In a picturesque meadow where the laughter of village children fills the air, Little Gypsy Dandelion, a stunning golden dandelion, stands in quiet anticipation. Day after day, she observes the children’s joyful play, their tiny hands selecting the vibrant blossoms surrounding her. But, strangely, no child ever approaches her. Little Gypsy wonders why she remains untouched when the other flowers find loving homes in the children’s hands.

I never doubted the love my adoptive parents had for me. It was real. It was deep. It was secure. I thrived because of that love. I was so accepted as their daughter that no one could ever deflate my life or my position in the family among my cousins or other members of the family. I was proud of whom I was that whenever I was referred to as “Sam and Viola’s adopted daughter” my response was, “Yes, I was chosen.” Babies are born every day to unwed mothers and to couples who are married but don’t want a baby.

Never underestimate the arrival of the unexpected. What we consider to be a ‘hardship’ in life may only be God’s gentle hand guiding us on the road of life. Each adversity in life can bring us closer to God, even though we don’t understand why such incidents have to happen. Incidents when you feel lost, without hope, and unloved can be the times you grow closer to God. It is then that you can learn to rely on God more. It is during these times that you can be reassured of the presence of God in your life

There are events in our lives that change the world, as we know it. They give way to how we must face the future and not only that, they dictate what the future holds for us. The death of a loved one is an event that we would like to erase and pretend never happened, but that is virtually impossible. It is then that life becomes a new journey-an uncharted course filled with decisions which hopefully lead to a new and fulfilled life. Helen Sheppard faced the unexpected death of her husband and his death changed the course of Helen’s life.

Cotton Field Sunset was inspired and developed based on actual life events of a Texas family, whose names have been changed to protect their privacy.

The main characters in Cotton Field Sunset, William, Pearl, Gordon and Abby Carpenter had their lives changed forever when Pearl decided to visit her sister and brother-in-law, who lived on a farm in the cotton ficlds of west lexas.

Peaceful Blessings for Tomorrow is a collection of the poems I have written over several years addressing many different avenues of life. There are poems of love, birth, challenges, choices in life, motherhood, grief and life in the presence of God. I wrote these poems with the goal of bringing peaceful thoughts to the reader. It is my intention that the thoughts of each poem can possibly bring encouragement, joy, hope or peace to one’s inner self.