How does a walk with your dog on one wintry evening change the course of your life from status quo to serendipity? That’s the question I answer in my inspirational story depicting a time in one woman’s life when she’s all but given up on her future. Fiercely independent, she hides behind the thick armor she wears of her own making, thinking if she lives her life in this manner, no one will ever hurt her again. Boxing herself off comes at a high price though—loneliness and loss of self-worth. In essence, she’s lost hope. My story is about finding it again.

It was their nightly walk that started out no different than any other midwinter evening. With only her beloved West Highland white terrier, Marshmallow, as her companion, she is about to embark on a journey that will alter her world as she knows it. Her complacent life would soon be changed forever by coming to terms with her deep-rooted and unfounded guilt.

She strives to raise her two sons alone after a painful divorce, all the while trying to make the world a better place for children as a children’s advocate. She prays to God for guidance and to help her make sense of where her life is leading and to find happiness. She is in awe and, at times, even disbelief that God would personally answer her never-ending prayers by transporting her back into time to resolve her issues with her past. In a continuing battle to regain her old way of life, she soon learns that God makes all our plans, and only in His time are we fully able to grasp His intentions. With the help of a handsome but puzzling guide, she finally settles down and begins to carve out a new life for herself in a new world. Fifty-year-old Hope is about to have her prayers answered in a way she never expected.

--Lee Ann Valetti

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