8It all begins with a nightmare. Then, a mysterious phone call. Oliva is awakened to a life shattering reality. There is an old farmhouse, long abandoned, or so it seems. It sits on the brow of a hill off the beaten path along a little used road in the Western Piedmont region of North Carolina. If one were to apss by the house of an evening on the highway below the might hear, or might think they are hearing the sound of human sobbing coming from the old place. Sometimes memories come unbidden during restless nights when all should be at peace. But suddenly, like waves crashing on a stormy shore they force their way into the conscious mind. Born in upstate NY. I am an author, a songwriter, musician and a retired Pastor, formerly a caterer and a sporting goods store owner, among several other professions. I had the extreme privilege of serving as lead pastor in Olean NY, Niagara Falls NY, LaFargeville, NY, and Laurinburg NC. I have been married to my wife Jane for nearly fifty years and we live together in the countryside West of St. Louis. I am currently serving as Worship leader at my home Church in Union, MO. I began this journey of ministry of writing to encourage especially those of retirement age or beyond to try new things, to hope for the here and now and to re-establish ties with family and friends. I publish a devotional blog each day at larrymlawrence.com, Finding God in the Mystery of every day.