What readers are saying about Karen Kingsbury’s books
“This is one of the most absorbing series I have read in many years. There are many spiritual lessons to be learned from the stories.”
Helen
“Forever was a wonderful, inspiring, and heartwarming ending to the Firstborn series and I enjoyed the book the entire way! I can’t wait to read the Sunrise series!”
Theresa
“This book is awesome! Like the other books in Karen Kingsbury’s series, this book refreshes your soul! I think Forever may very well be my favorite so far. I have already read it several times, finding something new to think about each time.”
Sharon
“I found myself with tears rolling down my face in several parts of this book. I have read the Redemption series and all the previous books in the Firstborn series but this is definitely my favorite so far.”
K.S.
“The Firstborn series is excellent. I enjoy this author so much and am looking forward to her Redemption series. These are hard books to put down and the messages they contain are inspiring.”
Linda
“Wow! I can’t wait for the next series. Karen Kingsbury is incredible! I highly recommend the Redemption and Firstborn series to everyone I meet! What an inspiration the Baxter family is.”
Beverly
“Karen Kingsbury has the ability to grab my heart and emotions and also to make her characters real to me. The Firstborn series stresses family and relationship. You’ll want to read all of this series and won’t want it to end.”
Elaine
“A story of love and forgiveness and a reminder of what marriage is supposed to be about. The ending was perfect and gave me warm fuzzies. I can’t wait for the first book in the Sunrise series—I feel like a part of the Baxter family myself!”
Renee
“Karen Kingsbury’s books are filled with the unshakable, remarkable, miraculous fact that God’s grace is greater than our suffering. There are no words for Ms. Kingsbury’s writing.”
Wendie
“Thank you, Karen, for writing so well and delivering a God-given and God-centered story with ‘real’ people who make mistakes.”
Tony
“I dearly LOVED this series. I couldn’t put any of the books down for more than a moment. I loaned these books, one at a time, to a friend who came back every day or two for the next one.”
Anita
“Karen’s books are addictive. I see a new one and need to order it, and once they arrive, I cannot rest until I complete it. Thank You, Lord, for the beautiful writing gift given to Karen for the benefit of her readers.”
Dee
Visit Tyndale online at www.tyndale.com.
Visit Karen Kingsbury’s Web site and learn more about her Life-Changing Fiction at
www.KarenKingsbury.com.
TYNDALE and Tyndale’s quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
BAXTER FAMILY DRAMA is a trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Forever
Copyright © 2007 by Karen Kingsbury. All rights reserved.
Logo illustration copyright © 2003 by David Henderson. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of woman copyright © by Rebecca Nathan/Trevillion. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of tall grass copyright © by David Engelhardt/Tetra/Getty. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of red dress copyright © by HBSS/Corbis. All rights reserved.
Author photograph copyright © 2008 by Dan Davis Photography at dandavisphotography.com. All rights reserved.
Designed by Jennifer Ghionzoli
Edited by Lorie Popp
Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.
Text about the five love languages (Chapter 23) inspired by The Five Love Languages © 1992 by Gary Chapman. Published by Northfield Publishing, Chicago, Illinois.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version,® NIV.® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kingsbury, Karen.
Forever / Karen Kingsbury.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-4143-0764-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
I. Title
PS3561.l4873F66 2007
813′.54—dc22 2006035370
Repackage first published in 2011 under ISBN 978-1-4143-4980-0.
To Donald, my Prince Charming
We’ve reached a new year, another season in life, and still I cannot imagine this ride without you. Our kids are flourishing, and so much of that is because
of you, because of your commitment to me and to them. You are the spiritual leader, the man of my dreams who makes this whole crazy, wonderful adventure possible. I thank God for you every day. I am amazed at the way you blend love and laughter, tenderness and tough standards to bring out the best in our boys. Thanks for loving me, for being my best friend, and for finding “date moments” amid even the most maniacal or mundane times. My favorite times are with you by my side. I love you always, forever.
To Kelsey, my precious daughter
You are seventeen, and somehow that sounds more serious than the other ages. As if we jumped four years over the past twelve months. Seventeen brings with it the screeching of brakes on a childhood that has gone along full speed until now. Seventeen? Seventeen years since I held you in the nursery, feeling a sort of love I’d never felt before. Seventeen sounds like bunches of lasts all lined up ready to take the stage and college counselors making plans to take my little
girl from here and home into a brand-new big world. Seventeen tells me it won’t be much longer. Especially as you near the end of your junior year. Sometimes I find myself barely able to exhale. The ride is so fast at this point that I can only try not to blink so I won’t miss a minute of it. Like the most beautiful springtime flower, I see you growing and unfolding, becoming interested in current events and formulating godly viewpoints that are yours
alone. The same is true in dance, where you are simply breathtaking onstage.
I believe in you, honey. Keep your eyes on Jesus and the path will be easy
to follow. Don’t ever stop dancing. I love you.
