I couldn’t wait to tell Wayne everything I had discovered on this trip. I was ready to go home. Ready to face whatever came next.
Noelle tapped on the guest room door. “Summer Breeze?”
“Yes?”
“Wooden shoe like to come join us for dinner?” The lightness in her voice made it clear that she was impressed with her own play on words.
In my deepest, mellowest voice I replied, “Quite right.”
The Call Came at 4:15 on Thursday afternoon, five days after I had returned from the Netherlands.
“Normal” was the word the medical assistant used.
“Normal?”
“Yes, normal.”
I fumbled to ask the “why was it different last time” question instead of the “what’s next” question I had prepared myself to ask.
“Given your family medical history, it appears that your doctor wanted to have a closer look to be extra careful. He saw something in the mammogram and wanted to be sure everything was okay. Apparently you have dense breasts.”
I hung up and looked down at my chest. “Don’t listen to her. You two aren’t that dense. A bit droopy maybe, but all of us need a little more support as we get older.”
I dialed Wayne’s number at work and repeated the good news. He was choked up and told me four times how glad he was. Then he said he wanted to take me out to dinner. Chinese.
I realized that, for my husband, going out for Chinese food was similar to the Dutch going to eat pannenkoeken when they needed a place to gather their thoughts.
And Noelle was right about the Dutch word for pancakes. The more I repeated it to our kids while telling them about my adventure, the more fun it was to say.
After agreeing to meet Wayne at the Chinese restaurant in an hour, I sat down at the computer and typed the word Normal in the subject line of my e-mail to Noelle.
“Normal,” I said aloud again. “Normal.”
It amazed me how much life could happen between the words abnormal and normal. Those sixteen days of unfolding grace had changed my heart and my life.
I realized that, genetically, nothing had changed. Cancer could well be the vehicle that one day would take my earthly body on the inevitable float down the canal to eternity.
But not this day.
This day was for living. For fully living without giving way to fear.
Wayne and I dreamed big over our pot stickers and Kung Pao chicken. He told me he’d always wanted to go to Argentina since his grandmother was born there. Perhaps, he said, we could put away some money and travel there in a year or so.
I was all for it.
I woke the next morning at 3:15—Lingering jet lag, it seems, was one of the souvenirs I had brought home with me. After padding downstairs, just as I had done two weeks earlier when I was awaiting Noelle’s formal invitation to visit her, I sat in front of the computer’s glowing screen.
With a few clicks of the mouse, I waited for my e-mail file to open.
There it was. Noelle’s response to my “Normal” pronouncement from the previous afternoon. I tried to picture where she was at the moment, which sweater she was wearing, and whether she had a new bouquet of tulips adorning her dining room table.
The last line of her e-mail was the best. After offering her cheers for the diagnosis, she wrote, “Jelle and I have decided to take you up on your offer. We would like to come the first week of June to see you and your family for five days before flying on to Wyoming. We’re going to see my father.”
With happy tears filling my eyes, I typed back as quickly as I could. The subject line of my e-mail contained one simple, perfect, life-changing word: “Come!”
Reader’s Guide
Summer’s response to the news of an abnormal mammogram was to bake cookies and plan a trip to Holland. Have you ever received a scary medical report? If so, what was your response? If not, how do you imagine you would respond?
Summer and Noelle maintained a long-distance friendship for much of their lives. When the opportunity to meet in person presented itself, Summer realized there was so much she didn’t know about Noelle (such as her gait when she walks and whether or not she wears perfume). If you imagine your first meeting with God upon your arrival in heaven, which of His characteristics do you wonder about?
Upon meeting Noelle’s husband, Summer was mortified that she mispronounced his name. Sometimes we find ourselves in awkward situations due to cultural or language differences. Share a time when you felt embarrassed at your own cultural naiveté. What helped you through the uncomfortable feelings?
After a candlelit dinner with Noelle and Jelle, Summer felt honored by the leisurely time they had spent together. Think of a time when you felt honored by a friend or a family member. In what ways did that person show honor? What impact did that event have on your relationship?
In the tulip fields Summer felt like a child experiencing one of the simple wonders of the world for the first time. Describe an occasion when you paused to take in the beauty of God’s creation. What did you see or hear? What wonder did it stir in you?
