Finding Common Ground: An Elle Mystery

By Charlene A. Wrighton

Elle Bradshaw, a strong young Christian teenager, solves several mysteries while working with her best friends, each with physical disabilities, to help bring the students at their high school closer together.

Elle Bradshaw, a high school junior, has a knack for solving mysteries. Elle and her best friends Angel (who is wheelchair-bound),

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Nov 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9798887380124

Charlene A. Wrighton

Jesus is the center of our family's lives. I have been married to my husband for fifty-three years and have three adult children and nine grandchildren (and one on the way!). I have a doctorate in curriculum and education and have been in the educational field for forty-eight years. I taught special needs students for twenty-one years-actually, they taught me. Thirty-seven years ago, my sister, a friend, and I created a literacy program called "Zoo-phonics." I own and co-direct Safari Learning Academy.

Book preview

C_Wrighton_5.5x8.5_Cover_Front.jpg

Finding Common Ground

An ELLE MYSTERY

Charlene A. Wrighton, Ed.D.

Trilogy Christian Publishers

Tustin, CA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Finding Common Ground: An Elle Mystery

Copyright © 2022 by Charlene A. Wrighton, Ed.D.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Cover design by Jeff Summers

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 979-8-88738-011-7

E-ISBN: 979-8-88738-012-4 (ebook)

Dedication

This is a book about overcoming and becoming. It is dedicated to all those who have overcome obstacles and hard challenges in their lives…and can still smile knowing that they are stronger for them.

Albert Einstein once said, In the middle of difficulty comes opportunity. James N. Watkins said, A river cuts through a rock not because of its power but its persistence. And there are so many more quotes just like this. The point is life is challenging for most people—we all face hardships and tragedies at one point in our lives…or will. It is by our own choice that we allow circumstances to either define and guide us negatively or positively.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

Acknowledgements

My family gave me a wonderful childhood full of love, security, and fun. They taught me how to be a strong person, why integrity and unselfishness are critical for successful relationships, and why it is important to stand apart from the crowd and encouraged me to let God guide my path. They gave me a funny sense of humor and an interest in many things. Most significantly, they taught me how to love and appreciate people.

I thank my wonderful and patient husband and family, who have always encouraged me in all my endeavors and projects and have always supported me. He has more of God’s qualities than anyone I know.

Thank you to my wonderful editor, Robin, who encouraged me, suggested the need for chapter 12, and corrected all the typos I missed.

I praise a mighty and generous God for giving me the gift of creativity.

Contents

First ix

Chapter 1. Me, Elle 1

Chapter 2. About My Family 4

Chapter 3. My Best Friends 9

Chapter 4. A Real Mystery 14

Chapter 5. The Speeches 20

Chapter 6. Election Day 32

Chapter 7. Sabotage 39

Chapter 8. A Baseball Game and a Pool Party! 45

Chapter 9. Rage and Revenge 49

Chapter 10. The Search 56

Chapter 11. All’s Well That Ends Well 69

Chapter 12. Understanding, Forgiveness, and the

Healing Process 80

Chapter 13. Weak in the Knees 84

Chapter 14. Making New Friends 93

Chapter 15. Where is Cilla? 99

Chapter 16. Practice What You Preach 111

Chapter 17. Life is Confusing 118

Chapter 18. The Meeting 121

Chapter 19. The Snack Shack 131

Chapter 20. Words from the Wise 137

Chapter 21. Dinner (and Closure) with Cilla and Her

Family 149

Chapter 22. The Conference Call 155

Chapter 23. Dinner with Adam 162

Chapter 24. Coming Soon! The Junior-Senior Prom 173

Chapter 25. Planning and Preparing 176

Chapter 26. Celebrating! 194

Chapter 27. What Now? 198

Chapter 28. Angel Therapy 200

Chapter 29. Answers 202

Chapter 30. Dinner with Friends 204

Chapter 31. Surprise! 208

Chapter 32. The Last Training Session Before the

Big Day! 211

Chapter 33. The Buddy Club Lunch Launch 217

Chapter 34. I Did Not See This Coming 220

Chapter 35. No Resolution 230

Chapter 36. Resolution 232

Chapter 37. Organizing Games and Getting the Word

Out 234

Chapter 38. Prom Night 236

Chapter 39. How is This Possible? 245

Chapter 40. Moving On 249

Chapter 41. Confronting Adam 251

Chapter 42. Summer is Here! 255

Endnotes 259

First...

