Dear Reader,

Today’s guest author is Jessica Keener. Her bestselling debut novel, Night Swim, was followed by her collection of award-winning stories, Women in Bed. Her second novel, Strangers in Budapest, was an Indie Next pick, a Southern Independent Bookseller Association bestseller, and a “best new book” selection by  Entertainment Weekly.

Jessica’s brand new book is Evening Begins the Day:

The story weaves together two families in crisis–one reeling from a marital betrayal and the other grappling with their at-risk teenage daughter–with an ancient spiritual practice called The Counting of the Omer; a modern-day quest for community, hope, and safety.

Jessica is giving away three copies of Evening Begins the Day. To enter the drawing, drop her a note with your preferred shipping address: jessicakeener1@gmail.com

Welcome back to the book club, Jessica Brilliant Keener…

Everyday Miracles

Last year, after spending the afternoon in downtown Boston, I got on the trolley and headed home, stopping first at Trader Joe’s to get a few groceries. But when I got to the cash register and reached for my wallet in my backpack, my wallet wasn’t there. It was gone.

In a panic, I ran outside and retraced my steps back to the trolley stop. Maybe I’d dropped it on the street?

No such luck.

Within minutes, the next trolley arrived. Feeling frantic, I hopped on and told the driver I had just lost my wallet. Had anyone reported it?

“Nothing yet,” she said, and told me I could go to the Lost & Found office at the end of the line, about 6 stops away. In the meantime, I called the manager at Trader Joe’s. Did anyone find it in the aisles?

Sadly, no.

At the Lost & Found office, which was basically a shed in a parking lot, the woman working there made a few calls. Nothing.

Walking home, my mood plummeted. I’d have to cancel my Visa cards, call my medical insurance company, replace my driver’s license—

That’s when my husband called.

“I have your wallet!!”

“What???”

“A woman dropped it off. She found it on the ground, near the trolley stop across from Trader Joe’s.” He went on to explain she was the same woman we often saw jogging around the neighborhood–a short, petite woman with dark curly hair. I knew exactly who she was. The summer before, I’d stopped in front of her apartment building to compliment her stunning sunflowers bordering her small yard, but we never exchanged names. She lived half a mile away from our condo.

“What’s her name?”

“Margie.”

Thrilled and relieved, I bought a bouquet of flowers, wrote my phone number on a card, and left them in the foyer of her building because I didn’t know which apartment was hers.

A few hours later, she texted me to thank me for the bouquet. I called her back, gushing, “You’re a miracle! You saved my day! My week!”

“I love finding things for people,” Margie said, laughing. “It gives me so much joy.”

Now, whenever I recall that incident, I am reminded that there are so many good people in the world like Margie. They’re not making headlines. They’re simply helping strangers and neighbors–honestly, without fanfare–every single day.

— Jessica Brilliant Keener

Jessica is giving away three copies of Evening Begins the Day. To enter the drawing, drop her a note with your preferred shipping address: jessicakeener1@gmail.com

Thanks for reading with me. It’s so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com