The Morning Glories are Blooming!

When the Morning Glory Blooms by Cynthia Ruchti is a beautiful story about three women. They share a common thread which is teen pregnancy.

Becky lives in the present day. Becky has a teenage single mom/daughter with a new baby. Both of them rely heavily on Becky and her husband. The daughter loves her son but is too immature to understand the need to lay aside her own desires and put her son's needs first. She reminded me of a radio that isn't quite tuned into the station you are trying to listen to. Becky's struggles touched my heart so deeply as she tries to find the balance of assisting her daughter without enabling her. A balance that tilts precariously at times but her love for her grandson and daughter is so real you can feel it. She makes mistakes but her love and faith is the driving force that guides her persistence.

Ivy: (1950's) Ivy is a young mother-to-be who finds life an uphill climb. She feels so alone as the baby's father is fighting in Korea. He doesn't know about the pregnancy and Ivy guards the secret as closely as she can. Ivy tries to work and make a way for them without more than scraps of love and support, until she meets Anna in the nursing home where she works. It is through this amazing woman, Anna, that Ivy finds understanding and begins to discover her way to the surface.

Anna (her story begins in 1890) Anna is a beautiful soul who desires to make a home for unwed mothers. She is a woman whose vision for this needful ministry is challenged but she endures, grows and finds the ministry unfold in countless ways. I learned so much from Anna. She finds God's strength to do the hard thing and her tender heart and desire to make a difference is tangible.

Some books are "spot-on" in taking the reader on a journey of the heart and spirit. Books like this bring change. They have me making notes or highlighting their pages. I have had to rearrange my top ten favorites to make room for this beautiful book.

I also plan on planting my own morning glories this spring and when they bloom I will think of Anna, Becky and Ivy fondly.