From Shadows to Light
by
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Prologue
Philadelphia, May of 1865
“God is without pity.”
“No, Elizabeth, He’s been merciful,” Frederick Allen Whitman told his wife. “Don’t weep so,” he said, as he held her slender, trembling body. “Our daughter wasn’t even expected to live. Remember that, and thank God for her life.”
“Thank God for her life? It would’ve been better had she died.”
He grabbed his wife’s arms, gripping, his fingers biting into her flesh. His voice raspy with emotion, he said, “Never utter such words again.” “Faith is only eleven, and her eyes, her beautiful eyes!”
“Dr. Tate warned us,” said Frederick. “Faith languished with brain fever for a month, but our dear child lives. She lives!”
“I can’t go in there.”
“Stop thinking about yourself, Elizabeth. Consider our daughter.” Frederick attempted to direct his wife toward the chamber.
Pulling away, she turned and hurried along the corridor. After entering her own room, she slammed the door shut.
Frederick took long, deep breaths, then opened the door and stepped inside the bedchamber. Despite his distress, he smiled. His other two daughters, nine-year-old Hope and three-year-old Charity, had climbed into bed with Faith. He adored his girls, who were energetic and engaging. They had auburn hair, like their mother, with eyes the color of sapphires. Their lives, however, had been forever altered. Faith would never again see the busy streets of Philadelphia; nor would she see the people hurrying to work or going to market, the mothers out walking with their children, and the gold-trimmed carriages being pulled by proud, black stallions.
Going to the bedside, Frederick gazed at his firstborn, who sat propped against the pillows. His mind reverberated with agony. His darling Faith, an exceptional little lady, had been given a grievous cross to bear. Oh how he wished that he could take it upon himself!
“Faith, Dr. Tate thinks you’re well enough to get out of bed for a few hours each day,” he said in a cheerful tone. “After you’ve regained your strength, perhaps in July, I’ll take all of us to Cape Island, to the beach. How does that sound?”
“I don’t care.”
“Of course you care,” he contradicted, as he sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand.
Faith shook her head. “I’ll never leave this room.”
“What about your music?” asked Frederick, hoping to see a spark of interest on her starkly white face. “You know what Monsieur Burnier says. If you work hard and practice every day, you can be a great pianist.”
“I don’t care,” she repeated, tears streaming down both cheeks.
Commiserating with her, Faith’s sisters began to cry.
“Hope, please take Charity to the schoolroom,” directed Frederick. “I’d like to talk to Faith alone.” He waited until the younger ones, reluctant to obey, finally left, and then said, “Faith Marie, no more indulging in self-pity. You’ve lost your eyesight, but you still have many gifts, intelligence, wit, beauty, and a rare musical ability.” Putting his arms around her, he continued, “As a musician, your senses of sound and touch are highly developed. Trust God, and let those senses guide you. I’ll always be here to encourage you, but never will I pity you.” He placed his handkerchief in her hand. “So, are you ready to get out of this bed?”
Taking the cloth, she wiped her cheeks, and then blew her nose. “I’m ready now, Papa. Would you carry me down to the pianoforte? I’d like to play.”
“With pleasure, my darling girl, with pleasure.”
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About the Book
In 1880, Philadelphia and Cape Island, New Jersey offer lucrative opportunities to bankers and industrialists, entrepreneurs whose lives seem to be enviable. Yet, these leaders of polite society are subject to the same adversities as all men. They cannot conceal themselves behind their marble walls. Life’s challenges do not respect position; trials come, threatening to consume, if trust in God is not the stronger force.
The three Whitman sisters belong to that polite society. They are blessed with physical allure: auburn hair, sapphire eyes, and satiny-white skin, but such attributes do not guarantee happiness. Faith, who lost her eyesight at age eleven after a prolonged illness, excels in musical performance. She elopes with Reed Collins, a fellow musician, and goes to England to concertize on the piano. Her future security is threatened when Reed’s amorous past forces its way into the present. Hope and her husband, a surgeon at Pennsylvania Hospital, are anticipating the birth of their first child, but their joy is snatched away; the pain of such a loss separates them, and Hope wonders if she will ever find peace. Charity, opinionated and rebellious, is sent to Charleston by her parents, where her paternal grandmother intends to find her a husband, in fact a Baptist preacher who can tame her wildness. That plan quickly goes awry when Charity runs away.
Overwhelmed by heartbreaking situations, the sisters seek God. The heavenly Father draws each one to the Savior; they hear His call, for only belief in Him can heal, resolving the complications. He directs Faith, Hope, and Charity to the narrow path that leads to life and bathes them in His eternal light.
About the Author
Catherine Diane Parker majored in American and British literature while attending college. She also studied classical piano with a graduate of Juilliard and taught beginning and intermediate piano for a number of years. She and her husband live in the Boston area.