Cross To Bear
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Rev.Collins stood solemnly before Eric and Catherine, with Elizabeth standing slightly behind Catherine. Julia and Millie sat in chairs immediately behind Elizabeth. The limited space of Catherine’s hospital room gave the ceremony an air of intimacy if not grandeur.
Rev. Collins had suggested that they might hold the ceremony in the hospital chapel, but Catherine had refused since Julia and Millie could not leave the ward. Plus, Eric was dressed in blue jeans that were covered with plaster and flecks of sawdust. He had taken time to splash water on his face, but there was still dust on his neck and ears and plaster under his fingernails. Just moments earlier, as he rushed into the hospital, a vase of lilies and pink roses on a candy striper’s cart caught his eye. He flashed back twenty years and saw Catherine walking regally down the aisle to join him in marriage. He handed the young girl in charge of the flower deliveries a one hundred dollar bill, grabbed the lilies and roses and ran to the elevators. He forced his arm between the closing elevator doors so as not to waste another moment. He had to get to Catherine.
The old minister repeated the simplest of marriage vows as Catherine had instructed him, and when he asked if there would be an exchange of rings, he was a bit disconcerted when Catherine told him that she was still wearing the ring Eric had given her during their first marriage. She glanced down at the ring, still on her finger, and lost herself for a moment. She noticed the lilies and pink roses Eric had quickly placed in her arms before the ceremony began and her eyes filled with tears of joy. Eric remembered. When the minister finished the brief marriage ritual he was surprised when the groom hugged the bride and the maid of honor simultaneously with his large arms.
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About the Book
Catherine's self-centeredness leads to marital collapse, isolation, bitterness and finally dependency on alcohol. An unexpected confrontation with impending death leads to an almost miraculous transformation of her attitudes toward life and those closest to her. Ironically, her interaction with her former husband’s girlfriend becomes her most treasured relationship. Their exploration of the meaning behind finite and infinite, unity and diversity results in a mutual increased sense of reverence that transcends all selfish concerns. During her stay in the hospital, Catherine experiences moments of “Grace” that leave her and the reader changed forever. Join Catherine on her three-day journey filled with despair, fear, acceptance, love, and ultimately self- actualization.
About the Author
Dr. Wilford W. Spradlin, received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from the University of Virginia, interned at the Royal Victoria Hospital of McGill University and completed his residency training at Duke University where he later became a member of the faculty. In 1978, Dr. Spradlin accepted the position of Chair at the University of Virginia Department of Psychiatry. At his retirement in 1997, Dr. Spradlin was awarded the W. W. Spradlin Chair of Psychiatric Medicine and the title of Professor Emeritus. His scientific publications include Human Biosociology and The Search for Certainty, by Springer-Verlag. Presently, Dr. Spradlin continues to teach and supervise residents. He and his co-author, Susan Renee, pursue their shared interest in the bio-psycho-social foundations of human behavior with emphasis on the psychological, philosophical and religious aspects of reverential phenomena.
www.wilford-spradlin-writings.com and www.susan-renee-novels.com