As Summer awkwardly milked the cow at the dairy farm, Noelle admonished her with these words: “The next time you face something new that you think you don’t want to do, remember this moment, Summer. Remember this feeling. You can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you.” Describe a time when you had to rely on Christ to strengthen you in order to do something outside your comfort zone. How did you feel? What did you learn about yourself in the process?
Summer was perplexed at her own quick judgment when Noelle told her that Zahida was a Christian. Have you ever assumed something about another person only to learn that the opposite was true? Was fear or prejudice at the root of it? How might you respond today if you were to encounter a similar situation?
During their visit to Corrie ten Boom’s home, Summer mentioned having a “tender flash.” She described it as “one of those heartwarming moments when heaven suddenly seems real. What follows is an unexpected calm, accompanied by a feeling of anticipation, or maybe it would be more accurate to call it a longing for home, as in heaven.” What does the idea of a “tender flash” bring to mind for you? When have you felt a longing for heaven?
During their friendship, Noelle and Summer occasionally experienced long stretches—sometimes months—of silence. Yet they were good at picking up wherever they had left off and taking their friendship on from there. Share about a Sisterchick friendship of your own that maintains a strong bond even over time or distance. What are the ingredients that keep that relationship thriving?
As Summer and Noelle floated down the canal in the wooden-shoe boat, Summer’s out-of-character response was to laugh and to wave at the people along the water’s edge. Sometimes life presents circumstances that are beyond our control. Do you tend to get serious in such a situation, or do you allow yourself to “go with the flow,” so to speak? How might a little humor help you through something beyond your control?
At the museum in Amsterdam, Noelle and Summer realized that Noelle’s choice to move to Holland had changed the course of both of their lives. They agreed that they liked the way things had turned out. What is one choice you made in younger years that took you on a particular path? How would your life be different had you chosen a different option? In what ways can you see God’s hand in the direction you took?
Just as tulips reminded Summer and Noelle of God’s unfolding grace, their Sisterchick friendship unfolded into full bloom as each woman shared the deepest cares of her heart. With whom do you share your deepest cares? How does that person help you experience God’s unfolding grace?
Hello, dear Sisterchick!
One of my greatest delights in writing the Sisterchick novels has been the journeys I’ve taken around the world while researching the location of each book. (I know, what a writer’s dream!) If I could take you with me on these adventures, oh, what a time we would have! Since that’s not possible, I thought you might enjoy see
ing a few snapshots and hearing a few of the stories behind the story for Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes!
VISITING MY SOUL SISTERCHICK, ANNE
I met Anne at the Frankfurt International Book Fair fourteen years ago. (We look so young!) We found out both of us were novelists, and from there the similarities kept growing. Our fast-formed friendship has taken us many places around the world for speaking and writing opportunities. Anne has lived in the Netherlands for more than twenty-five years, so whenever we see each other, it’s because one or both of us have “jumped across the puddle.”
Robin and Anne in the early yean
VISITING ANNE IN HOLLAND
When I turned fifty, my wonderful husband gave me a heartfelt gift to celebrate the fact that it had been ten years since I’d had a series of surgeries, including one where a malignant growth was removed. His gift was a plane ticket to the Netherlands so I could visit Anne in her home. No writing or speaking events were planned for this visit. Just Sisterchick time. However, being an incurable storyteller, I confess that I came home with a little story in the back of my mind. It was a story about a couple of Sisterchicks in wooden shoes who didn’t let fear make all the decisions for them.
Anne in Delft as she showed me the market square
UPSTAIRS AT THE PANNENKOEKENHUIS IN DELFT
The pancake restaurant in Delft with Vermeer-like window
At lunchtime during our day in Delft, Anne and I found a restaurant that served the much-advertised pannenkoeken. When I went upstairs to use the rest room, my experience was very close to what Summer experienced in the story. The window resembled the windows that appeared in Vermeer’s paintings, and the view seemed as if it hadn’t changed in hundreds of years. I grabbed the vase of tulips that adorned a corner table at the top of the stairs and grinned broadly for the shot. We found out later that Vermeer’s original house had been torn down years ago, but it had been located very close to the house that had been turned into a restaurant. With their being so similar, it was easy to imagine Vermeer sitting in such light by such a window while painting The Girl with the Pearl Earring.
