Welcome to Day 10 and the final segment of the Ten Days of Flowers! To everyone who has followed along, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This entire series, from beginning to end, was a labor of love. At the heart of it is a love story, but it’s also much more. Each book in the True Story Series carries a different theme and message. In Flowers and Stone, the message is clearly the risks and rewards of daring to give your whole heart to another.
Luke and Darline experienced the highs and lows of loving one another with an eternal flame that refused to die out.
I think the perfect wrap-up to this celebration will be to share two short ending scenes. Both characters had been through so much, and it all culminated in this:
EXCERPT ONE – LUKE’S POV
At four a.m., Luke Stone opened his eyes, fully aware that he was lying on the hard, narrow bunk in a jail cell. His heart raced, and his breath came in short gasps. He’d seen a vision of Darlina walking down the aisle in a small church with him, dressed in wedding clothes. Her radiant face, angelic smile, and long flowing gown had taken his breath away. Could a man possibly be so foolish to dream of a bright, happy future against all the odds?
EXCERPT TWO – DARLINA’S POV
Darlina sat upright in her bed, clutching the pillow, as fresh tears streamed down her face. The clock beside the bed told her it was four in the morning. What had just happened? She’d dreamed that she and Luke were walking down the aisle in a small church, with all their families gathered to witness. Luke appeared older and thinner, but his blue eyes and crooked smile were the same. Her heart pounded. Could it be that they would survive prison and eventually be together? Was this an omen?
Every once in a great while in life, there is a love so strong between two human beings that neither time nor space can erase nor destroy it.
That is precisely the kind of love that Luke Stone and Darlina Flowers shared. It would live on through eternity in both hearts, and neither would ever give up hope of being reunited.
Perhaps if two people believe something strong enough, they can move heaven and earth, even unlock prison doors, to make it happen.
THE END
It was not an uncommon occurrence for me and Rick to dream simultaneous dreams.
I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through bits and pieces of the true story that started it all for me. I’ve loved sharing, and there is so much more to be found between the pages of Flowers and Stone.
If you’ve purchased the book, I’m eternally grateful. I hope you’ll leave a review on your favorite platform after you read it.
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I hope you had a wonderful 10th book anniversary celebration, Jan. I love that you and Rick shared dreams in real life. It’s great to see them appear in the book as well. Hugs.
Thank you, Diana. It has been a wonderful celebration and now it’s time to blow out the candles and move on to something else. 🙂 I appreciate you stopping by!
🙂 I hope you find something to celebrate every day. <3
A perfect wrap-up, Jan. Happy 10th anniversary for Flowers and Stone. I love that you and Rick often had simultaneous dreams.
Thank you, Joan. I truly appreciate your support and encouragement!
A terrific serie sof posts. Congratulations again on the tenth anniversary of Flowers and Stone.
Thank you, John! I appreciate your support!
Congratulations on 10 Days of Flower and Stone, Jan. It has been a fabulous celebration, with a wonderful ending!
Thank you, Mae. It has been a wonderful celebration, and I have loved having you join in! Hugs!
Jan, these excerpts of simultaneous dreams were a perfect way to wrap it up. You truly were connected, mind and body. And you endured so much. I love you, Sister.
Thank you for coming along on the journey, sister. I appreciate you and love you so much!
A beautiful way to end this celebration with the shared dream. Hugs xo
Thank you, Denise. I appreciate your support so much!
A wonderful way to wrap this up. I got chills reading about the shared dream. Thanks for sharing these excerpts with us. xo
I’ve enjoyed sharing, Darlene, and thank you for coming along for the ride! Hugs!
Absolutely beautiful, Jan. Now I need some tissues. Thank YOU for sharing, and again, all the best!
Sorry, Mary. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I truly appreciate your support and coming along on this celebration tour!
No need for an apology, Jan. 🙂 A beautiful love story, no matter the journey, always makes me cry. Hugs!
Your love story is the stuff of dreams. Beautiful excerpts, Jan. It teaches us to never give up on HEA ❤️
That was my goal with this segment of the story, Jacquie—to inspire and encourage others to take a chance on love. It’s worth all the heartache. Thank you for visiting!
Wonderful book journey, Jan. Congratulations on the successful wrap-up. ?
Thank you so much, Gwen. I appreciate your support!
I love how you constructed this tour, Jan…very creative. Thanks for sharing the excerpts they’ve definitely piqued my interest to read the entire story. I’ve had Flowers and Stone on my Kindle for a while, but it’s been moved up in my cue. I’ll be sure to post a review.
Awwww, that makes me happy, Jill. Please make sure you get the latest version when you open it to read. Thank you for coming along on this celebration tour!
It’s been a great “Home” tour. I’m doing more of that myself for the last couple of stories. Hope you drew some real interest in this wonderful story.
Thank you, Craig. It’s always hard doing so many back-to-back blog posts, but it’s temporary and the book deserved a celebration.
Whoa, a shared dream, cool. That happened once to my husband and me. We were both amazed. (It was a weird, sci-fi dream, not something as romantic as a wedding.)
Lol. Well, at least you were both on the same wave length. 🙂 Thank you for riding along on this celebration tour, Vera. I appreciate you!