Before diving into this story, I want you to get to know me, my wonderful, crazy, amazing family, and my very best friends. You might be similar to me, or you might be my exact opposite! You might come from a big family like mine or be an only child. Or perhaps you are like one of my best friends who has a disability or have a friend or family member who has one and faces life’s challenges daily.

No matter what, I hope you will see that even when we are young, we can still be forces for good and can make positive change for ourselves and others, for this is God’s will for us. Whether in real life or in our imaginations, we can shape who we want to be simply by choosing how to respond to the situations we face. They can either defeat you or move you forward. I hope you will feel like a part of the story, even if it isn’t exactly your story.

Love, Elle

Chapter 1

Me, Elle

Here is a little about me. My name is Ellery Jean Bradshaw, but my family and friends call me Elle. I am fifteen years old and five feet, one inch tall—in tennis shoes. I have green eyes that change with whatever I wear—and my moods. I have long, stick-straight red hair, which I always wear in a ponytail. I have a few freckles on my nose. For now, I am okay with them. I am not a girly girl and find things that most girls like silly and annoying.

I have heard a rumor that red heads are often feisty and hot-tempered. I hate stereotypes, but this one might be true, at least for me. I am feisty. Nope. Scrappy. Well, scrappy for a reason. I am normally adventurous and funny, and I try hard to be kind. However, if I see anyone mistreat someone…oh…you do not want to be the one who receives my wrath. My mom says that I was not a cranky baby, so evidently, I’ve become crankier as I’ve gotten older.

When I was young, I loved Nancy Drew mysteries. (I still love mystery books!) I read every one that I could find. (You can find lots of original ones in antique shops!) It was at the age of eight that I decided that I wanted to be a detective. Nancy Drew was fearless, strong, and independent and always solved the mystery! I wanted to be a strong, inquisitive, and resilient person, just like Nancy Drew, no matter what challenges life handed me.

My mom read aloud to me every night before prayers and bedtime. Books written by Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters were some of our favorites. They wrote about strong women who lived during hard times. These characters did not let tragedy or negative circumstances define them. Often the female characters in these books were born in poverty and lived in a time and place where women did not have any political or financial power. They accepted what they were given in life but rose above the circumstances and survived. Most of them had a strong faith in God.

I had real role models as well. (Besides my mom and grandma!) There are so many strong women in the Bible who were also born to uncertain times, and yet, their faith and courage left their mark on humanity for thousands of years: Jesus’ mother, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Ruth, Rahab, Esther, Deborah…

My mom introduced me to one of her favorite movies, The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Here was a young girl who was born into poverty and had only a disinterested uncle to take care of her and some unruly male cousins to deal with daily. No matter what happened to her during her childhood and as a teenager, she would shout, I ain’t never down, and even if I was, you’d sure never hear it from me…nobody wants me down as much as I want me up! She was scrappy, and I loved her! (The movie is based on a true story, as she was one of those who survived the sinking of the Titanic.)

Because of my family, my faith, the friends who surround me, and the strong women I’ve read about, I decided, young in life, to be me, Elle, woman of God.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

Chapter 2

About My Family

I have two sisters and one brother. I was born twelve years after my brother, who was the baby of the family at the time. My twin sisters are three years older than he is. I grew up in a very busy family. There was always something going on…something to do. Although I was well-loved and cared for, getting a word in edgewise with older siblings was almost impossible. However, I learned how. I was not one to whine for attention. With my mom, that would not have worked anyway. I learned quickly how to navigate life with busy parents and older siblings. Being the baby in the family has had its challenges, but it has also had its advantages. When you are the youngest amongst a busy family, you learn to observe people and go almost unnoticed at the same time. I have used this skill on many occasions.

My mom and dad own a chain of gourmet coffee and food restaurants, so before we started kindergarten, all of us kids were with our parents constantly. Our restaurants were our preschools! My mom and dad believed that we had to learn by doing, so we learned early how to crack an egg, stir a pot, and set, clear, and wipe the tables. We were also taught how to talk to and listen to customers—probably the best lesson we learned.

If we were sick, Dad and Mom would either take turns staying home with us or tuck us in on the couch in their office. They also had the flexibility of attending everyone’s games and school events…often going in different directions. My brothers and sisters are very academic and athletic, so I have spent my life in an auditorium, a gym, a stadium, a pool, or on a field and have become athletic and academic almost by osmosis. My parents have always been there for us. We might have had to wait a little while for their attention, but that taught us how to be patient and realize that we were not the only ones in the world.

