One month ago today, my newest book released, but because of my trip to Germany and my excitement over sharing some of that experience with you, I haven’t had a chance to do my usual new release giveaway here on Inspired by Life and Fiction. Time to rectify that oversight.
In No Other Will Do, my heroine Emma Chandler is a strong-minded female raised by spinster aunts to believe that women can do anything men can if they worked together. So she invests her inheritance in starting a women’s colony in Harper’s Station, Texas – a place where women can come for a fresh start. Women escaping abuse. Women alone, who have no means to support themselves or their children. Women looking for a place to practice a trade normally only acceptable for men. All are welcome as long as they agree to pull their weight in the community with honest labor and lend assistance to any sister in need. Following in her late father’s footsteps, Emma runs the bank and the town, offering loans and compassion to women in dire circumstances. But when an outlaw bent on running them out of town threatens the safety of her ladies, she is forced to admit that she might need a man’s help after all. And there is only one man she trusts – Malachi Shaw.
Here’s an excerpt from when Emma and Malachi reunite after ten years of separation:
My image for Malachi.
The first buildings of Harper’s Station finally came into view as Malachi crested a slight hill. Dark silhouettes of pointed roofs rose above the vegetation spread out on the flatland below him. His gut clenched. Emma lived under one of those roofs. The one closest to the edge of town, the old stagecoach stop that had given the town its name.
An odd lightness danced upon his chest as he spotted the building he sought. He rubbed at the spot then scowled when the itch failed to dissipate.
Mal slowed his mount and took stock of the rest of Harper’s Station. A tight cluster of businesses lined one side of the road. A handful of other buildings scattered beyond. Not much there to covet that he could see.
A creak of a door focused his attention back on the station house. A young woman emerged from inside and stepped onto the covered porch. A sophisticated woman with dark hair pulled back from her face and wound into an intricate bun at her nape. A grown up woman of means and mission.
Mal’s heart thudded in his chest as he halted his mount. After all the letters they’d exchanged over the years, he’d thought he’d been prepared to see her again. He’d been wrong.
She curled her fingers around the railing post and leaned forward to look at him. Her brows arched slightly. “Malachi?”
The name fell from her lips so softly, he doubted he’d actually heard it. Must’ve just read the shape of it on her mouth. A mouth within a face achingly familiar yet changed.
Mal stared. He couldn’t help it. His little Emma had grown into a handsome, well-put-together woman.
The long, tan skirt she wore swept the porch steps as she slowly descended. Her ivory blouse puffed up slightly at the shoulders, nipped in nicely at her tiny waist, and swelled over curves he hadn’t remembered being quite so . . . pronounced in the thirteen-year-old girl he remembered.
His collar seemed to tighten around his throat.
“Malachi? Is that you?” She’d reached the bottom stair, her hand falling away from the post.
“Yep.” The short, scratchy croak of an answer wasn’t much of a howdy after ten years, but it was all he could manage.
My image for Emma.
Then she smiled. No, it was more than a smile. Her entire face lit up with such joy it nearly knocked him from his horse. He’d forgotten. Forgotten what it felt like to have someone look at him like that. Like the world had suddenly gotten better because he’d arrived.
Unable to withstand her beaming a moment longer, Mal jerked his attention down to his saddle and concentrated on dismounting without doing something stupid like fall on his rear. He hoped his impassiveness would dim her enthusiasm enough for him to get a grip on his sputtering brain and allow him to think of something slightly intelligent to say.
He should have known better.
The instant his boots hit the dirt, she hit him. In a full-on, no room to breathe hug.
I’ll be giving away 2 copies of Emma and Malachi’s story. To enter, leave a comment about a strong woman you admire.
Latest posts by Karen Witemeyer (see all)
- Wedding Joy - November 21, 2024
- How Faith Meets Dreams - November 7, 2024
- Giveaways Gallore! - October 17, 2024
A strong woman I admire would have to be my mom. She put up with my father for almost 50 years before he decided that they should go their separate ways in life. My mother is now the happiest I’ve ever seen her and I am proud of her!
Wow! That is a strong woman. Both to put up with a difficult situation for 50 years and to endure the separation of what she’s always known. I’m thankful she’s found happiness after so long.
I personally love and admire and am inspired by most woman authors. There isn’t any certain one, but I most admire Jane Austen! She writes wonderful books!
Jane Austen is a superstar! She helped pave the way for female romance authors. If I had to pick an author hero, she would probably be it. Her and the Bronte sisters. Thanks, Haley!
This book sounds so great!
My mom and her mom are such a strong women in the Lord and they rarely let circumstances affect ther emotions.
What a wonderful testament to their faith. We need those anchors in our lives, people who can keep an even keel during the storms as well as the rush of happy times. I try to exhibit those characteristics in my own life, but I’m not always as successful as I would like to be.
