Product Description

For eighteen years, Karen and Johnny Clark have been blessed with an enviable lifestyle, three bright children and the "perfect" marriage. But over the years, their idyllic relationship has slowly begun to unravel. And when Karen experiences a serious illness, the distance between them only widens. Now the passion they once shared seems like a memory, while Johnny's weakness for other women is pushing them to the brink of divorce.

A woman of faith, Karen turns to the church for answers and finds her beliefs tested in ways they've never been before. One thing she does know, no matter what it takes, she must start a new life, with or without Johnny. She just doesn't know where to start, or how to get her confidence back.

But everything changes when Karen suffers a relapse and finds herself walking the thin line between life and death. As she struggles to regain her health and belief in God's abiding love, Johnny must come to grips with his weaknesses and fears -- if he's to truly appreciate the love of a good woman . . .and to discover what being a real man is all about.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1438109 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
"Patricia Haley has written a unique work of Christian fiction that should not be missed." -- Rawsistaz Reviewers

About the Author
PATRICIA HALEY is the award-winning, Essence bestselling author of Nobody's Perfect, Blind Faith, Still Waters, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, and No Regrets. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Chicago.  She lives is in Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"Home sweet home" was her unspoken motto, and Karen took pride in creating a happy haven for her family at any cost. She steadied herself against the mahogany fireplace mantel lined with family photos. Smiling faces captured at graduations, birthday parties, proms, and other special moments created a storybook picture.Among the memories was also a dusty Bible that had been received as a wedding gift eighteen years ago and a few other favorite trinkets collected from countless vacations including the annual trip to Martha's Vineyard. The Clarks had worked hard to get a slice of the American dream. One glance around the room showed that their efforts were paying off.

Head tilted down and eyes closed, she started from the center of her forehead and repeatedly spread her thumb and index finger forcefully slow across her brow like a butterfly struggling to stay in flight. "Oh, God. Please help me."

Feeling a moment of relief, she meandered to the window, which was squeaky clean as far up as a step-ladder-assisted arm could reach. Beyond the beds of spring tulips, Karen could see their collie running around and around the sprawling well-manicured backyard. Going in circles wasn't a question of if, only a matter of when. She envied that the only dilemma their dog had was whether to chase his tail now or later. She stared into the evening wondering where the week had gone and what time her husband would be getting home.

"Mom, Dr. Costas is on the phone!"

Karen heard the teen yelling from upstairs. It was occasions like this when she regretted forgoing the intercom package eight years ago when they had the home built. She made her way back across the family room to take the call. She slipped into her favorite chaise longue and picked up the phone that was resting on the marble end table. She didn't bother to return the scream with a thank you. "I got it, Chelle-baby. You can put the phone down now. Thank you."

"Hi, Karen. Dr. Costas here. I got a message that you called. What's going on?"

"I've had a throbbing headache for the past few days. Nothing major."

"Hmmm."

"I didn't want to take any kind of medication without checking with you first."

"That's good. Under normal conditions, it would be fine, but we've come a long ways. It's been a tough fight and we don't want any setbacks in your remission."

"I know."

"Do you have any nausea or any problems with your bowels?"

"No. No fever, no fatigue, no chills either."

Karen knew the routine list of questions that Dr. Costas asked whenever there was potential trouble brewing. Each time Karen got sick, she didn't find it any easier. She wanted to be brave in facing her health challenges, but found herself more often afraid. She couldn't decide which was worse, knowing or not knowing.

"Good. There doesn't seem to be any need for alarm. Why don't you take a simple over-the-counter pain reliever, something like Extra Strength Tylenol? Let's try that first. If the headache persists, give me another call in a few days, and we'll get you in for a look. Karen, it's also going to be important that you keep your stress level down. Remember pressure really seems to take a toll on you and we don't want to wear your immune system down. So, take some time to relax over the weekend. That's the best medicine I can prescribe for you right now. Okay?"

"That's fine. Thanks, doctor."

The phone rang as Karen put it down. Caught off guard by the incoming call, she put the phone up to her ear to see who was on the line.

"Hey, Karen." A deep, authoritative voice greeted her.

"Oh, Johnny, it's you."

"Why? Were you expecting somebody else?"

