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The Prayer, a Love Story
by Jacqueline von Zwehl
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you Believe
in Miracles?
Do you Believe
in Eternal Love?
Do you Believe
in Answered Prayers?
YOU WILL
The Prayer, A
Love Story is the inspirational true story of one woman who discovers the
secret to living a life filled with miracles, unconditional love and answered
prayers.
The journey
begins with a divine promise, continues with unforeseen life challenges, and
eventually leads to Jerusalem. Inside the Old City, a prayer will unlock the
key to a life of miracles. This journey is proof heaven is real and its gifts
are available to you now. Whether you have stopped believing in God or not, God
believes in you.
The journey
holds a promise for everyone. No matter how much darkness exists in your life,
it cannot diminish the flicker of even the tiniest light. That light will lead
you to your destiny and it will change your life forever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Destiny
As
soon as I got in the car, I almost changed my mind. I was exhausted. It had
been a long week and, quite frankly, I was not in the mood for a party. Still,
I had to go. I’d just say hello to Todd and leave early, I decided. I fumbled
around in the dim light, looking for the directions. I had gone to Fort
Lauderdale only a handful of times, and I still wasn’t sure how to get
downtown.
Todd
and I had known each other for years. He was the friend from Long Island who
had organized the dismal raft-up that made me decide to leave New York. He was
one of the most sociable and fun people you’d ever meet. Once you get on his
email list, you’re a friend for life. That’s how he is. Todd was one of the
last people I said goodbye to when I moved to Boca.
The
previous Tuesday night, he had called. In his classic, larger-than-life style,
he said he knew a guy who had a house in
Fort Lauderdale, and he and a big group of friends from Long Island were flying
down to stay there for the upcoming boat show. They were throwing a huge party
on Saturday night, and I just had to be there.
I
was not in the mood even early in the week. I was working long hours at the
time, and I was men- tally drained. I also didn’t look forward to partying with
a bunch of single guys from Long Island. If it had been anyone else but Todd, I
would have politely declined, but we hadn’t seen each other in over a year and
a half.
Reluctantly,
I accepted, but I added one little white lie. I told Todd I had a boyfriend.
The last thing I want- ed was for any guy at this party to think I was single.
I did not want to get hit on by any out-of-state guys on vacation. I’d just
make a quick appearance and get home early, I told myself.
I
pulled up to the house a little after dark. It was a spectacular, newly
constructed mansion on the inter- coastal in the Las Olas Isles of
Fort Lauderdale. The home was
impressive and stately, surrounded by stunning landscaping tall palm trees and
a gated entrance. Although the house was huge, it looked quite warm and
inviting, as well.
Suddenly,
something odd hit me. There didn’t seem to be a party. In fact, hardly any cars
were parked on the street. I double checked the address and checked the number
on the gate.Yes, it was the right house.Was I too early?
Flashbacks
of the cancelled raft-up went through my mind. The last time I got an
invitation from Todd for a supposedly
huge event, it turned out to be a small disaster. I swore that if Todd had
invited me to this house and there was no party, he was going to owe me big
time.
As
I started toward the gate, my doubts took over. What was I doing there? I
couldn’t hear any music. I considered turning around and getting back in my
car, but just then, someone on a Harley parked next to my car. He spotted me
right away and made his way towards me. I thought I would look foolish if I
turned around and got back in my car.
The
tall man from the Harley approached.“Hi, I’m Joe.”
“Hi,
Joe, I’m Jackie.”
“Hey,
Jackie. So, how do you know Chris?”
“I
don’t know Chris. My friend Todd invited me.” “Oh. I have no idea who Todd is.”
I
was starting to feel a bit awkward, but there was no turning back by then, so
Joe and I walked in togeth- er. From a grand center hall foyer, we stepped down
into a sunken living room accented by a vaulted ceiling and twenty-foot
floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
The
first thing I noticed was the angel above the fireplace. It was a stunning,
hand-carved, six-foot- tall wooden angel with a four-foot wingspan. I stood
there staring at it, mesmerized. He was
beautiful. For a moment, I completely forgot where I was or how I got
there.
I
began to notice my surroundings. This was not the house of a bachelor, as I had
assumed. It was defi- nitely a family home. Family photos were everywhere, adults
and children covering every wall and counter. In the foyer, an ornate antique
Bible and a pile of rosaries graced a coffee table. Crosses and religious
pictures adorned every wall. I could see that this home had been decorated by a
mother, a woman of faith. It was a gracious and welcoming home.