A strong woman that I admire is my friend and nurse, Julie. She became a widow at a young age and she had to raise her daughter by herself. She has had thyroid cancer and breast cancer, but now is cancer free. You would think with all of these hardships in her life, she would be bitter. Julie is full of life and she has such a big heart. She makes her friends and patients feel special.
What a beautiful story, Jeanette! What a true heroine Julie is! I lost my dad when I was 16, and I remember how hard it was for my mom to continue on with two teenagers. I secretly feared I would have to undergo the same trial, but my husband is still here, and I am so blessed. I admire women with the fortitude to carry on with a smile no matter what grief or trouble comes their way. Julie is a wonderful testament to God’s unfailing love.
There is an older lady at our church that has been through a lot, especially health-wise. She has been so faithful to God through it all and I admire her for that.
Hi, Julie. I’ve had mentors at church in a similar situation that I look up to immensely. Such towers of faith and indomitable spirits. Especially the ones who smile through it all and spend their time asking about others instead of focusing on their own troubles. Remarkable women.
I admired Eleanor Roosevelt all my life. As a peacemaker, mother and first lady. She was awesome!
Great choice, Veronica! What a woman of influence. She certainly used her position to do good.
Thank you for the chance. The women I admire is my mom. She has 19 children. . 16 of which are adopted and most of them with special needs. She is very strong among so many challenges.
Becky
Wow, Becky! I can’t even imagine 19 children. Whew! And I thought 3 was hard. Ha! It takes a big heart and a strong back to welcome so many needy children into one’s home. Your mother sounds like an incredible woman.
A strong woman I admire is my 89 year old mother. She is spunky, loves her sparkles and is fiercely loyal to her family and friends. My biggest compliment comes when someone tells me I’m just like my mom. She is my biggest supporter. Thanks for the opportunity to win! The blurb and pictures of the characters of No Other will Do were great. I look forward to Emma and Malachi’s story.
Thanks, Linda! Your mom sounds fabulous. And I love that you added that note about sparkles. I can just picture her, decked out in sequins, ready to take on the world. Love it! What a legacy to live up to. 🙂
A strong woman in my life is my mother. She is admired by many and loved by all and now, at 83, she is being captured by dementia. Her smile still radiates and in that small shell of a woman lies the heart of a child of God. She always put God first in her life and then her family. She taught me to love God and she and my dad were always wonderful examples in their faithfulness to God and each other.
What a wonderful blessing your mother has been, Melanie. It is so tragic to see those we love and admire struggle with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Diseases that take away their personality and memories and seem to change who they are. I admire you for keeping her legacy at the forefront of your mind. May her smile always bring you joy and may that godly heart beat strong and true in your chest as well as hers.
A strong woman that I admire is my best friend since junior high. We have been through a lot together–rooming together in college and still being friends, jobs/job loss, marriages, etc… But what I really admire is how her faith has never wavered through it all. She suffered a miscarriage a few years ago and then, after months of fertility treatments was told that she was infertile. She never let go of her faith. And a year ago today, she and her husband were able to adopt a little boy. Her belief and trust in God is the thing that I admire about her the most.
Wonderful story, Stacey! I’ve known several women who have travelled a similar path. It is so hard not to become bitter and angry when what you crave most dangles out of reach. I’m so thankful God has blessed your friend with a child of her heart. May her faith continue to sustain her and may she go on to inspire many women in similar circumstances.
The strong woman I admire is my mom. She has had rheumatoid arthritis since she was ten years old, and her mom wanted her to stay inside and never do anything remotely strenuous. But my mom decided early on that she wanted to be just like everyone else and she never allowed anyone to treat her differently or tell her what she couldn’t do. When she married my dad, she moved from her tiny town in Illinois to the big city of Indianapolis and got a job as an occupational therapist. A few years later, she was involved in a car accident that crushed two of her vertabrea and ended the career she loved so much. She was not paralyzed, but the pain was immense, and coupled with her arthritis, it was possible she would never walk again. But she pushed herself, did all of her physical therapy exercises, and had my dad help her walk as far as she could every day. Her back required two more surgeries, and she still endures a lot of pain every day (especially with weather changes) but she can do anything that doesn’t require heavy lifting. A couple of years after the accident, she had me, and she was able to play every game and do every activity a little girl could want her mommy to do with her. My mom homeschooled me from kindergarten through 12th grade, and I have four younger siblings who she also homeschools. Many people question her decision to homeschool, but she believes it is what God wants her to do, and she does it right, even when it is hard. I make really good grades in college and I credit that to my mom’s teaching. My mom has shown strength of mind, body, and character her whole life, and I hope to become just like her someday.