ANTIQUE STORE
I loved this little antique and curiosity shop. I bought two genuine Delft tiles here: one for my mom and one for my sister. Did you notice the wooden shoes in the right bottom corner? Yellow even. More than once I have regretted not buying a pair of authentic wooden shoes while I was there. Why? I don’t know. Just because. That’s why Noelle had to persuade Summer to pick out a pair of wooden shoes.
Antique shop in Delft
WOODEN SHOE LIKE TO GO FOR A RIDE?
The characters in the Sisterchicks novels have chances to do the things I only wish I’d done when I was visiting the countries featured in each book. Such as float down a canal in Amsterdam in a wooden-shoe boat. I floated in a traditional tour boat, but when I saw this little honey of a boat, I thought, Now that would be the way to go! My imagination took it from there.
The yellow wooden-shoe boat in Amsterdam
THE NEW CHURCH IN DELFT (1358!)
In the same way that Summer was stunned when she entered the New Church in Delft and found it to be stark, I was surprised when Anne took me there. Such grandeur on the outside but so stripped down and solemn on the inside. I missed the softness that art and beauty bring to an environment. At the same time, the lack of lots of décor allowed for a simple, clarifying time of reflection, which is what happened with Noelle in the story.
Delft church
STOP AND SMELL THE TULIPS!
Its all about the tulips! Even though I’ve visited the Netherlands on several occasions, I’ve not yet visited at the height of tulip season. However, my original Sisterchick, Donna, and I found a field alive with blooming glories a short drive south of where we live near Portland, Oregon. Oh, the bliss of bobbing along in a field of such beauty!
Me, taking time to tickle the tulips in Oregon
LITTLE DUTCH GIRL
Yes, this is about as silly as any author would want to appear while in the midst of all-important research for a book. I needed to get in touch with my inner Dutch woman. Every time I look at this picture, it makes me laugh. Maybe it will bring a giggle to you as well.
Me as a little Dutch girl
A FEW TIPS ON SOME REAL DUTCH TREATS
Getting around: Since the Netherlands is a small country and the rail system is wonderfully efficient, you’ll have no trouble seeing the countryside from the train window. As a bonus, you won’t have to hunt for parking when you arrive at your destination. However, for getting around in any of the larger cities, bikes really are the way to go. And go, and go, and go.
Tulip season: For half a century several amazing gardens, such as the Keukenhof, have been showing off their tulips each spring to visitors from all over the world. The Web site http://us.holland.com gives all the details on where to go and when.
Dutch chocolate: There really is a difference. Dutch chocolate is less acidic and has a milder flavor. I think it has a natural creaminess that allows the sipping chocolate to take its sweet time sliding down the throat. The Dutch chocolate maker who developed this process also created a method for removing fat from cacao beans. Therefore, I like to pretend that Dutch chocolate has no fat. Would you like to pretend with me?
The Hiding Place: When I was in college, I had the delight of meeting Tante Corrie and hearing her speak a number of times. Even if you don’t have the privilege of visiting the Netherlands, I hope you’ll visit www.corrietenboom.com or gather your family and watch the movie The Hiding Place. I can’t wait to see Corrie again in heaven!
Please come visit my Web site and sign up to receive the Robin’s Nest newsletter. I’d love to keep in touch and update you on new releases as well as let you know about drawings for free books and book signings in your area.
www.robingunn.com
www.sisterchicks.com
SISTERCHICKS IN WOODEN SHOES!
PUBLISHED BY MULTNOMAH BOOKS
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Scripture quotations and paraphrases are taken from the following: The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. The Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
eISBN: 978-1-60142-239-2
Copyright © 2009 by Robin’s Nest Productions Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of The Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.
MULTNOMAH is a trademark of Multnomah Books and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The colophon is a trademark of Multnomah Books.
SISTERCHICKS® is a trademark of Robin’s Nest Productions.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gunn, Robin Jones, 1955–
Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes! : a novel / Robin Jones Gunn.
p. cm.
1. Women travelers—Fiction. 2. Female friendship—Fiction. 3. Americans—Netherlands—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3557.U4866S565 2009
813’.54—dc22
2008049403
v3.0
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Other Books By This Author
Dedication
Prologue
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Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
Reader’s Guide
Bonus Material for Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes!
Copyright
Robin Jones Gunn, Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes!
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