Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

Lori chose this book and hosted the meeting at the Mt. Gretna Inn.

Sandra Dallas lives in Denver, CO, and is writing her tenth book.

The themes of the book were forgiveness and survival in the hardest of times and conditions, and the lesson that life goes on and continues through love. We learn that forgiveness takes time and sometimes a great deal of time. Hennie (Ila Mae) needed many years and miles to finally forgive Abram for his part in the deaths of her husband and daughter. Hennie taught Nit how to forgive and not blame herself for the death of her child. The people of the town learned to overlook each other's flaws. Everyone had a story and each included highs and lows. Acceptance of everyone was reflected everywhere in the town.

The people of the town were survivalists. The climate, job opportunities, and poor economics of the day were huge obstacles for the folks who lived in Middle Swan. Through their hard work and friendships, they not only survived but thrived in the mining town. The quilting club gave the women a social group much like our book clubs, play groups, and Welcome Wagons of today.

Many members loved the stories that Hennie shared with Nit about the townspeople and some tired of them. Finding out about the town minister was a surprise to everyone!

Author's website: http://sandradallas.com/

Additional notes: We had a delightful weekend at the Mt. Gretna Inn to celebrate our first five years. The weather was perfect for a hike, and the Inn was beautiful and just the right place to honor our club. The matching game brought back many themes of the books we've read and the timeline was a fun way to remember the past five years. Frank and Harry were very accommodating. Dinner at the Blue Bird Inn was great too. Here's to many more years together as The Lit-Wits!