What a fabulous woman your mom is, Megan. I’m inspired by hearing her story. Enduring through pain is so hard, but your mom’s spirit and determination were stronger. That’s the kind of woman I want to be, what I want to model for my children. Thank you for sharing her story!
I admire my Grandma Waggoner. She married my Grandpa and left for India in 1912. The boat passage took a month to arrive in Calcutta. Her father did not approve of their moving to India, and he denounced her. Her mother cried but wholeheartedly supported them as they left to minister to the poor and bring the Good News of Jesus to a nation in desperate need.
My grandma birthed 9 children while living in India, 2 of them died as toddlers. They did not live in the big city; they lived just outside a small village in NE India. My grandpa built a compound for the lepers in that area and their families. He housed them in different parts of the compound and put in a wide ditch between the areas. Back then there was no understanding or cure for leprosy. So, the leper could see and talk with their family members across the ditch and did not have to beg and wander around like a homeless person.
They did not intend to start a small orphanage, but my grandma helped raise 19 girls. Most of them were dropped off as babies by their crying mothers. Those who worshipped the Hindu crocodile god were told by their husbands to throw their girl baby into the river as a sacrifice to appease the god. Some of these mothers could not bring themselves to do this and sought out the foreign man and wife who were helping the lepers.
So, you can see why I admire my grandmother so much to be able to do all of this and do it with a joyful and thankful heart as unto the Lord! She was a very strong woman. Even on her death bed at age 91, she corrected the visiting pastor as her marveled at her 32 years of ministry in India. She quietly said … “33”. We all got a laugh out of that. She did pass from this life into the arms of Jesus later that night. Wow! What a woman!!
I’m in awe, Kandy! What a remarkable woman with a heart for God and for his hurting people. She reminds me of Mother Teresa. I am humbled by her story. What a beautiful legacy for your family to have such a hero of the faith to emulate. Glorious!
I am humbled each time I think about my grandma and grandpa and all they sacrificed. It helps me keep a balance on how I view my circumstances, trials, etc.
I have a lot of strong women in my life. Thanks for the giveaway!
What a blessing, Rachel. Having strong women to emulate is a wonderful thing.
My Grandma went through a tough loss recently, Grandpa died a few months ago after being married over 75 years. She talks about joining him in heaven but she hasn’t let his death keep her down and is happy whenever someone stops by to see her.
Hi, Laciee. It take a lot of inner strength to continue on after losing our life companion. Your grandma is a great example. Thanks for sharing.
That would definitely be my mom. She wasn’t in great health while we five children were growing up, but she put all she had into rearing us. She has dystonia, gastroparesis, RSD, and a few other health issues, but you will find her in church and eager to help or give advice when asked. She has such a hard time getting through each day, but she’ll take her grandkids in a heartbeat. No one like her!
What a remarkable woman, Rachael! I so admire people with chronic pain or enduring illnesses who don’t let their condition keep them from spreading God’s love and joy to the people around them. I’ve always thought those were the hardest crosses to bear, because there was never any relief. It takes amazing courage to keep on with no promise of improvement. Thanks for sharing!
I admire my mom! She raised my sister and me by herself and did what she had to , to make sure we had what we needed! sounds like a great book!
Great example, Beth. Being a single parent is so hard. Whenever my husband is gone for a trip, I realize just how much effort it takes to parent alone. What a strong woman your mom is!
My Mother who did her best to raise 4 children until breast cancer took her at the age of 38.
So young! What a legacy she left for you and your siblings, though, Diana. I lost my dad when he was 42, so I understand a little about what it is like to lose a parent far too early.
My mother, who was the eldest of 6 children, left home in Michigan during World War II to join the Marines! She was posted to Washington, DC, where she met my dad, from California – and they met at church! She was strong, loving, wise, hospitable. She usually worked in the nursery in church, and when she died, grown up kids she worked with remembered she was the one who taught them to love Jesus!
What a wonderful story, Margaret. A Marine mom. Awesome! And what a heirloom of faith she left as well. Great example!
Wow! That’s kind of a hard question I know several. But, I’m gonna go with my grandmother. She was born in 1898 and was widowed with 5 children she had to raise on her own without any education or government funding to help her. She passed away at the young age of 98 in 1996. She was a feisty little thing and I loved her so much. Thanks for allowing me to stir up fond memories of her and for the giveaway.
That story reminds me of my own grandma. She’s turning 100 this year, and is a spunky as ever. In fact, this book is dedicated to her. Thanks for sharing your grandma’s story, Dana. 🙂
Hm, I’d have to say that my mom is the woman that I admire most. She’s greatly encouraged me in my walk with Christ and has been there for me through rough times.
