Cupcakes and Vodka Book Blog: Finding Strength by Shevawn Michelle

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Finding Strength by Shevawn Michelle

Finding Strength

Shevawn Michelle

October 15, 2015

Genre: Contemporary Romance

***TISSUE WARNING***

What Some Early Reviewers Have Said ~

This is one of the most emotional stories that I have read in a very long time. 10 stars and about the same in boxes of tissues. ~ Renee

You best have tissues!! and not just a few or even a half of a box, you will need a fresh supply, because Ms. Michelle holds onto you and keeps you in touch with your emotional side & does not let you go until the long after the last sentence. ~ Maari

My life has never been easy, per se. Sure, I have had some happy times, but more times than not, it seems life was out to get me. To take me down paths no one should ever have to face. From the time I was twenty-nine, life took a turn for the worse and all I wanted was to get off of the ride. I have gone from being on the highest mountain, to being in the deepest, darkest abyss. A place I wish on no one.

If there is one thing I have learned, it’s that life isn’t always fair. It’s what we choose to do with the hand that we have been dealt. How we learn to overcome or not, to move forward or to stay behind. One thing I know for sure, we must learn to overcome, survive, and to live and love. We must find our inner strength and grab onto it, no matter what form it comes in.
But I have also learned, that even then, sometimes it’s just not enough. And no one knows that better than I do. My name is Anna, and this is my story.

Walking into Santana’s, a mom and pop home-style cooking joint, I scan the dining area for Jacob. I find him sitting at a table near the back of the restaurant, and walk over to join him.

“Hey Jacob,” I say, pulling out the chair and sitting down.

“Hey. I ordered your drink already,” he says, and he gives me a smile that would make any woman stop breathing and beg him to be theirs. I can’t help but return the smile. The guilt I feel from just that alone is enough to make my smile fall and tears burn the back of my eyes.

“Anna, don’t do that. It’s okay to smile,” he says.

“How can you say that, Jacob? Do you know how hard it is to go on as if she never existed? Smiling hurts, knowing she will never smile again. Why should I be allowed to when she can’t?” I ask, the tears now threatening to spill over. Jacob reaches across the table, taking my hand in his. The warmth from his grasp is working its way up my hand, as if searching for a way to my heart.

“You don’t go on as if she never existed, Anna, because she did, she still does. She can still smile, I believe that, but she can’t do that if you won’t live your life to the fullest. What you are doing right now, it’s not good for you. It’s not good for her. You are never going to forget her. She lives on in you, but the only way for that to happen, is for you to actually live. If you give up, then Lindsey’s memory will fade away. Don’t let her memory die, too.” I can no longer hold the tears at bay and they spill over onto my cheeks.

“Live for her, Anna. Live for you.” His gaze turns pleading, his eyes burning into mine, searching my soul. “Live for me.”

Looking into his baby blue eyes, I know that he has just picked up the first piece of my shattered heart and put it back into place.