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| Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Book > Broken Dreams, Fulfilled Promises by Carolyn Ros Simply HonestWriter : Dawn Fung   Broken Dreams, Fulfilled Promises by Carolyn Ros has been translated in more than five languages. The English version is published by Kingsway Communication Ltd. Broken Dreams, Fulfilled Promises is what it says to mean. Carolyn's husband, Johan has brain tumour and is operated on. He wakes up to family that he does not recognise. Carolyn is devastated and with three children to raise, she wakes up each day to questions and tears. Her only comfort is that Johan still remembers who Jesus is. An exuberant youth pastor and engineer, Johan now suffers from epileptic seizures and the loss of using his native language except basic syntax. Carolyn faces the daily task of reading to Johan and teaching him in Dutch, a second language for her. The children become a rich resource of interaction for the Carolyn and Ros, who are unable to function in their full capacity together in marriage and parenting. Carolyn notes, "The need to be known for who we are is deeply ingrained in our humanity. Not to have this level of knowing administers a death-blow to a relationship. How do you pick up the fragments and make the picture whole again?" Perhaps one of the hardest lines to deal with in the book is when Carolyn comes to terms with this new person before her - "I finally got to the place where I realised I needed to have a burial service for the Johan I had known." The shift from living in one reality to the next is a process of the heart. The significance of continuing a seemingly lonely voyage recurs now and again. One of them is the support of Carolyn's mother who visits to pray with the family for Ros' recovery. She passes away years later but leaves Carolyn with a strong message to put her trust in God. The book feels like a meditative devotion from the tradition of inner breakdown and healing. There is no escape from the suffering and no prosperity gospel that works. The prayers are heartfelt but not answered instantly. You turn the page wishing for the cure or miracle to come forth but there is none. Each chapter feels like a ponderous lesson akin to Henri Nouwen's reflections. The author even names them - "Faith", "Facing Fear", "Eternity", "Faithfulness" and so forth - to sound topical. The beginning of the sentence in the "Hope" chapter states : "With each step of the journey, I actually expected a definitive breakthrough to take place. But the reference points of the past were gone. Johan did not suddenly 'wake up' and recover his leadership gift or speaking abilities or former personality." and ends with "One of the advantages when acknowledging weakness and limitation is knowing that you can appeal to One who is greater and stronger." Carolyn writes simply to avoid exaggerated fiction that has come to mean romantic fodder for the soul. You wished that you were warned before you embarked on this terrifying heart-aching journey because the confrontation of spiritual truth application is nothing but honest. You can purchase Broken Dreams, Fulfilled Promises from kingsway.co.uk here.
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