Nothing beats a faithful mom. Thanks, Callie!
I would have to say that the woman I admire the most is my mother. She put up with a stubborn child, and my dad. She also took care of her mother when she was fighting congestive heart failure (something that would ultimately take her life also) and her step-father. She was patient and kind and loved us all. The Lord was her guide and she introduced Him to me early. We both prayed for my dad until he accepted God. She could sew beautiful dresses and anything else. My formals were all her doing and they could contend with any bought dresses. Until I went to college and started living in jeans and T-shirts my wardrobe was made by her. She still made my concert and banquet dresses. I know the angels in heaven are garbed a little better because my sweet mother is sewing their robes.
What a lovely sentiment, Connie! Your mother sounds like a regular Dorcas, sewing for those around her and ministering to them at the same time. What a lovely example. 🙂
A strong woman that I admire is a very good friend of mine. I met her at church. Her first husband died from cancer while her 5 children where still school age. Left alone she worked hard a various jobs to hold the family together. Her kids grew up to be fine citizens and all with strong family ties. She later married again to a carpenter who developed lung disease from breathing in too much sawdust. After a long and slow fight he too died and once again she was a widow. My friend did not give in to self pity either time. Today she enjoys her family and loves to babysit her great grand children. During her life she has been a beautician and a home care nurses aid and a police woman and a missionary. She is actively involved in our church. Serves on several committees and is the leader of the Missionary Union. She is a very strong Christian and very compassionate. A very special lady and a very strong person!!
What a remarkable woman, Shirley. I want to be like your friend when I grow up. 🙂 To lose two husbands and yet keep a positive outlook and servant heart, what a gift!
My daughter-in-law’s grandmother is an incredible lady. She lives in India and was widowed at a young age with five children ages 7-14 at home. She found a job at the school the kids went to so they could live on campus and the kids would have a good education. She has a strong faith and all of her children and grandchildren are Christian. I am so thankful for this legacy and how it has influenced my son’s wonderful wife!
I love that you shoes someone from your daughter-in-law’s family, Linda. What a fabulous example this woman is. To have all her children following the Lord is the best accomplishment a mother can have. I pray for that for my children every day.
I’ve been really impressed by a lady I go to church with; the more I find out about the trials in her life (her husband died recently, she had a son who died in a motorcycle accident, another who died as a child when he got into the cleaning supplies at the baby-sitter’s house, recently had a granddaughter go through a debilitating illness, etc.), the more I’m just amazed that she just keeps going. She finds projects to do and ways to keep busy and most of all, keeps her faith in God.
I’m amazed by people who endure such hardship yet stay strong in the Lord and keep a positive outlook. That is who I aspire to be like in my own life. Thanks for sharing, Adrienne.
My mother was a strong women. Determined to raise her children with the mind-set to get an education, and made sure they each had piano lessons despite farming during the Depression. She did whatever it took to have her family provided for.
What a wonderful story, Kathy. I love that she treasured music enough to ensure they not only had food but piano lessons. That’s my kind of woman! 🙂
I admire my grandmother – she just passed away at the age of 90. It was sad but also an amazing time to share family stories etc. My grandma raised 9 (!) kids on her own after my grandfather divorced her. She never re-married but was a wonderful mother, grandmother (22 grandkids) and great-grandmother (18 great grandkids). She had to learn to drive and find a job to support her family, she eventually took bowling, golf and quilting and through it all shared her faith and love with the family.
What a story of triumph, Tina! I love it. Just think of all the lives she touched just within her family, not to mention the hundreds more beyond. Fabulous legacy!
My Aunt Betty she never too no crap from anyone. She has been gone for 12 years now and I miss her everyday.
Thanks, Kim. We have to be tough sometimes to survive in this world. I’m glad your Aunt Betty set an example for you to stand up for yourself and for what is right. She reminds me a bit of my character Aunt Henry (Henrietta) in this latest book. Hope you get a chance to read it.
A strong woman, I am very blessed to say: My Mom. 🙂
Great choice, Megan!
I admire my grandma. She has Parkinson’s disease which makes it hard for her to walk and move around. She recently had breast cancer as well. Even in the face of so many problems, I have never once heard her complain about her problems. She always praises God. She is an inspiration to me.
That is wonderful, Alex. I wish I could say that I never complain, but even with my minor trials, I fall into that trap more often than I would like. I hope to be more like your grandma someday.
I find my self complaining a lot as well. I hope to be more like her too! 🙂
I admire my mom. She’s had a lot of hardship in her life but she kept on going.
Sometimes it takes the most strength just to endure. Thanks, Kim!
First would be my mother who grew up during the Great Depression, was one of only two of her six siblings who finished high school, and always impressed upon us the importance of family and education.
