them to pray. My hope for his survival was made possible because some teenagers put their ‘hope’ into action and God answered the prayer, the hope of those I was able to call by healing Don.

Now Don is often called the ‘minister of hope.’ He speaks to people all over the world telling them that God is a God who listens, who loves, and who cares for His people. What a wonderful gift of HOPE that little flower pot became!

About Eva Piper:
Eva Piper is a speaker and author with a unique insight into the trials of heartache and the triumph of overcoming. The wife of best-selling author Don Piper, Eva was the glue that held her broken husband and her family together. Don’s story, recounted in the New York Times bestseller, 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Life and Death, is Eva’s story too. A teacher of 34 years, she and Don now live in Pasadena, Texas. Visit her website to reserve your copy today or to read a free chapter. You can also connect with Eva on Facebook and Twitter.

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The Tricia Goyer books you probably haven’t read … but should!

How a Garden (and a Family) Grows

What An Unexpected Flower Pot Taught Me About Hope | Guest Post by Eva Piper