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Book Review of The Healing Jar (Prayer Jars, Bk 3)

The Healing Jar (Prayer Jars, Bk 3)
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The Healing Jar is the third installment in The Prayer Jar series. You do need to read the books in order for the complete story. In this final book in the series, we get to know Lenore. Lenore is the local schoolteacher who dreams of having a happy marriage and a houseful of children. Unfortunately, the right man has not come along for Lenore. After Willis Lapp suffers a debilitating stroke, Lenore's faith has weakened. She does not understand why bad things happen to good people like her grandparent's. Jesse Smucker's wife died giving birth to their daughter, Cindy. He left Kentucky to start anew away from the memories, but it is hard being a single parent. Jesse wants a marriage of convenience since he still loves his deceased wife, and he begins to court Lenore without telling her this little tidbit. I thought The Healing Jar was well-written with a gentle pace. It was lovely to revisit the Lapp family and catch up with them. Mary Ruth is a positive woman with strong faith which aids in her times of adversity. Michelle is shocked when Ezekiel wishes to move to New York. She wants her husband to find a job he loves, but Michelle does not want to be away from her family and friends. It is been a year and half since they married, and Michelle has yet to get pregnant which worries her. Sara and Brad are happily married, but Sara still wonders about the identity of her biological father. The Healing Jar is an emotional novel and you need to have a box of tissues nearby for some poignant scenes. I like the prayer jars and how each of our main characters find slips of paper that speak to them. There are scripture passages, prayers, and inspirational quotes inside the jar. Our characters pray for guidance and assistance. I admire their deep faith and how they can pray in front of others. They are good Christians and they live by example which is hard to do in this day and age. I did find some items repeated too often. An example is Jesse's love for his wife, Esther and Michelle's desire for children. There are discussion questions at the end of the book along with a recipe for Lenore's Pineapple Philly Pie. The Healing Jar is a satisfying conclusion to this uplifting series.