Turtle Box Memories

By Chandra Lynn Smith

Description:

Kendra Michaels never expected to be widowed at forty-seven—but neither did she expect going into it that twenty-six years of marriage would be so difficult and lonely. Longing for a restart, she returns to her family’s Victorian home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a restart.
Her twin daughters, newly graduated from college, spend the summer helping her settle in. When they discover carved wood box filled with trinkets in their father’s effects, Kendra finds herself knee-deep in memories of love lost and hope deferred.

Turtle Box Memories is a sweet love story inspired by a heart-shaped rock, a shelf of trinkets and the stories behind them, the author’s love of Topsail, North Carolina, sea turtle watches, and lazy beach days. Chandra Smith takes her to the beach for a summer exploring memories, heart healing, and second chances to make better choices.

Book Takeaway:

The past can no longer cause hurt. Yet, the past shapes our present and daily we must choose how to live so our present leads to a better future.

Awards:

Why the author wrote this book:

Years ago, when my third son Eric was in elementary school he came in from the bus and gave a rock he found on the driveway. He told me God put it there because it was a heart. Truly the rock looks like a heart and is almost the size of one! Eric told med he wanted me to keep it because he loved me. This rock has sat on my desk or windowsill ever since! That would be around 20 years!One day as I was avoiding the tasks before me, I picked up the rock and remembered the day Eric gave it to me. Then I looked at my shelves beside my desk and all of the trinkets there. Each one has a story, a reason it sits on my shelf. Thus the initial inspiration for Turtle Box Memories. While the stories are a product of God creating WITH me, most of the items in Kendra's Turtle Box are actual items on my shelves.