Catch Your Falling Star

By Christiane Banks

Venture into the Lost Fields of Silk in Ireland, where a fearless granddaughter unravels the clues to find her missing grandmother.

Escape to bygone eras and embark on a heartfelt journey alongside a young girl and her father in 1950s Northern England.

Travel to the picturesque village of Wark, nestled on the banks of the River Tyne in the UK, as mist shrouds a tranquil Sunday afternoon.

Peer through frosty windows on Christmas Eve after an ice storm, where the possibility of a holiday miracle fills the air.

In this intimate and diverse collection, Christiane Banks shares authentic short stories, many drawn from her own life experiences. These tales offer messages of hope, redemption, and enchantment, sprinkled with a touch of fairy dust.

Banks gently reminds us to reach out and grasp our Falling Star. To love deeply and be loved in return. To discover our true selves, extend kindness, and follow our passions during our fleeting time here. Immerse yourself in these shimmering short stories, perfect for any occasion, and let their magical wonder lift your spirits.

“Banks is a skilled storyteller. It feels like she has graciously given a piece of her heart to the readers”

- Senior Editor, iUniverse

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9781663256744

Christiane Banks

Christiane Banks was born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, in the 1950s. Working in a post-war time period at a hair salon provided Christiane with a myriad of unique personal accounts from clients and people from around the world. Throughout her life, both in England and in Canada, Christiane has met dozens of ordinary individuals with fascinating insight and unique experiences. Christiane, being a storyteller, has many tales to tell. These encounters are always on her mind, and she uses her memory of these encounters as inspiration in her writing. Christiane is currently working on a prequel to her historical family saga Amelia’s Prayer and its sequel, Amazing Grace.

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Christiane Banks.

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.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

844-349-9409

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 Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6632-5670-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-5674-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023918583

iUniverse rev. date: 10/27/2023

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

A Letter to an Irish Gentleman

Jimmy Fairy Dust

Thank You for Being My Friend

The Special Years

Mother’s Day Story for Everyone

The Cross

A Walk to Wark

La Grande Soup

Beautiful Boy

Priceless Gift

Blessed Bradley

Weeping Window

Harvest Moon Groom

Hello, Dolly!

Will Be Yours and Yours and Yours

We Will Remember Them

Godspeed, Your Majesty

Needlepoint

The Other Christmas Miracle

Anam Cara

The Christmas Cake

Waiting for God

I Left My Soul in Fields of Silk

Bibliography

About the Author

For my six beautiful grandchildren,

Archer, Dollie, Hudson,

Huxley, Kristen, and Michaela.

With love.

Preface

IMG_3670.jpeg

Catch a falling star and put it in your

pocket. Save it for a rainy day.

—Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss

28342.png

In December 1957, Perry Como released the famous song Catch a Falling Star.

Whenever I hear the tune, I travel back to 1958, when I was four years old, to my family home in England, where I lived with my mom and dad and seven brothers and sisters on a street of terraced houses. I see high ceilings in our living room, the enormous windows allowing the light to flood the room, showing original ornate crown molding and a black-and-gold-marble fireplace with a warm glowing fire burning. Indeed, it was the best room in the home. But unfortunately, my siblings and I were not allowed to enter the room without a adult. Under the lid were a record and radio. I was mesmerized by the music maker hidden in a cupboard and the song Catch a Falling Star. My dad had been fascinated, too, and purchased the EP.

We would slip away and play the record on the gramophone, then look toward the sky for the falling stars. Dad would catch them and at the end of the song open a pocket full of twinkling stars for me to see and choose one. A perfect memory gave me the title of this book.

I am a storyteller. My passion is to share stories that find me—the ones I keep close to my heart—and when appropriate, I will share them. This book is a collection of heartfelt short stories, most of which are true and many of which I have either been told or experienced firsthand. I have met some of the most remarkable individuals throughout my life. I have listened to many voices. These cherished stories need to be saved and shared. Each of the stories here is meaningful, with an individual message of hope, redemption, magic, blessing, and, yes, even a little fairy dust. It’s a universal gift of love. So hold your hand out and catch your falling star.

Thank you for reading. I hope these stories bring you comfort and joy.

Acknowledgments

Thank you, Victoria Mininni, for the book cover design and for your other extraordinary gifts.

Many thanks to my three angels, Kathryn Riddell, Kathy Peruscello, and Kym Martin, for your faith and ongoing support, and to you, my readers, family, and friends. I am indeed blessed.

Keep looking up and catch your falling star.

A Letter to an Irish

Gentleman

Irishmen_GS.jpg

Always stay humble and kind.

—Lori McKenna

28354.png