Patchwork Family (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781522824947)

My story could be told by thousands of others who have come from broken homes. Everything went topsy-turvy for me when I found my mother crying in the kitchen. The phone receiver was dangling from the wall and my mother was shaking her head from side to side, as deep sobs wracked her body. My father had just called and told her he wanted a divorce. By the time my mother married my second step-father, I was well on the road to destruction. I secretly married at fifteen and shortly afterwards my husband was transferred overseas. When my step-father discovered what I had done, he promptly kicked me out of the house; saying if I was old enough to be married I was old enough to be on my own. While my husband was overseas I led a double life. On one hand I kept writing to him and acting like the faithful wife, but in reality I was living with a man who, unbeknownst to me, was out committing robberies to support our lifestyle. During this time, my step-mother and father had become Christians. They were fervently praying that God would touch me and save me. I'm so happy to tell you their prayers were answered. I would love to report that everything was perfect after I gave my heart to Christ, but such was not the case. After sixteen years of marriage, my husband left me for another woman. In 1972 God brought a wonderful, godly man into my life. He has encouraged me to become the woman God designed me to be. My husband Charlie designed our wedding bands. Within a molded triangle are two initials - J.C. This stands for Jerri and Charlie united in Jesus Christ. In 1979 I became a real estate agent--retiring 28 years later--it was a good fit for me. Well, what this is really all about is how God took me and my three children and Charlie and his 5 kids and decided to take all these different patches and make Himself a beautiful quilt--with all the imperfections neatly sowed together forming a beautiful quilt! We even picked up one more kid along the way--Alan. I recently wrote GONE FISHIN' about winning souls to Jesus - but raising a patchwork family is the greatest challenge I could have ever faced--thanks to Jesus and my beloved Charlie, it all came together. There are many so-called accomplishments along the way--but the greatest is by God's grace keeping home and hearth together in love. The story is still being written; and, yes, the circle has been broken but the quilt is still beautiful, as you will see.