A Wedding Invitation (38 page)

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

2 tablespoons of quick-cooking tapioca

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Make crust:

Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms. Blend in ice water two tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps. Form dough into ball; cut in half. Flatten each half into a circle. Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Let dough soften at room temperature before rolling.

Make filling:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend.

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving ¾-inch overhang.

Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into 14 half-inch-wide strips. Spoon filling into crust. Arrange 7 dough strips atop filling, spacing evenly. Form lattice by placing remaining dough strips in opposite direction atop filling. Trim ends of dough strips even with overhang of bottom crust. Fold strip ends and overhang under, pressing to seal. Crimp edges.

Brush glaze over crust. Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Cool completely.

M
OM’S
C
ROCK-
P
OT
S
TEW

1 lb. lean stew beef, cubed

1 small onion, diced

4 carrots, diced

3 celery stalks, sliced

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 packet onion soup mix

3 cups water

8 ounces beef broth

1 teaspoon sugar

1 8-ounce can of tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in your favorite crock pot and cook on low for six hours.

questions for conversation

Have you ever tried to teach a child something? What was challenging about the experience? What did you learn about yourself? Have you taught a child from another country?
What strengths does Samantha see in Carson? Weaknesses?
What do you think of Beanie’s character? Do you know anyone like her? How does Dovie help Beanie?
Have you ever received an unusual invitation or ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time?
What do you like or dislike about attending weddings? Share your favorite wedding experience.
Have you ever lost a pet? What happened?
Samantha takes time to just sit and meet with God. How does this affect her? Do you ever do this?
Many refugees have had to leave their homelands due to political unrest and are now scattered around the world. Do you know any who live in your town or another nearby location? If you had to flee your home, where would you go? Would it be easy or hard for you to adjust?
Lien seems to have a large capacity to forgive. Is forgiving others easy for you? Who have you had to forgive recently?
Why do you think Carson wanted to be a part of the Hong family’s life? Did he view his relationship with them differently than Samantha viewed hers? Why do you think Samantha decided to help Lien?

acknowledgments

D
uring the writing of this book, I held a Name-That-Character Contest, asking participants to provide names for three of my characters—a Southern man, an Amerasian girl, and an older woman who collects butterflies. The contest winners were Sarah Palumbo for Carson, Shelly Epps for Lien, and Carly Kendall for Aunt Dovie. My thanks to these three!

Also, gratitude to my agent, Kristin Lindstrom; to the Serious Scribes—Kim, Martha, Katharine, Jen, and Catherine—who gave me insight into this work as it was in-progress; to my editor, Charlene Patterson, and the whole Bethany House team for the fantastic work they do to make a novel shine; and to the fans at the Alice J. Wisler Facebook Fan Club page who kept asking when this novel was going to be published (so that they can each purchase dozens of copies, I’m sure).

To my kids—Rachel, Benjamin, and Elizabeth—I appreciate your predictable and unwavering responses every time I asked if I could read some of my manuscript aloud to you: “Sure, you can read one chapter, Mom, but only one.” And to my husband, Carl, for his encouragement and teapots of Earl Grey—both generously brought to my desk. How nice it is to belong to you!

about the author

Y
ears ago, when Alice J. Wisler’s family moved into an old house with a magnolia tree out front, an ornate wedding invitation came in the mail. Only it was not for Alice; it was for the previous homeowners. Ever since she received that invitation, Alice has wondered what going to the wrong wedding would be like.

Although this is a work of fiction, Alice did teach Laotian, Cambodian (Khmer), and Vietnamese children in a dusty classroom with rats in the rafters at the Philippine Refugee Processing Center in the Philippines during the mid-1980s. The Amerasian children intrigued her then, and she continues to follow their plight in both Vietnam and after resettlement in the United States. As she wrote in one of her newsletters sent out by World Relief in 1985, “These children long to be accepted.”
A Wedding Invitation
is about being accepted, being a part, being invited. God invites each of us to commune with Him, no matter what our roots are, the political status of our country, or what others think of us.

Alice lives and writes in Durham, NC. Ever since the death of her son Daniel in 1997, she’s taught grief-writing courses. Learn more about her inspirational novels and her Writing the Heartache workshops at
www.alicewisler.com
.

B
OOKS BY
A
LICE
J
.
W
ISLER

Rain Song

How Sweet It Is

Hatteras Girl

A Wedding Invitation