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Forgive Our Trespasses

by Belva Steil

199 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-1045; ISBN 1-4120-3218-0; US$20.00, C$22.45, EUR16.50, £11.50

Marcia's life story of hardship and despair, her struggle to overcome, and learning of genuine love and forgiveness from others. Included is a story within a story, a nurse's training in wartime.

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About the Book      About the Author      Excerpts      Catalogue Information

About the Book

This is Marcia's story, a life of hardships and losses, disappointments and despair. Yet, in her struggle to overcome, she learns the true meaning of love and forgiveness from others.

In the middle of this fictional life story, there are three chapters based on her nursing experiences. The author, who took her nurse's training in the Second World War years, has given her training experiences to Marcia as she remembers them from so long ago.

Marcia's story tells us, though life can be hard, we can ultimately find joy and forgiveness of our trespasses. Acceptance and understanding lie on the other side of loss. There is no short cut.

This is Marcia's story, a life of hardships and losses, disappointments and despair. Yet, in her struggle to overcome, she learns the true meaning of love and forgiveness from others.

In the middle of this fictional life story, there are three chapters based on her nursing experiences. The author, who took her nurse's training in the Second World War years, has given her training experiences to Marcia as she remembers them from so long ago.

Marcia's story tells us, though life can be hard, we can ultimately find joy and forgiveness of our trespasses. Acceptance and understanding lie on the other side of loss. There is no short cut.

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About the Author

Born and raised on a Saskatchewan farm, Belva received her registered nurse's diploma after three years in a prairie hospital school of nursing. After graduation, she nursed across Canada from Vancouver Island to Halifax, then down the south shore of Nova Scotia, following her husband who, in wartime, was in the Royal Canadian Navy.

The war years over, they returned to the western prairies and raised three sons. At forty, the author returned to her nursing career with refresher courses in various hospitals and updating knowledge at the University of Alberta to qualify for a hospital charge position where she remained for twenty years. Taking an early retirement, she filled her life with many writing courses through the Department of Extension at the University of Alberta. After her husband's death, she decided to write the book she had always intended and Forgive Our Trespasses is the result of her decision.

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Excerpts

"But I don't know anyone in Vancouver. I have never kept in touch with anyone in Canada," Marcia spoke with apprehension.

She felt an instinctive foreboding as she mentioned the letter. Was it a premonition of the resurrection of her past? Or, was it her absurd imagination? Woman's intuition?

Neil was well aware that the strange letter had disturbed his wife. "Probably nothing important. I shouldn't have mentioned it. I wouldn't have if I had known it was going to upset you. Let's forget about it and enjoy this precious week we have ahead of us. When we get home, we'll probably find out it's nothing to worry about."

Marcia agreed, but she slept very little that night. In the half dream state, the many facets of her life came before her as though she was watching a play.

Excerpt 2

Marcia was awakened from her sleep to the noise of the wind howling about the house. It was still dark outside but she could hear skiffs of snow hitting against the window. "Winter is here again," she thought. "But it's too early to get up." Before she had time to fall asleep again, she heard her mother's desperate coughing. Then it stopped. She listened again, but all was quiet- too quiet. She jumped from her bed and ran to her mother. "Mummy, are you alright?" No answer. She shook her mother's shoulder, but no response.

Excerpt 3

Quickly she closed the door of her childhood and went across the yard to the unknown future.

Excerpt 4

"You never get over feeling this way, but you learn how to handle your feelings, you know you must be strong to help the grieving parents and relatives. You have chosen this profession and you learn by these hard experiences how to carry on."

Excerpt 5

But when things grew quiet and the diversions faded, a dark cloud would settle over Marcia. She would be overwhelmed with sadness and loss, and a deep sense of guilt.

What had she done to their lives, to those two who had meant so much to her? Would the world ever be right again?

Excerpt 6

Daylight showed through the partly open shutter as an exhausted and spent Marcia knew there was no going back. She had come this far and she could go on. She thought of her future.

"I can't escape the burden of loss, the emotional pain that those I have loved are lost to me, and I to them. It's akin to mourning. The only way to handle loss is to grieve, to acknowledge the emotion. I can't avoid the pain of loss. Acceptance and understanding lie on the other side of loss. There is no short cut."

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Catalogue Information

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