Candace is offering to five randomly chosen commenters one printed edition of one of the titles seen on this segment, with each winner receiving one book . The winners will be announced here on Friday, August 30th, between 5-6 PM EST. For convenience, please leave your contact information within your comment. Thanks!
A Woman of Strength
by Candace Calvert
“For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
I
slid my boot into the stirrup that April day clueless I was about to face death,
a ride that would forever change my life. I only knew spring had finally come
after the most soul-bruising winters I’d ever experienced. In the previous
eighteen months I’d endured the unexpected and painful end of a twenty-three
year marriage followed by a flood that threatened what was left of my broken
home. But on that April day I prided myself on being a survivor. I was a
devoted single mother, a veteran ER nurse, an avid equestrienne and, mostly
importantly, a Strong woman—capital ‘S.’ Things were under control again. I was
fearless. Only weeks before, I’d proven it by strapping on a parachute and
leaping from a plane at 13,000 feet. A skydiver, not a castoff wife: strong!
Wrong.
Only minutes after I settled into that
saddle, my young thoroughbred spooked and then bucked, hurling me over his head
and onto the ground. I heard bones shatter: eight ribs (one that bloodied my
lung), my upper back, and my neck-- in three places. When I struggled to haul
myself from the dirt, a shard of bone bit into my spinal cord causing my right
arm to burn with searing pain. And then it went numb. Somehow I crawled through
the fence, staggered back to my house and phoned for help.
Lying on a trauma gurney in
my own ER, I felt anything but strong. Neck collar, oxygen, IV, urinary
catheter, eighteen merciful milligrams of morphine, x-rays and a CT scan—I was
on the wrong side of the stethoscope. The emergency team, my dear friends, did
everything possible to help me, but before long I’d hear concerns about permanent
spinal damage. My fear returned with a vengeance. I was losing control.
I had believed
this to my core: A strong woman stays in control, always, and doesn’t fully
trust anyone. After all, I’d
trusted my husband and he left; I’d trusted the security of my home and the
floodwaters came. The big question
hit me as hard as that fall: Did I trust God? I prayed to Him, I worshipped Him, but did I really allow myself
to depend on Him? A little card
tucked onto my dresser mirror read, “Let Go and Let God,” yet I’d fought desperately
to keep life’s reins in my own hands. And they were yanked away.
In the
following months as I worked in physical therapy to regain full use of my arms,
I had time to ponder and to pray. I wondered about my need to feel strong. Was it simply armor to ward off other unimaginable hurts? I began to set new priorities, evaluate
success and survival in different ways. With great relief, I let God take the burdens from my battered shoulders.
I began to feel, deep in my soul, that my life had been spared for a reason.
God had a plan for me.
“By
Accident,” the inspirational account of my riding accident, appears in Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul and
was my first published work. Since then I’ve published five (going on six)
full-length Christian fiction novels, and recently signed a contract for three
more. As with most authors, each story contains a bit of my own DNA. Disaster Status is the
story of a feisty ER nurse who learns the difference between being a strong
woman and a woman of strength. Code Triage is the heart-tugging
story of a couple headed for divorce. And in Trauma Plan, a nurse who suffered a
broken neck is determined to return to the career she loves. It even has a
skydiving scene!
I have
no doubt that God’s plan—the miracle that saved me that spring day—was to
prepare me to write stories that inspire, encourage, and offer hope. Sometimes
I joke that God had to drop this stubborn woman into the dirt and break her
neck to finally get her attention. He made me weak long enough to teach me the
difference between being strong and having strength.
That difference is faith.
Thank you,
Elaine, for hosting me here. I love this opportunity to connect with your
readers!
Candice's Ah-hahs To Tweet:
Meet
author and equestrienne-accident survivor Candace Calvert. (Tweet This)
Staying
strong when things are out of control? Visit author Candace Calvert to see how.
(Tweet This)
Candace
Calvert on Everyone’s Story: when God lifts up your burden. (Tweet This)
Candace
Calvert #BookGiveaway offer to 5 winners! (Tweet This)
Author Bio:
Candace
Calvert is a former ER nurse who believes love, laughter and faith are the best
medicines. Her Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series offer readers a chance
to “scrub in” on the exciting world of emergency medicine—along with a
soul-soothing prescription for hope. Wife, mother, and very proud grandmother,
she makes her home in northern California.
Link up with Candace at:
WebsiteAuthors’ Galley Blog
A Note From Elaine:
In following professionals' advice, I've started an Author's Page on Facebook. I'd love for you to Like it at : https://www.facebook.com/AuthorElaineStock
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