About the Author
Merri Hiatt grew up in a small town near Shasta Valley in Northern California. Upon moving to the Pacific Northwest in Washington state, Merri fell in love with the mountains, ocean, rain and lush greenery.
Merri credits her high school creative writing teacher with giving her the nudge to pursue writing, and she's been writing ever since. She has written 11 books and they are all available in ebook format at Amazon.Com.
A Military Family
Lt. Mark Johnson is taking care of four-year-old Celia while his wife is serving as an Army nurse in the Middle East. The little girl marks a red X on the calendar for each day that brings her mother's homecoming a little closer.
Mark knew that his wife was in a dangerous area but he was looking forward to her return in less than two months. He was not prepared for the knock on his door and the presence of two Army officers with grim expressions on their faces. They told him that his wife had been killed and handed him a letter. The letter was from his wife and began, "If you're reading this letter, you know I am dead. Well, I'm not dead, my physical body is dead. You and I both know our spirit is what matters and my spirit is alive and well, whole and complete. I hope you can hold on to that fact."
Mark had the difficult task of telling Celia that her mother was dead and would not ever be coming home. He had been reading her the classic children's book "The Velveteen Rabbit" and Celia remembered the book said, "When you become real, you can't become unreal."
Celia knew that her Mommy was still real and with her. She realized that her mother's spirit was like the breeze and she lives in her hair. She knew that her mother's spirit would never leave her.
My Thoughts
This poignant short story is an excellent reminder of what military families have to deal with. The story brought tears to my eyes and is a very realistic account of the death and grieving experience. The author did a very good job writing about a difficult subject.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I ordered this ebook from Amazon.Com when it was offered as a free digital download. Please check the price before ordering.
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