Second is my sister who became a single mom when her son was only eight, raised him with no help from his father, and saw him graduate from college debt free two years ago and start his teaching career.
Third is my daughter who moved across country at the age of 23 after not being able to find work in her chosen career of human resources here in our home town on the east coast. Far from family, she has become a respected leader in her field, and a wonderful wife and mother.
So proud of all three of these special women in my life. Thanks for the giveaway. I would love to read this book!
Wonderful examples, Betty. 🙂 Oh, and you might be interested to know that one of the ladies of Harper’s Station (in the book) is named Betty. She runs the chicken farm and watches over the younger women in her care like a mother hen even while she totes a shotgun and runs things in the no-nonsense way her army husband taught her.
Definitely interested. Must read this book!
It’s my mom, of course! Letting her kids come and go as needed, through divorce and heartbreak, babysitting her grandbabies even through the debilitating pain of fibromyalgia… I just love her for her unconditional love and acceptance, her patience and compassion!
Great choice, Karen! My mother-in-law suffers with fibromyalgia, and I know how hard that can be. She’s a hero to me, too, always putting her family first.
A woman that I most admire for her strength is my Grandmother. She has the most faith of anyone I have ever met. She has truly been the greatest example of being firm in your faith. I know her life hasn’t been easy.l and she has faced many hardships, but through it all her faith always remains untouched. I only hope I can be half the woman she is someday!!
I love those faith anchors in our lives, Jordan. Thanks for sharing!
My mom is an amazingly strong woman. She’s had so many healthy problems and scares, but she keeps on praising God. She’s had a stroke, mini-strokes, surgery on her carotid artery, heart surgery, lung cancer, nose bleeds that last for hours, and more-all within the last 16 years. But she keeps going, and although, the stroke took a lot of her speech with it, she still manages to praise the Lord even with all she’s been through.
Amazing! I hate that she has gone through so much difficulty, but what a witness she is for the Lord through all of it. 🙂
Love your stories!
If I had to choose one strong woman in my life it would have to be my grandma. She’s currently in hospice care and yet she manages to be so concerned about everyone else yet and offered her prayers to me as I was going through some medical testing myself. She’s always been so strong her whole life and she’s truly an inspiration.
What a valuable example. I need to be more like that, myself. Thanks, Amanda!
My Gram was the strongest woman I know…and the smartest and most loving. I hope to achieve just a fraction of what she was to our family!
Grandmothers can be bedrocks, can’t they? I’m sure her lasting legacy will continue through you, Vicki. 🙂
My mom has been strong through so many hardships in her life. She has had to deal with a lot. It’s so sad for me to see her now at 81 and realize that her neuropathy has limited what she can do. Now I’m giving back to her after all the sacrifices she made over the years for my brother and me.
How beautiful, Gail. That is one blessing in watching our loved ones age, we have the chance to give back to them a fraction of what they have given to us.
I would have to choose my Mom, now deceased. She operated her own hair salon until age 87. Most of her customers were elderly, and if they could not pay for their “perms”, my Mom would say ok…pay me whenever. She picked up many of them for their appointments and took many of them to other places..i.e. doctors, etc. She was a dedicated Christian and active in her church until age 90. Dementia took over then, and she spent her last months (until dying at 92) in a nursing home.
Wow – still doing hair at 87. That’s amazing. What a lovely woman. She sounds like a wonderful Christian example.
I would have to say that my mom would top the list of strong women that I admire. She taught me what a gift it is to be a woman. Her strength was subtle, but is one of the things that I miss most now that she has passed on. I am looking forward to reading your latest book Karen – thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks for sharing, Loraine. 🙂
I would definitely have to choose my mom. She gave up everything to serve as a missionary with my dad overseas for 10+ years. She has suffered though the loss of my brother (he was 20 yrs. old when he died), and is now suffering with a rare neuro disease called CBGD (at the age of 66). She taught me that loving and serving God is the greatest thing you can do with your life. She also taught me what it meant to love the Word of God and make it a priority in my life.
What a tremendous legacy! I have so much respect for those who leave everything familiar to spread the good news. What an incredible woman, Amanda.
A woman that i admire is a good friend of mine….She works in the City Library and is the one that got me back into reading. She has raised her family and is now raising some of her grandchildren while their parents work. She is also helping to send one of her granddaughters to College. She has also helped me out when i needed help too. Even though we are not alike in a lot of ways we are just like sisters. This woman is also into so many things, i.e Church, clubs, helping with the city cemeteries, she also does so many things with the library such as reading clubs, helping out with a genealogy room, children’s reading. She is just an all around sweet lady, but she has her other side where she don’t take anything off anyone either I just really do admire the way that she is still going strong even after an almost three week stay in the hospital with heart trouble, she is still working and going strong. I just wish i had her stamina.