Karen knew he wasn't really looking for an answer. She kept quiet.

"What a way to answer the phone. You answer it like one of the kids."

Early in his career he'd spent seven years as a production line supervisor before getting promoted to senior management. Barking out orders at work carried over into his personal life. Karen heard Johnny loud and clear, internalized his comment, and opted to say nothing in her own defense. His personality didn't accommodate timidity or shortcomings in others.

"I just got off the phone with Dr. Costas. She told me to take some Tylenol for my headache."

"Tylenol! That's it? See you should have taken the pain pills like I suggested a few days ago. You would have been over it by now."

"I didn't want to take anything without talking to the doctor, Johnny."

"No, you'd rather sit around and whine."

"The doctor's job is to give me medical advice. It's not like either of us went to medical school," Karen snapped.

"You don't have to go to med school to know you should take a painkiller when you have a headache. That's basic common sense. Not everything has to be dramatic, Karen."

She cut in and tried to change the subject. "Well, could you stop by the pharmacy on your way home and pick up some Extra Strength Tylenol for me?"

"I wasn't planning to come straight home. I'm going to make a quick stop, and I'll be in later."

"Later!" Karen sighed. She hesitated before voicing her frustration.

"What's the big deal, Karen? I asked Tyrone to meet me at Floods for a hot minute."

Silence fell over the line.

Karen hadn't been fond of Tyrone years ago, back when she saw him as a partying bachelor who had been married and divorced several times with no intention of settling down.

Those were the times when she had viewed him as a bad influence on her husband. She now knew that the truth was that Johnny's strong personality didn't allow anyone too much influence in his life. He made up his own mind. Yet she found it more comfortable to blame her marital issues on outside factors. So long as it wasn't her fault, she didn't have to take responsibility for fixing it.

"What about the card game?"

"What card game?"

"The one the Burks are having." Karen knew that she didn't feel up to going, but if that was what it took to get Johnny home, she was willing to go along.

"Oh, yeah, okay, the couple from your church. You didn't tell me anything about a card game."

Karen knew that telling him in advance would not have made a difference. Friday was turning out to be his night, and nothing interfered.

"I already have plans. Why don't you go on without me?"

"Why do I always have to go without you? Why can't you just come home after work on Friday, for a change?"

"There you go. I try to be considerate and let you know where I'm going. This is the thanks I get. You make a big deal out of my taking a few hours every now and then to wind down."

"Every now and then? You've been doing this every Friday night for the past three months."

"See, you're exaggerating. It hasn't been that long."

"Oh, yes, it has. It started right after New Year's, right after I closed the business."

She realized that it was still a sore topic with Johnny and didn't expect him to acknowledge the truth, but his silence was confirmation enough. He hadn't agreed with her decision to quit. Her interior decorating business was doing well, but she felt that it had become too stressful managing a household, children, her health, and a career. Despite Johnny's disapproval, she closed her business in hopes of finding something less demanding. So far nothing promising had come along.

"Before, you only went out once every couple of months. That was fine."

"No, it wasn't. You complained about that too."

"It was better than this. I'm here alone every Friday night."

"You're not alone. The girls are there."

"You know what I mean, Johnny. Your hanging out every Friday night is not fair to me."

"You're talking about fair! Don't I work hard all week, take care of the bills, and take care of you and the kids? Remember that I don't have all week to relax like you. Somebody has to work."

He took a deep breath. "I can't believe you won't allow me to have a few hours to hang out without breathing down my neck with this guilt trip. I mean, it's not like I'm doing anything out here. I don't press you about going to church so much. Why do you always have something to say about the little bit of time that I take for myself?"

"I'm sorry, Johnny. I was just hoping we could do something together." A whisper was all she could manage. Eyes closed tightly, she pressed her forefinger against one temple to alleviate the pain.

"If you're really serious about doing something together, I have a few ideas."

Karen suspected that Johnny was talking about sex, and she wanted to avoid the topic. "Well, I'm tired and I don't really feel up to doing too much."

"That's what I thought. Look, I've already made a commitment for this evening, but we can do something tomorrow. Maybe I'll even go to church with you Sunday."

"Fine, Johnny."

