The Cedar Key by Stephenia H McGee

New Beginnings

The Cedar Key by Stephenia H McGee is a most charming Christian contemporary novel that will warm your heart, leaving you smiling and hopeful.

The novel deals with loss, belonging and roots. Loss cuts us to our core. We see the pain but there is hope too as a character made provision for healing from beyond the grave. The reader becomes acquainted with a much loved grandmother through her letters. We see a heart filled with love.

There are many big hearts within the novel as a community opens its doors and homes to a newcomer. The small community pulls together to meet any needs it sees.

A character struggles with her past – feelings of hurt, insecurity and abandonment cause a heart to be locked away to prevent more hurt. Jesus came to free us from our past and our hurts. He calls us to come to Him. “You are not defined by your past. You are defined by God.”

Often when we look back we can see the footprints of God on our lives. He walked with us even when we did not know Him.

Prayer is important. We must pray about everything and worry about nothing. “It’s in God’s hands… don’t waste energy worrying.” A kind heart commits lives to God. “Those reasons were soaked in prayer.”

When life is hard we can bring our true emotions to God. “The Maker of the universe wasn’t at all intimidated by my rage.” Our heavenly Father wants us to be real with Him, to show Him the true version of ourselves.

There is a search for roots, to find a “comforting sense of belonging.” Even when we are alone physically, we are not alone spiritually as God has promised to never leave us. “You… won’t be alone. God is always with you.”

Hurting souls recognise each other. It is beautiful to witness the buds of love and care take root.

Within the story a quilt is made. Individual pieces of material holding memories are sewn together. This is a motif for our lives. God is the master quilter who turns our memories and our messes into masterpieces.

I adored The Cedar Key. I always love all Stephenia McGee’s novels but this is my favourite so far. It spoke to my heart and soul filling me with love, hope and care.

I will leave you with a powerful quote:

“He [Jesus] gathered the plain, regular and unwanted”… wow, we should do likewise.

I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

JULIA WILSON

Long Blurb:

Could the key to Casey’s future be hidden in someone else’s past?

Casey Adams unexpectedly inherits an old Victorian house full of other people’s memories. Stuck in a quirky little Mississippi town, Casey’s hope for a fresh start died as soon she had to lay the grandmother she’d just met to rest.

But Grandma Ida carried secrets beyond the grave.

Before her death Ida carefully planned a trail of clues to help Casey unlock the Macintyre family secrets and finally explain why the family abandoned her. But each of Ida’s letters will only come from Casey’s handsome—and often frustrating—new neighbor. As Casey pieces together the stories behind the objects filling her grandmother’s house, she embarks on a heart-stirring journey that rattles her foundations, ignites her faith, and leads her to a startling discovery that will reshape her future. But only if she can face the lies that have been slowly tearing her apart.

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