BOOK REVIEW

WHEN HEARTS CONJOIN

by Erin Herrin and

Lu Ann Staheli

In 2006, as the world watched the Herrin family’s medical drama play out, Richard Paul Evans saw another story winding through the media’s medical coverage—a mother’s story of faith and determination.

The seven-time bestselling author of such books as The First Gift of Christmas, approached Erin Herrin, the mother of conjoined twins, Kendra and Maliyah, and convinced her that her inspiring story needed to be told. He turned to author, reporter, editor Lu Ann Staheli to help Erin tell her story. The result is the tender, bestseller titled, When Hearts Conjoin, co-written by Erin Herrin and Lu Ann Staheli.

It is through this combined lens of Staheli’s notable literary gift and Erin Herrin’s poignant maternal point of view that we experience the pitch and roll of the Herrins’ lives through trial and triumph. At times intensely personal, Jake and Erin Herrin’s story is a candid illustration of the power of faith and perseverance to trump adversity and human frailty. There are lessons aplenty in this book.

On one level, When Hearts Conjoin chronicles Erin and Jake Herrin’s handling of life-altering events, culminating in the separation of their conjoined twins, Kendra and Maliyah. And while that medical miracle is at the crux of this tender book, it’s really a story about relationships—husband/wife, child/parent, sibling love and faith in God.

Peppered with just enough medical detail to illuminate the miraculous outcome of their daughters’ daunting journey, it is the painfully candid glimpses of the Herrin’s interpersonal lives that provide the greater drama. Time and again, choice and chance bring Erin and Jake Herrin to the very edge, testing the resolve of their parents, their marriage, and their faith. Through it all, it is Erin’s overarching love for her children, all of her children, that shines through.

Lu Ann Staheli performs her role with precision, guiding and structuring a complicated, highly emotional story while maintaining Erin’s point of view. This counterbalance of deep drama, told in pure first person format, magnifies the pure grit and faith of this valiant wife and mother. The foreword, written by Richard Paul Evans, expresses it this way:

“Erin Herrin’s journey is one of sheer determination and the willingness to sacrifice nearly everything to keep her family together.”

You will be moved.

(When Hearts Conjoin, published by Richard Paul Evans Publishing, 2009, is available at http://www.whenheartsconjoin.com/whc/Home.html. It can also be ordered online at http://www.utahtwins.com/. Proceeds from the book sales go to a medical trust for Kendra and Maliyah Herrin.

GOD-BLESS-AMERICA-MONDAYS

JOURNEY THROUGH HALLOWED GROUND

Did you know that there are more American history sites in a single 240 mile swath of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia than in any other sector of the United States? Did you know that many of these were obscure and nearly lost to all but a few historians? Sad, isn't it?

Local Chambers of Commerce along Route 15/20 here in the PA/MD/VA corridor have proudly clung to their individual bits of that rich, essential history, though much of it was marked by little more than a brass placard set along a ragged roadside, a mention in the local town history, and old stories passed along to new generations by fewer and fewer who remembered. But a few years ago, someone had an idea to take these precious bits of history that were, in and of themselves, not sufficient to draw tourists, and combine them together to create a rich driving tour--a journey through history--a Journey Through Hallowed Ground.

About a year ago, a member of the local Chamber of Commerce invited me to a dinner meeting with two board members of the JTHG project. They knew I would be interested. My Free Men and Dreamers series is set during the War of 1812 and chronicles events that occurred across portions of this very swath of hallowed land when the British and American armies clashed in Bladensburg on their way to Washington.

We sat down in a local diner over meatloaf platters and discussed the need to mark and preserve sites where pivotal meetings took place, and where historical figures lived. So many of these are already gone, replaced by development of every kind. But those places that still remain are being marked in more notable ways, and catalogued into a guide so families can tour them on day trips, and tell the stories to their children as they stop, take in the tales, and let gratitude and awe distill inside them once again.

With gas prices rising again, and with budgets stretched, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground provides a meaningful vacation alternative to people who want more than to merely be entertained. If you're far from Maryland or Pennsylvania, make a plan to tack a day on to your next trip east and take the tour.

Visit the link above for more information. I'll be sharing more details about this project as we go along, and we'll take some virtual vacations on upcoming Mondays.

AND WE HAVE WINNER!