The
moment we walked in, Joe had left my side and slipped through the sliding glass
doors leading to the back deck. Obviously, he’d been there before and knew the
house well. I’m not sure how long I stood there, taking in my surroundings.
I
quickly realized there was, in fact, no party. I was standing in a stranger’s
home, completely alone. No crowds, no music, and definitely no
party. Once again, I contemplated discreetly leaving. Then I heard a voice that
seemed to be addressing me.
“Hey,
there. I’m Carlos. How do you know Chris?” I followed the voice and walked
through a break-fast room to get within view of whoever was talking to me. The
voice had come from the kitchen. A casually dressed guy was seated at the
island, enjoying his din- ner, and I guess he had noticed me standing by myself
in the living room. I probably looked ridiculous just standing there, staring
at the angel.
“Hi,
Carlos. I’m Jackie. I don’t know Chris. I was invited by my friend Todd.”
“Who
the hell is Todd?” Carlos blurted out.
At
that point, I definitely felt like I had just crashed someone’s home. What was
I doing there? Nothing about this made any sense. Why had Todd invited me to
that house? Why had he told me there would be a
party there that
night? Why didn’t anyone
there know who he was?
I
needed to leave, and by then I didn’t care whether anyone saw me walk out the
front door with no explanation. However, as I made my way back through the
breakfast room and across the living room, I was intercepted.
A
dark-haired man in blue swim trunks barreled through the sliding glass doors
into the living room. He didn’t have a shirt on, just a towel wrapped around
his shoulders. He was soaking wet, obviously just out of the pool. Oh my
goodness, but he was cute! He was also half-naked and smiling at me—and that
smile was melting me.
Full
of excitement and exuberance, he put his hand out to shake mine and
announced,“Hi, I’m Chris.”
How to Balancing Life and Writing
Have you ever seen an ancient balancing scale? During my travels I've had the opportunity to visit an old market square in Barcelona. There were many street vendors selling their wares, food items, and peddling all kinds of goods to the eager tourists. One vendor in particular caught my attention. He was selling spices and the gorgeous display of spice pyramids in his little tent were way too tempting to walk past.
After a fun discourse and a short lesson on spices I finally decided on a few to purchase. The vendor took out an ancient scale to measure my spices. I noticed a few blocks on one side of the scale which were not on the other side. I politely asked the vendor what those blocks were and he responded with a very earthy and hearty laugh. "My dear, this scale is over a hundred years old. It belonged to my father and it's what you would call an antique. Those blocks are how vendors used to 'cheat' on the weight of items to make more money. Of course, I would not cheat you and I've calibrated it to the correct weight."
I enjoyed my lesson and finished making my purpose. However, it did get me to thinking. Is balance an illusion? The balancing scale used to measure items can easily be manipulated. For the scale to balance both sides it has to be "perfect" in equal weight on each side. For all of us, it seems to me balance isn't real. Life will never be perfect with ideal balance. Some days are easy and some are beyond messy. If we wait for this illusion of balance to begin living life and work we'll be waiting forever. The key is to just work and live life to best you can each day. The illusion of balance is there to keep you from focusing on what needs to get done each day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jacqueline von Zwehl, is a faith
based relationship expert. She holds a BFA from New York University and a MBA
from Pennsylvania State University. Jacqueline travels the country as a
motivational speaker encouraging singles on the path to finding their soul
mates. She has appeared on Nite Line, The Harvest Show, EWTN, TCT TV, Victory
TV, CatholicTV, Telecare, Changing Lives, CatholicLife, That's the Spirit, The
Church, The Cardinal and You, NPR, and more. Jacqueline lives in Fort
Lauderdale, FL with her husband Christopher, their two daughters and dog. The
Prayer, A Love Story is her debut book.
Read Jacqueline's Blog at
www.jackievonzwehl.com
Become a Fan:
www.facebook.com/JackieVonZwehl
Follow:
www.twitter.com/JackieVonZwehl
Author
Profile:www.goodreads.com/jackievonzwehl
Amazon Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Love-Story-Jacqueline-Zwehl/dp/1939819008/ref=la_B00DY9W62Y_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383163807&sr=1-1
Amazon Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Love-Story-Unconditional-ebook/dp/B00G8QTDKI/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383164024&sr=1-3&keywords=the+prayer+a+love+story
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