What a busy lady doing so many good things! Stamina is right. I could use some of that right now, too. Thanks, Barbara.
I consider my Grandma as a strong woman. She lived during the Great Depression and raised 4 kids (with several miscarriage in between). She was a farmers wife who prepared 3 full meals a day. She sowed for the public and loved roses(she grew them). However all these traits as awesome as they were was her faith and love of the Lord. She read through the entire Bible through at least 4 or 5 times. She passed both on work ethics and love for God to her children and grandchildren. I miss her so much but know I will see her again! Love you Grandma ❤️❤️
She sounds remarkable, Amy. Like a heroine who could be in one of my books. Such a hardworking, God-loving woman. Love it!
That would be my mom. After being in the TB hospital for 4 years and having 4 doctors give up on her, she had a healing. Married my dad at 28, had 5 children, survived 3 cancers and lived to 82. She was the mainstay of my family in many ways.
Wow! Talk about the will to survive and carry on. That’s amazing, Nancy. I know you must have learned a lot from her indomitable spirit.
A strong woman that I admire was my friend Marilynn. She was a good neighbor and her home was where everyone gathered. She took care of her mother in law for many years. I became a caregiver helping with Rosa. Marilynn continued to care for her even when she had colon cancer herself. A few years after Rosa passed away, Marilynn took care of her hubby who had COPD and then developed Oral cancer. Not long after he passed away she developed kidney cancer. She really didn’t complain or say why me. Just what do I do today Lord.
What an amazing, humble woman with a servant heart. Thank you so much for sharing, Jan.
I admire my Mamaw. She endured so much in her long life, and never lost her faith, love, or grace. <3
She sounds like a wonderful woman, Cheryl. Thanks!
Karen, your new book sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to read it! A strong woman I know, like so many others above, would have to be my mother. My father passed away in 1978 when I was 13. At a time when home hospice care was not the norm, especially in our rural county, Mom took care of him at home. Through that experience she discovered she had a passion for nursing. After he died, she took classes at the hospital and earned her CNA certificate. Mom hadn’t worked after she married and but took a job in the Long Term Care wing of our local hospital where she cared for her patients with an exceptional measure of mercy and compassion. I didn’t think about it then, being only 13, but that was really brave of her. There must have been so many nights she cried herself to sleep but I never heard her. So many days she worried how she would take care of me by herself, but I never knew it. Money must have been tight and while our life wasn’t extravagant, I don’t ever remember feeling like I had to do without. She taught me to put my hope and trust in God and to put one foot in front of the other and just keep moving forward.
That takes true courage and a heart for service. Your mom is a gem, Kelly. I’m glad to have learned a little about her. What an encouragement!
I would have to say that my daughter is a strong woman that I very much admire. She married a minister who started out pastoring small churches and she had to struggle financially and give up valuable family time for quite a few years. She raised 2 children (during these lean years) and served as a foster parent then since they were not going to have any more children she adopted 3 children from the foster care system and has raised them. You never hear her complain. I am very proud of her.
She sounds like an amazing woman, Stella. It takes a lot of humility and love to set aside our own wants and needs to bless the lives of others. I’m encouraged by her story!
My mother
Mom’s are definitely special, Tori. by the way, there is a character named Tori in this book. Short for Victoria. She gets her own novella coming this January. 🙂
My friend, Carol, has rheumatoid arthritis, cellulitis, diabetes and congestive heart failure and has suffered a stroke but she keeps going! She is determined to remain on her own and manages to take care of her apartment although in pain. I feel her determination is what has kept her alive this long.
What tremendous strength to endure and she does. Great example, Joan!
I admired my paternal Grandmother! She paid for my piano lessons & even gave me lessons for a year…She was my Sunday School Teacher when I was 10 & 11 & I learned about the importance of Christian Habits: Daily Prayer, Bible Reading, giving, testifying…She taught at a private Bible school, that she helped start, & taught until she was in her late 80s!
What an impact! She sounds like a wonderful Christian teacher. Perfect!
my mother…is the first one that comes to mind. she has been the one that has been my role model always.
Mom’s give us so much. They teach, train, nurture, and show us by example how we are to live. Great choice, Bobbi.
Like many others have said, I would say my mother. She is loved by all who know her, and I feel so blessed to be her daughter! After running a small business for 20 years she had finally ‘retired’ at the age of 70. I can only hope I am half as active and on the go as she is when I am that age.