Yet again, Karen had stirred the pot of emotions. She tried to perk up and get past her disappointment. She was feeling less and less guilty about questioning his time out. She wanted to trust Johnny but didn't know how. Doubting had become a natural state of being. He hadn't made it any easier.

Karen rested her eyes, pulled her knees into a tight fetal position, and allowed her thoughts, fears, and insecurities to drift away. For a fleeting moment, she was free.

Customer Reviews

Now Faith Is....
When one reads this book, there are so many different messages one can take. It's about faith, forgiveness, trust, and the power of prayer, belief in God among other messages. For me the messages that stood out most were the Power of Prayer and Faith.

The premise of the book was that there were 3 women who had or have cancer and how they dealt with their diagnosis and how strong they were in their Faith. Tina was bitter especially since her husband walked out on her during her cancer. Connie was accepting of what God had allowed to happen in her life. She was living life in full and not worrying about tomorrow. She had complete faith that God could heal her and if He didn't then she would be spending eternity with Him, in a new body, free of Cancer.

Karen the protagonist in the book had her belief in the Lord and went to Church, but her Faith was weak. Her cancer had re occurred and her marriage was falling apart. During a routine hospitalization and treatment, Karen lost her will to live and ends up in a coma. With the possibility of losing Karen, her husband, Johnny began to see that being married to her was not as bad as he thought. Though being sick, Karen had been a great helpmate to him, and he had not appreciated her. When the doctors had done all they could, the next thing was to have a prayer session. The Church Mother and her prayer warriors then took over. The power of these praying women proved to be the best medicine, not only for the physical healing, but spiritual awakening for Johnny.

It is my feeling that an author really does their job when they can evoke an array of emotions from the reader. I did not think I would like Karen initially, but after understanding what she was going through, I began to have empathy for her. I was cheering for the ladies triumphs and crying during their trials. This book is a must read for anyone who has or have a illness, knows someone in this predicament, or just need to know that God does answer prayers. Highly recommended.

Jeanette Wallington
APOOO bookclub

No Abideth Faith, hope and Love
What a moving and motivating book! I thoroughly enjoyed my glimpse into the lives of Johnny and Karen Clark, Tyrone and Connie and Tina. This book is multi faceted and I interpreted it on many levels. There is the story of love, the story of triumph over illness, the renewing of faith in God and heartache. All three of the women, Karen, Connie and Tina suffer from cancer in one form or the other. Johnny and Tyrone have been best friends for a number of years and the friendship they've forged has grown deeper with the illnesses of their wives. Johnny struggles with faithfulness as he reacts to his Karen's seeming rejection of him. His interpretation of her reaction makes him feel that her love is wavering. Tyrone, every bit as much a playboy as Johnny, turns completely toward his wife, his love ever increasing. Tina has become cynical of love and has become a self confessed male basher after her husband left her due to her cancer.

As the story progresses, feelings are examined from a lot of different viewpoints. Johnny and Karen have children. Their reaction to their mother's cancer is explored. Johnny struggled with working to provide for his family and his lack of time spent with the family he worked so hard for. Tyrone, the pillar for Connie, struggled with keeping it together. Connie, the pillar for Tyrone, showed great effort in making the time they had together memorable. Tina wrestled with her cancerous feelings. Although the disease had been removed from her body, her feelings of anger were just as consuming.

No Regrets isn't just centered on the effects a serious illness can have on family, but really explores faith. Johnny could care less about religion. It's all right for his wife to be so involved and for his children, but church isn't high on his list of priorities. As the story progresses, priorities shift, and Johnny is renewed. Connie, the quiet and virtuous woman, is instrumental in demonstrating awe-inspiring faith in times of adversity. I Corinthians 13:13 states: And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. This was truly demonstrated in this inspiring book.

Dealing with the Big "C"
I cried and I cried. This book made me miss my train stop in the morning and in the afternoon. I really enjoyed this novel. This is a great book for anyone who wants to find a bit of strength in the midst of rocky times. You will really appreciate each day and make you live each day to the fulliest. Each character is essential to the story line and you will develop a relationship with each as you turn each page. This book is filled with positive men and women who know how to make lemonade when life throws them lemons. I promise, you will not only enjoy this one, you will encourage others to read this novel as well.