Our chain of restaurants is called Gioia. It is pronounced joy-ŭ. In Italian, this means joy. My mom and dad believe in joyfully sharing God’s love and fellowship to all people (thus the name Gioia or joy), even and especially in business. A restaurant is a great place to share God’s love—and great food.

Being a child of hard-working parents who own restaurants is a blessing and a curse. It is great because we always have delicious food at the house (bistro salads, panini sandwiches, gourmet pizza, and pastries—also great cappuccinos and lattes!). However, as the owner’s child, you are expected to work at one of the restaurants whenever needed. And even if it is your day off, you have to work when staff doesn’t show up—which is way too often.

We were raised with the good, old American values of God, family, and hard work make the person. Besides helping us to grow up with strong values and important skills, it has been handy to have a way to make some money for things we want when our parents wisely say no to some of them. (They did not believe in spoiling their children.)

We were taught early to save our money. This might sound crazy to you, but I have always had five labeled piggybanks (a family tradition):

Piggybank #1—I save and give 10 percent of the money I have earned or have been given (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) back to our Sunday school.

Piggybank #2—10 percent goes to help those who are less fortunate than we are (the Red Cross, World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Shriner’s Hospital, St. Jude’s, the local SPCA [Society for the Preservation and Care of Animals], Wounded Warriors, Tunnel to Towers, etc.).

Piggybank #3—35 percent of it stays in the bank long term (for a future trip, a car, college).

Piggybank #4—10 percent of the money is used to treat family and friends to an ice cream cone or a present.

Piggybank #5—35 percent of the money is for spending on myself.

That’s 100 percent!

This taught us to carefully think about what we wanted to spend our own money on. (We often learned the hard way through toys that broke, clothes that were not well made, etc.)

Our parents insisted on this money-saving method and said that giving back to God and giving to others is part of God’s law. We learned early that giving to others brings blessings back to us if we freely give. The operative word here is freely. As my dad always says, God doesn’t appreciate grumpy givers.

Hanging around our restaurants gave me a perfect opportunity to people-watch. I also learned to talk to anyone (and look them in the eye while offering my hand in a strong handshake). I started learning these people skills when I began bussing tables at age seven.

These skills came in handy when I played Elle Bradshaw, World Famous Detective! When I was eight, out of my for me money, I bought myself a sleuthing kit. It contained detective instructions, a magnifying glass, an ink pad, Scotch tape, powder, and a brush for dusting fingerprints. I dusted for everyone’s fingerprints on everything in the house and sometimes in the restaurant. I made a database with my family and friends’ fingerprints. I didn’t solve many real mysteries, but pretending was still very satisfying. On the other hand, I did like helping family and friends find things (Where is the remote?) and solving puzzling moments (How did the remote get in the refrigerator?).

When I was ten, I discovered Sue Thomas, FB Eye on television. It is the true story of a woman who had been deaf since the age of three and had learned to read lips, so this talent came in handy in her work as a consultant for the FBI. That was also when I decided I was going to be an FBI agent when I grew up! Nothing stopped her from reaching her goals, and nothing is going to stop me either!

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:11).

Chapter 3

My Best Friends

Angel Purl, Miguel Morales, and Jerome O’Conner are my best friends. They have taught me a lot over the years. Each one has a physical disability that they, somehow, have turned into an asset. They are the smartest, strongest, and kindest people I know outside of my family.

I don’t have a physical disability like they do, but I have discovered that everyone, even me, has something to overcome in life. Angel, Jerome, and Miguel have taught me to speak up for myself, be more confident, and take myself less seriously. We laugh a lot! They also taught me that if you are going to succeed in life, you must overcome any obstacle in your way. They are the best friends anyone could ever have.

Angel has been my best friend since preschool. Before her first day in our preschool, the teacher gathered the three and four-year-old kids together and explained that soon we would have a new friend who had problems with her legs and could not walk. Our preschool teacher didn’t go into detail, but I remember that we listened and then went back to playing. When Angel arrived in her little wheelchair the next day, we circled around her and said Hi! and asked her to play with us. Children are kind when they are young. They accept everyone. It is only when children become older and are uncomfortable by the differences of others that some become unkind.

Angel and I had great fun