Congratulations to Anne Bradshaw, the winner of my May blog site drawing!

Anne wins her choice of: Books one and two of my Free Men and Dreamers series, (Dark Sky at Dawn and Twilight's last Gleaming), or ( she already owns the books. . . happy sigh. . .) a $25 gift certificate to one of three restaurants.) Thanks to the new friends who signed on to follow my blog during May. (I'm such a beggar.) We'll start again this month and toss in another prize, a set of yarn-craft books for those of you whose talents exceed those of this craft-challenged author. So sign up to FOLLOW my blog at http://www.laurielclewis.blogspot.com/ so I can send you alerts about the release of book three of Free Men and Dreamers, and you'll be entered in the next drawing on June 30.

Also, today is day one of the "SUMMER TREASURE HUNT" contest! 30 days and 30 prizes! Great fun throughout JUNE!

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED

I was visiting Tristi Pinkston's blog, and she had this wonderful quote posted along her side bar. Elder Eyring quoted it at some point, but neither of us knew who the original author was.

I found it the other day. Dr. Bob Moorhead was a pastor for nearly 30 years, and this powerful oath or anthem is attributed to him.I work with the Early Morning Seminaries, and this was so wonderful I wanted to share it with the students as they wind up their study of the New Testament.

This is Christian Courage at its finest. Thank you, Dr. Moorhead, for so eloquently and boldly putting into words the precious feelings that, once ignited, are hard for most of us to adequately express, and sadder yet, to retain. And thanks for posting it, Tristi.


THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED
by Dr. Bob Moorehead

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed." The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear.

Today would have been a down day by average daily standards. Little pressures were bearing down, compounded by rainy, gray skies and the ultimate misery-maker,a manuscript rejection.

But I was blessed to be in a temple session today where an extraordinary sister was working. She was probably in her sixties, a five feet nothing wisp of white in a badly crippled body. She had a notable curve in her spine that left her twisted with hump near her shoulder blade. It required no small effort to maneuver about the room, tending to the sisters entrusted to her charge, and yet she made sure to make eye contact with each person, and offer them a welcome smile.

I never saw her smile fade to soberness. Even in the quiet moments, there was no tight-lipped response to her discomfort. Always, always, a sweet hint of a smile tugged at her lips, making us each feel welcomed . . . feel privileged to be near her.

I left feeling lifted, feeling grateful and humbled all at the same time. And I remembered something President Hinckley once said--that most of the work performed in the Church was done by people who didn't feel very well.

She wasn't a martyr or a good soldier. I think she knows that many parts of happiness require us to simply make a choice, because despite circumstances we cannot change, we can choose how we will respond.

The video that follows says it well. How we love, matters. She chose happiness, and because she did, I want to as well. And maybe if I do, someone else will also. See? It really does work.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: How Do I Love Thee?

MODERN SPRING CLEANING

There are certain undeniable truths. One is that no matter how detestable the job may seem, once the spring cleaning is tackled, we feel better, more relieved, a sense of peace restored.

Another truth that must be admitted is this--what is good for the windows, the closets, those nasty under-the-kitchen-sink-where-you-hope-no-one-will-look-until-after-you're-dead places, also applies to the computer.

You know what I mean. . .

Like a big hunk of Triple-Decker Devil's food cake, the cartoon that gave you but momentary pleasure has left a permanent imprint on your hard-drive's hips.(Poor analogy perhaps, but work with me here.)

I generally keep about ten active files under the "My Documents" header. I can no longer even find those ten folders because they are buried betwixt photo files of cats dressed up in Halloween costumes, remnants of crashed cars cars claimed to have been parked by obviously insane women, (I question this. . .), and ninety-three down-loaded chain letters making promises of wealth and happiness if I send them to seven friends, including the sender; or death and poverty if I fail to comply within ten minutes. (You might not want to stand too close to me for the next little while.)

So why do I bother opening them, you might ask? They gobble up precious work time, clog my files and threatened to infect my already crippled computer with deadly viruses. Why indeed . . . it's a sickness.

So today, I'm cleaning house. I'm deleting every Jib Jab political lampoon video; obliterating every picture of cute little things that aren't a part of my traceable bloodline, and yes, that includes Coco the disco-dancing Cockatiel.

It's a tough world, and it must be done.