Bøker av Wendy Jo Cerna

The muggy silence that hung outside my bedroom window that August night in 1982 was pierced by the telephone ringing. A baby call. My mother was a baby-catcher (a mid-wife) and whenever the call came, she went. Too young to stay at home by myself, I went with her although I wanted nothing to do with the business of labor and delivery. I planned to draw or sleep as Mother worked. But on that night, as storm clouds burst overhead knocking power out for miles around, nothing went as planned. "Pearl, I need you. Now," Mother called me to the birthing bedside where she carefully placed a tiny baby in my arms. "Wrap him nice and tight and hold him," she said urgently. "But Mother," I protested, "he's not...I can't...""Pray Pearl. Just pray," was all she said.I settled into a chair and stared into his perfect little face. I was captivated. The storm outside and the room around me faded away. All of a sudden, I felt myself falling, tilting, slipping sideways. Unable to stop, my only thought was, "Hold on to the baby. Hold on..." What happens next is astonishing. Pearl's journey into the heavenly realm and back again not only transforms her life but that of her family, her friends and her entire town. As you read this incredible tale, you will discover the beautiful consequences of getting a glimpse into eternity. And maybe, just maybe, your life will be transformed as well as you discover The Baby-Catcher Gate.

"Happy birthday dear Mom- Grammy, Tora, Auntie, Happy birthday to you!" The people that fill my screen - each in their own little box - sing and smile once more before disappearing, one by one. Blowing them kisses I say, "Thank you all. I love you!" As I reflect on this sixty-fifth birthday of mine, filled with the forced distances of our pandemic era, the phone rings, jarring me back into the moment. "Hello Billy," I say. "Hey, Tor." My cousin's tone is serious. His words clipped."What's going on? Everyone okay?" I ask."Yes, we're fine but... well, I was just driving by your Uncle Einar's place... I hate to tell you this, Tora, but somebody broke in. The sheriff is coming out in the morning. It's quite a mess in there. Looks like every drawer and cupboard was emptied out."Uncle Einar's home stands empty much of the year, and is the original family homestead my grandparents built in Solbakken, Minnesota, in the early 1900's after immigrating from Norway. "What? Are you kidding? Who would do that?" I spout. "You need me to come up there?" A house. A mess. A mystery. Amongst the scattered papers and photographs, intriguing questions lay unanswered in the Anderson family lineage, hidden for decades. When a stash of ancient coins is found, and a gifted stranger moves in next door, windows are opened to incredible possibilities that transcend imagination and transport Tora throughout her family's generations.