Great standard to live up to, Patty. 🙂
A strong young lady I admire would be my daughter. She left for school and did very, very well the first semester. Came home from school for break. Went back for the second semester even though she did not really want to. We knew something was wrong but did not know what. She struggled each day going to school and doing her studying but still maintaining her 4.0 average. Finally, her body just quit on her and she could not walk around to go to class. We had to withdraw her from school. We brought her back home from Ohio to Texas where we live. It took us about 8 months or so for the doctors to finally diagnose her. Those months she struggled, went through a lot, I will not go into detail. She was a survivor holding on to her faith. Had it been me I would have given up. She decided just a couple of weeks ago that she would try to go back to school. From being in a fetal position to now. Wow! Praise the Lord. Yes, I am so proud of my daughter and admire her greatly for her faith and love for God.
What fortitude! My mother’s heart aches for what she must have gone through. My own daughter will be starting college this fall. It’s so hard to let them go, but it’s so encouraging to see them become the strong women God has designed them to be.
The strongest woman I admire is my mother. After the divorce, my mom had to raise three kids all by herself in a college town in New York. She was always tough and I never saw her cry. She put herself through Nursing school only to be turned down at every place she applied. She never gave up and settled for a barmaid where she met my step-father. Life was hard growing up in New York then moving to Ohio with what would fit in the back of my grandpa’s truck. Which included two kids and a cat in a birdcage. My little brother got to sit up front, the lucky bum. lol Nearing 77 years old she is still going strong even though her body is not helping matters. She is still clear of mind and determined to live to be 100 years old. Good luck mom. I love you.
Great testimony, Debbie. Thanks for sharing. Mothers who work tirelessly for their families are true heroes.
My grandmother who raised her four children by herself after her husband was killed at work is a wonderful testament to strength and love and selflessness. Her hands were also busy, her letters flew to every grandchild every week, she loved us unconditionally.
Now a grandmother myself, I aspire to her unfailing, ever steadfast love and faith. Now long gone, I remember her smile, her hugs, her joy in life itself and her wonderful gardening, growing gifts.
Well done with your writing Karen, I love your work and you are a woman of strength I admire. As an author myself, God has planted the urge to turn from children’s writing to Inspirational historical romance from an Australian perspective!
Hi, Lorraine. Your grandmother sounds like a wonderful example. I’m so glad you had her in your life. And I’m excited to hear about your move to Aussie inspirational historical romance. WooHoo! I wish you all the best and look forward to seeing your stories out there. 🙂
There is a woman at my church who was one of our church secretaries. She was diagnosed with ALS over a year ago, so no longer works in the church office. ALS has robbed her of her speech, but she still maintains our prayer chain and is known as a great prayer warrior. She communicates by typing on her phone or tablet.She is such a strong woman of God.
I’ve read all of Karen’s prior books and am very much looking forward to reading No Other Will Do. Thanks for showing us photos of inspiration for Malachi and Emma. I’d love to win this book!
What a strong woman, Pam. Just goes to show that there is always something we can do for God’s kingdom, no matter our limitations. Prayer warriors are mighty in power.
I would love to win!
Thanks for stopping by Charis. 🙂
I have known many strong women during my life. Right now it would be Chris. Chris has worked as a LPN in an orthopedic doctors office. For the past three years she has worked full time and gone to school full time to become a RN. For the past year her mother also spent her last days in hospice. Chris managed everything with finesse. Not bad for a woman in her mid fifties.
What a strong woman to work so hard to minister to others. Great example, Nancy.
My mama 🙂 During my growing up years, she raised me mostly alone due to my father’s intense travel schedule and then later a divorce. We scrapped by for years but she did everything with grace and love. Now she’s my best friend and an amazing grandmother to my boys!
What a blessing, Cary!
I have to go along with many others that said their moms. My mom was a East German refugee 2 times in her early life and as a result of the things she lived through and experienced she became a strong woman who was independent and very spiritual at the same time. She came to trust in God to keep her safe through the concentration camps, the times they fled and so forth. I’m happy to have her as my mother.
What a remarkable legacy she has handed down to you, Sunnie. Strength begets strength.
My mom! She braved moving to a different country (New Zealand) in 2001 and has loved it ever since! There have been many more examples but that one sticks out more to me, because I’m not sure I could start over like that 🙂
Thanks for the chance to win a copy of “No Other Will Do” , would love to see this gorgeous book on my shelf!
Thanks, Trixi! I am such a home body and resistant to change, I would find a move that that terrifying. But just as God called Abraham to a new land, he called your mother, and like the faithful servant she is, she answered the call. Good for her!
