Four Little Blessings
Shrieks of childish laughter pierced the air, and Wade Dalton frowned. So much for the peace and quiet he'd been expecting on Florida's Amelia Island. He surveyed the expanse of sand dunes swaying with sea oats. Too tired to get up from his lounge chair and check out the source of the laughter, he leaned back on the cushion and closed his eyes. The late-morning sun, warming his face, reminded him that he should be glad he was alive.After the battles of the past year, a little unplanned noise shouldn't bother him. God must have a purpose for his life.
As he took a deep breath and let the salt air fill his lungs, something hit him on the head. He opened his eyes and jumped up from the chair. A red, white and blue beach ball rolled across the gray tile patio. Adjusting his glasses, he bent over to retrieve the ball. When he straightened, three cherubic faces came into view. Eyes wide, three children were cowering behind the Indian hawthorn bushes growing next to the stucco wall that separated his patio from the town house next door.
Holding the ball under one arm, he approached the children, who wore shorts and T-shirts. They stood stair-step fashion from short ... read full excerpt from Four Little Blessings ebook