God’S Handprints: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love

By Bridget Nelan

There wasnt time for any more questions or any more doubt. There was a knock at the door. I opened the door to a tall, handsome, smiling man, the firstborn of my twins. Time stood still as he held me at arms length and lovingly said, Ive been waiting for this day for a long time. Within a few minutes, his twin brother arrived. No floodgate could hold back my emotions. I felt peace, joy, and completeness. I was eternally thankful for their parents, who had raised these incredible young men. I was thankful and eager for the journey that was about to begin. And I was even more thankful that the saying All good things must come to an end didnt apply today, because this first encounter went far beyond my expectations. This was just the beginning for us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 29, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512788174

Bridget Nelan

Bridget Nelan became a freelance writer after fifteen years in the financial services industry. She has written dozens of articles for various publications and the book, God’s Handprints: A Story of Faith, Hope, and Love. Bridget lives in Germantown Hills, Illinois with her husband Mark, and sons, Joe and Jake.

Book preview

God’s

Handprints

A STORY OF FAITH,

HOPE AND LOVE

Inspired by Ann Williams

BRIDGET NELAN

37844.png

Copyright © 2017 Bridget Nelan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition© 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Cover Artwork by Kathy Sullivan

Author photo by Chroma Studio©2017

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8818-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8819-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8817-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017908061

WestBow Press rev. date: 6/28/2017

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1 Divine Order

Chapter 2 A Faith Journey

Chapter 3 Fear

Chapter 4 Help! I Need A Life Jacket

Chapter 5 Ready Or Not

Chapter 6 When The Tables Turn

Chapter 7 The Decision: Door 1, 2, 3 Or 4?

Chapter 8 Don’t Panic

Chapter 9 Dress Rehearsal

Chapter 10 God’s Time

Chapter 11 The Power Of Hope

Chapter 12 Shhhhhh…

Chapter 13 David Vs. Goliath

Chapter 14 On The Flipside

Chapter 15 More On Forgiveness

Chapter 16 Gifts Come In All Shapes And Sizes

Chapter 17 Goodness Wins!

Chapter 18 We Become What We Think About

Chapter 19 A Child Is Born

Chapter 20 A Dark Day

Chapter 21 Chin Up!

Chapter 22 From The Depths Of A Valley To The Mountaintop

Chapter 23 God Incidences

Chapter 24 My Name Is

Chapter 25 Freedom

Chapter 26 If Only I Could

Chapter 27 It’s Time

Chapter 28 The First Visit

Chapter 29 And The Greatest Of These Is Love

Chapter 30 The Waiting Room

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to begin by thanking my husband, Mark, for his belief in me to change careers and become a writer. I am eternally grateful for the deep love you have for me and our family, your constant support and commitment, and your incredible determination. You are my best friend and bless me every day with the gifts of our marriage and family. Each day with you is a gift.

I want to thank my children, Joe and Jake, for being my dreams come true. You are the greatest blessings in my life and I am so proud to be your mother. I am awe-stricken at your character and the depth of your loving hearts. Your unconditional love, encouragement, and diligent prayer helped make this book a reality. You give me so much joy and strength every day and my love for you is beyond words.

I want to thank my parents for all of their sacrifices, undying love, and giving me a great life. Thank you, Mom, for telling me when I was little that I would be a writer someday. Thank you, Dad, for never giving up, working so hard, and always taking the time to play with us.

I would not be the person I am without the guidance, love, and companionship of my grandma, Maa. Your sacrifice, love, and commitment each and every day taught me so much and prepared me for motherhood. You carried me through the most difficult times of my life. To my one-in-a-million grandpa, Papa, who taught me so much about life, your words will always resonate within me.

Thank you Rob and Lee for accepting me into your lives and teaching me so much.

I want to thank Debbie, Brian, Madison, Alex, Matthew and John for always being there and showing me how precious family is. You are so much more than a sister to me, Debbie.

Thank you, Ann, for letting me tell your story and be part of your life.

I am grateful for the blessing of my trusted friends, family, and extended family – you know who you are – thank you for enriching my life. True friendship is sacred and I thank you for it.

Not everyone is blessed with a second mother. Thank you Martha and Sally for always being there for me.

Judy O – you were heaven-sent.

Bridget Nelan

It is God’s love, his hands, and his time that guided this book. I pray that you will find comfort and joy in times of trouble, as I did.

I want to thank my parents, Pat and Agnes Hinds, who taught six children the values of honesty, responsibility, sacrifice and perseverance. Your faith, commitment to family, and deep love for each other taught me so much. Thank you for all of your sacrifices, especially the ones that allowed us to get a puppy and Ping-Pong table.

Every day I am thankful for my faith.

Bob, Terry, Mick, Ted, and Jim – you are the greatest brothers a girl could hope for. Thanks for always helping and protecting me.

To my sons, Kevin and Jeff, you are the light of my life. Thank you for loving me and for the happiest of memories being your mother. And thank you, Kevin, for opening your heart and adopting Matt.

Thank you, Ken and Susie, for opening your hearts and adopting Robb and Todd and raising them to be