My grandmother Jenny Halliday was widowed in 1936, and left with three boys and an infant daughter to raise. Life had been hard enough with grandfather George trying to hold onto businesses and jobs when the economy was so terrible. Now with him dead of pneumonia in the middle of winter, she was devastated. She threw herself on the casket in despair. But she pulled herself together. Jenny went back to teaching and taught many children to read and love school. With the life insurance money, she bought a house on a large lot, one that had room for a garden, pigs, chickens and an orchard. She raised 4 wonderful people, two became teachers, one a dentist and another an accountant. She kept her family close, giving part of the large lot for two sons to build their houses next to hers. She took her children and grandchildren camping and hiking, had backyard picnics, played games, sang songs, told stories, knitted sweaters, quilted blankets, baked bread, bottled fruit, made soap, and always took her family to church every Sunday. She was the true Matriarch of our family until she passed at 97.
Jenny sounds like a remarkable woman, Susan. Thank you for sharing part of her story with us.
My mom is one of the strongest woman I know. She is very steadfast in her faith and even when things get worse before they get better, she always is encouraging and has a sweet disposition and spirit.
A true mark of a hero – carrying on with a smile even in the midst of the storm. Lovely!
My maternal grandmother. She was always teaching me about life through her actions. She was a hard worker & raised vegetables each year, canning lots of them for the winter meals. She grew beautiful flowers that brought joy to her & her family. She was a church going lady, who loved the Lord. She walked the 3 miles to services if she didn’t have a ride. I loved standing beside her on the wooden pews & singing the old hymns. I always felt her love surrounding me & still do though she’s been gone 25 years now!
She sounds wonderful, Janet. I love the old hymns, too, and just hearing you describe your church time with your grandmother made me incredibly nostalgic. Thanks for sharing!
We have our winners!
Congratulations to Diana and Sunnie. I’ll be contacting you ladies via email with instructions on claiming your prize.
Thank you to everyone who comments. Such wonderful inspiring women in all of our lives. I was deeply encouraged and challenged to be more like the ladies you described.
Blessings!
~Karen
This may sound odd but, a strong woman I admire would be a former greeter at Walmart. Her name is Aleli, she is 82 years old. She found me crying in the back of the store one day (when my husband was very ill and I was falling apart while waiting for prescriptions) a few years ago. She hugged me and told me God would catch my tears. Since then she has been a light every time I see her. She took care of her husband with Alzheimers until he had to have full-time nursing home care, then passed away. She always has a hug and a smile for me, she even gave me a birthday gift one year. Walmart did away with the greeters a few weeks ago, she’s trying to learn the jewelry department now. She doesn’t drive and doesn’t need to work but she told me, “God wants me to be busy, if I stay home I will shrivel like a cut flower.” She is a wonderful example of kindness. I wish there were more people like her.
I admire my grandmother. She was born into a family of 16 children in Switzerland. She wasn’t very old when her father died. The children had to leave school when they were 12 to work on the farm or find other jobs to help support the family. When she was about 15, she started getting terrible sores on the bones in her legs. They were extremely painful. She had a crippled leg from the effects of them. She also got them on her arms and neck. This was in the early 1900s, before antibiotics and it went on for several years. She and some of her sisters wanted to come to the United States. She was given a blessing of healing by the elders in her church, that she would be healed completely and wouldn’t have any trouble getting into the United States because of her health. She said she could actually feel herself being healed, and she never got another sore. She also had no trouble getting to the United States where she met my grandfather, also from Switzerland, and eventually married and had 4 children. She was an amazing woman.
The strong woman I admire is my precious 86 year old mama. She was the 10th child out of eleven and was placed in an orphanage at age five when her dad left. While there she was mistreated and her mom took her out at age 16 to work for her in her restaurant. At 17 she married my daddy and immediately started having four children. I’m the youngest and she had to stay in bed six months to carry me. She has suffered numerous illnesses including hemorrhage when I was ten, but she always has a smile and never complains. She will be married 70 years in March. I love her dearly.
Hands down the woman I admire most is my mom! She has endured more on this earth than anyone should and through it all, she has kept her eye’s on the Lord! She helps anyone in need and loves all! What a Blessing and a gift God has given, when he Blesses us with a Mother’s love & heart!
It would have to be my mom. She’s taught us so much throughout our lives. How to laugh, to cry, to have a good time. And that its alright to just be yourself. Don’t give into peer pressure. She’s always been there for us! Those are just a few reason why I admire my mom.
My mom! A strong woman in faith, hope, love, and generosity. ❤️
Question: When/where will the winner be announced?
My boyfriend’s mom has triumphed through a lot of adversity
My mother and aunts are the strongest women I know. They are spiritually and emotionally strong and have taught me the value of a relationship with Jesus.
The strongest woman I have ever known was my Grandmother Blair. She was the mother of 13, 11 of them lived to adulthood. She did this as a farmer’s wife raising the majority of her children during the depression. She was a woman of amazing faith, courage, wisdom and strength. I admired her honesty and her quest for knowledge even though she only had formal education to the 8th grade.