Finding Home In the Circle of His Arms

By: Judith Victoria Hensley

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Recently divorced Joanna Brown is a young woman with a three year old son. Standing at the crossroads of life, she tries to make the right decisions as a single mother. Going home to her parents in Pine Ridge, Virginia exposes her to small town gossip and matchmaking efforts by a high school friend. Joanna applies for teaching jobs in surrounding communities without success When she is unexpectedly offered a job she hadn't applied for as a women's residence hall director at Highlands College she decides to accept. Love is on the bottom of her list of priorities. When an assistant basketball coach befriends her young son, Joanna regards him only as a coach and fails to recognize the attachment that is forming between Nathaniel, the coach, and herself. When her year long agreement is complete, Joanna applies again for a position closer to home and doors open. She is shocked to discover from one of Dewayne's childhood friends that he has enlisted and has left for basic training without teling her. Affection for Dewayne remains neutral until one of her friends points out that she may never see him again. Still wounded and confused from her failed marriage, Joanna is not sure if she still believes in the "forever" kind of love her parents share, but she continues her friendship with Dewayne. When his letters and all form of contact cease, Joanna knows something is wrong. She finally discovers that he has been critically wounded while on a special mission in Iraq and is in the hospital in Germany. Through Dewayne's faith and incredible courage, she learns that forgiveness is the key to being free of the past. She also discovers that love is a choice that two imperfect people make and spend their lives working together to make their own "happy ever after."