Reinventing Leona

By Lynne Gentry

Description:

Leona Harper loves being a pastor's wife. Her impressive resume touts thirty years of coaxing hot water from rusty parsonage plumbing, planning church potlucks, and standing beside her husband while members take potshots at his sermons. Except for the little tiff with her grown children, Leona feels her life is right on track with the wishes of the Almighty...until her husband drops dead in the pulpit.
When the church board decides to fill the Reverend's vacated position Leona is forced to find a paying job, mend her fractured family, and tackle her fears. With life spiraling out of control, Leona might find the church members antics comical if she weren't so completely panicked. Can the faith of an overwhelmed widow withstand the added heartache of two resentful children and several underhanded church members? If Leona can't trust God, how will she learn to trust herself?

Book Takeaway:

This story has a special appeal and familiarity to those active in church ministry, but it also crosses those limited lines and speaks to anyone forced to examine their lives, face their worst fears, and start over.
There is a growing trend in the 37 million women between the ages of 40 and 70. Whether single or married, these women are determined to bring meaning to this thrilling life stage. They consider their second adulthood a chance to passionately reinvent the rest of their lives.

Awards:

Why the author wrote this book:

I watched three of my older friends lose their husbands. Two of them regrouped, rebuilt, and reinvented their lives. One shriveled up and died in a nursing home. Observing their experiences made me ask, what would I do if tragedy struck me? Do I have the spiritual chops to pick myself up and start over? Could I trust God to lead me through a dark valley?