Song of the Brokenhearted–a Review by Patsy Ledbetter
Song of the Brokenhearted by Sheila Walsh and Cindy Martinusen Coloma and published by Thomas Nelson (2012) will help you to look into your past hurts and help you to overcome them. It is an inspiring story about how the main character was set free from bondage resulting from hurts she experienced as a child. It will also help you overcome similar struggles you may be dealing with.
The story centers around Ava and her husband Dane and their two children, Sienna in college, and Jason in high school. Ava and Dane live in Dallas, where their son Jason plays football at the high school. Their oldest daughter Sienna, is engaged to Preston at Stanford University in California.
Ava is in her late forties and leads several ministries in her church. One of them is a group called Broken Hearts, where workers go and minister to those in crisis. She also leads a women’s bible study. Dane works many hours for his company, but lately there have been many problems. The company is having financial difficulties. In the past, Dane and Ava have been very well off, employing a housekeeper and a gardener, but now things are not looking good, and the company may need to go out of business.
Ava grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, about five hundred miles away. Her mother died when she was very young. Ava’s parents, Daniel and Leanne Henderson, had two children, Clancy and Ava. Daniel was a pastor. Not long after Clancy and Ava were born, Leanne had an affair with another man, and was killed in a car accident with her lover. She was twenty-five.
Leanne’s mother soon began to help with the children, but unfortunately she was very mean and judgemental, and always accused them of sinning. Ava had many good memories of church activities, but unfortunately her Granny was a very poor example of a loving mentor. When the children’s father left each summer to go on his evangelistic trips, Ava and Clancy had to stay with their Granny. They had many other aunts, uncles and cousins, but unfortunately, none of them were nurturing.
When Ava’s father was in his late forties, he decided one night to steal some money, get drunk, and then he ended up killing someone. He was sent to prison and Ava saw him one time. After that, she had not seen him in thirty years. She still saw her brother occasionally. He ended up acquiring their family home where they had grown up. When Ava was of age, she left all the relatives and moved to Dallas. There, she married Dane, putting the past behind her.
Throughout the course of the story several difficult things happen in Ava’s family and she finds that she needs to take a trip back home. She makes some startling discoveries about herself and her family. She finds peace at last and is able to fully forgive and move on. I don’t want to reveal the surprise ending, but you will enjoy reading it. You will discover ways to make peace with your past hurts through God’s marvelous grace. I know you will enjoy this story as much as I did. It is best enjoyed by readers eighteen and above.
Patsy Ledbetter has written poetry, short stories, devotionals, and book reviews for many years. She has also been a drama instructor, special needs teacher and substitute teacher. She and Kevin have been married for 41 years. They lost their oldest son Craig when he was 33. They now have three children, Vanessa, Bethany and David. They also have five grandchildren, Elyse, Aurora, Hayden, Molly, and Hudson. Kevin has been a music pastor most of his life and together they serve the Lord in a local church. Patsy loves to read, pray, and spend time outdoors and with family and friends. Her main desire is to bring glory to God through all the talents He has given her.
