Mary Lou Cheatham has 4 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 2 narrators. The most-rated is I Just Want to Be Your Friend.
I'm Choking...but Life Moves on Along the Path of Grief
Summary
"I'm choking." What does that mean? It could mean you've cried so hard that it's impossible to swallow. There's a choking feeling in your throat and chest. You know the feeling. If you have a choking sensation, it may be time to call 9-1-1 to make sure you are not having a heart attack. It is no coincidence that we have expressions such as "died of a broken heart" and "heartbroken". Sometimes these expressions are literal, not figurative. "But life moves on along the path of grief." No matter how much you may want to turn back time - or perhaps you just want all the sadness to go away long enough for you to recover a few minutes or for a night of dream-free sleep - life moves on. Time rushes on. Life moves on along relentlessly along the path of grief. The process of grieving is like walking through a murky swamp. In this audiobook, I want to talk with you about the way it feels. There's no way I can know exactly what you are going through, not even if we could sit and talk and you could tell me. I will tell you though that I have experienced grief and known many other dear ones who have. Certain aspects of grieving are the same for almost everybody. Even though each grief journey is unique, every person grieving shares some of the same feelings. Please understand that you are not alone. It's okay to cry. We have these words found in Romans 8:28 (KJV): "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." We can trust that everything that happens to us - even if it is the saddest thing we could dream of - has already been approved by our father, his son, and the Holy Spirit. God loves us more than we can imagine. When bad things are happening to us, our loving father is working out something good for us.
©2016 Mary Gregg Cheatham Cooke (P)2016 Mary Gregg Cheatham Cooke
Lena's Hope
Summary
In the early 1900s, Lena Harvey, a bright-minded farm girl, wants to graduate from high school. She hopes to attend nursing school or become a midwife. Having no interest in complicating her life with intimate relationships, she plans to focus her efforts toward her calling. But in a country where people believe they can grow up to become anything they want to be, her dream is crushed. Discover how Lena resolves to make the best of what has been thrown at her, hoping that she can make a difference in the world. As she struggles through the frustrations of her life, can she ever find blessings that bring her joy? Will she ever know true love? Lena’s story is an inspiration for those of us whose lives have gotten in the way of the plans we made. For us all, there is hope....
©2020 Mary G. Cooke (P)2020 Mary G. Cooke
Deep from the Heart
Summary
She rescues others. Who’ll rescue her? Ava discovers an unwelcome surprise in the apartment selected for her by a church leader. Resisting the urge to leave before she even meets the congregation, she must pray and make difficult decisions. But when she’s followed all over the county, where can she go? Ava Molino, an overweight millennial minister who has pastored churches in Mississippi, moves to Flat Rock, Texas, to serve at Grace and Peace United Methodist Church. Flat Rock, a small town southwest of Laramie, is in transition from a once prosperous farming community to a low-income town, predominately Hispanic. The first person Ava meets is Ray Austin, the attractive youthful music minister. She fears he may be under 18 years of age. Except for Ray, the church gives her a cool reception. The apartment selected for Ava by the church is a smelly run-down dump with a homeless drunk living in it. After demanding to receive cash for her housing allowance, she finds a desirable house to rent. She has dinner with Jack Perry, who oversees the church finance committee. He sends her mixed signals. Her instincts tell her not to trust him. She meets him at a restaurant on business. After dinner, he chases her through the countryside until she drives to a police station. Her high-minded quest becomes a question of survival. Ava moves her books into the church office and prepares for Sunday. Grace and Peace Church meets in a magnificent old building in ill repair. The roof is falling in. While she checks out the sanctuary, Ray shows up to work on the sound equipment. Because she assumes he is a teenager, she talks to him as an adult to a child. As she begins her new ministry, she feels awkward, and the sparse congregation gives her an icy response. She starts conversations in the city park with Hispanics. During lunch at a picnic table, a mature woman shames her about her careless nutritional habits. Ava keeps a notebook of memories about her assignment at the church. As an honest woman, who communicates details about her intimate relationship with her Heavenly Father, while she strips away the garments of her emotions, Ava reveals all that is in her heart. She makes new friends in the community and cultivates the programs of the church. Some Hispanic people she meets start to attend Grace and Peace. Someone eggs her car. She takes it to be washed and encounters Jack, who owns the carwash. Her fears increase because Jack continues to stalk her and thwart her efforts to serve Flat Rock. His bizarre actions convince her he is deranged, yet she senses she cannot confront him because he has earned respect in the church and community. Will Ava find happiness? Will she find love? Will she escape the ominous forces that are mounting against her?
©2019 Mary G. Cooke, Christie Marie Underwood (P)2021 Mary G. Cooke, Christie Marie Underwood
I Just Want to Be Your Friend
Summary
Rivka Smith plans to enjoy her three-week vacation in a lake resort lodge, but as the COVID-19 coronavirus begins to spread, her family members are called abruptly back to work. She is left alone with the resort's owner as her sole companion. For years, Rivka has wanted a meaningful relationship. Is it possible that love, a force stronger than death or any pandemic, may slip up on her to claim her unsuspecting heart when she least expects it?
©2020 Mary G. Cooke (P)2020 Mary G. Cooke