To Tyler, my beautiful song
Can it be that you are fourteen and helping me bring down the dishes from the top shelf? Just yesterday people would call and confuse you with Kelsey. Now they confuse you with your dad—in more ways than one. You are on the bridge, dear son, making the transition between Neverland and Tomorrowland and becoming a strong, godly young man in the process. Keep giving Jesus your very best, and always remember that you’re in a battle. In today’s world, Ty, you need His armor every day, every minute. Don’t forget . . . when you’re up there onstage, no matter how bright the lights, I’ll be watching from the front row, cheering you on. I love you.
To Sean, my wonder boy
Your sweet nature continues to be a bright light in our home. It seems a lifetime ago that we first brought you—our precious son—home from Haiti. It’s been my great joy to watch you grow and develop this past year, learning more about reading and writing and, of course, animals. You’re a walking encyclopedia of animal facts, and that, too, brings a smile to my face. Recently a cold passed through the famil
y, and you handled it better than any of us. Smiling through your fever, eyes shining even when you felt your worst. Sometimes I try to imagine if everyone everywhere had your outlook—what a sunny place the world would be. Your hugs are something I look forward to, Sean.
Keep close to Jesus. I love you.
To Josh, my tender tough guy
You continue to excel at everything you do, but my favorite time is late
at night when I poke my head into your room and see that—once again—your nose is buried in your Bible. You really get it, Josh. I loved hearing you talk about baptism the other day, how you feel ready to make that decision, that commitment to Jesus. At almost twelve, I can only say that every choice you make for Christ will take you closer to the plans He has for your life. That by being strong in the Lord, first and foremost, you’ll
be strong at everything else. Keep winning for Him, dear son.
You make me so proud. I love you.
To EJ, my chosen one
You amaze me, Emmanuel Jean! The other day you told me that you pray often, and I asked you what about. “I thank God a lot,” you told me. “I thank Him for my health and my life and my home.” Your normally dancing eyes grew serious. “And for letting me be adopted into the right family.” I still feel the sting of tears when I imagine you praying that way. I’m glad God let you be adopted into the right family too. One of my secret pleasures is watching you and Daddy becoming so close. I’ll glance over at the family room during a play-off basketball game on TV, and there you’ll be, snuggled up close to him, his arm around your shoulders. As long as Daddy’s your hero, you have nothing to worry about. You couldn’t have a better role model. I know that Jesus is leading the way and that you are excited to learn the plans He has for you. But for you, this year will always stand out as a turning point.
Congratulations, honey! I love you.
To Austin, my miracle child
Can my little boy be nine years old? Even when you’re twenty-nine you’ll be my youngest, my baby. I guess that’s how it is with the last child, but there’s no denying what my eyes tell me. You’re not little anymore. Even so, I love that—once in a while—you wake up and scurry down the hall to our room so you can sleep in the middle. Sound asleep I still see the blond-haired infant who lay in intensive care, barely breathing, awaiting emergency heart surgery. I’m grateful for your health, precious son, grateful God gave you back to us at the end of that long-ago day. Your heart remains the most amazing part of you, not only physically, miraculously, but because you have such kindness and compassion for people. One minute tough boy hunting frogs and snakes out back, pretending you’re an Army Ranger, then getting teary-eyed when Horton the Elephant nearly loses his dust speck full of little Who people. Be safe, baby boy. I love you.
And to God Almighty, the Author of life,
who has—for now—blessed me with these.
Acknowledgments
This book couldn’t have come together without the help of many people. First, a special thanks to my friends at Tyndale, who have believed in this series and worked with me to get this fifth book to my readers sooner than any of us dreamed possible. Thank you!
Also thanks to my amazing agent, Rick Christian, president of Alive Communications. I am amazed more as every day passes at your sincere integrity, your brilliant talent, and your commitment to the Lord and to getting my Life-Changing Fiction out to readers all over the world. You are a strong man of God, Rick. You care for my career as if you were personally responsible for the souls God touches through these books. Thank you for looking out for my personal time—the hours I have with my husband and kids most of all. I couldn’t do this without you.
As always, this book wouldn’t be possible without the help of my husband and kids, who will eat just about anything when I’m on deadline and who understand and love me anyway. I thank God that I’m still able to spend more time with you than with my pretend people, as Austin calls them. Thanks for understanding the sometimes-crazy life I lead and for always being my greatest support.
Thanks to my mother and assistant, Anne Kingsbury, for your great sensitivity and love for my readers. You are a reflection of my own heart, Mom, or maybe I’m a reflection of yours. Either way, we are a great team, and I appreciate you more than you know. I’m grateful also for my dad, Ted Kingsbury, who is and always has been my greatest encourager. I remember when I was a little girl, Dad, and you would say, “One day, honey, everyone will read your books and know what a wonderful writer you are.” Thank you for believing in me long before anyone else ever did. Thanks also to my sisters Tricia and Susan and Lynne, who help out with my business when the workload is too large to see around. I appreciate you!
And to Olga Kalachik, whose hard work helping me prepare for events allows me to operate a significant part of my business from my home. The personal touch you bring to my ministry is precious to me, priceless to me. . . . Thank you with all my heart.
And thanks to my friends and family, especially my sister Sue, who is a new addition to my staff, and to my niece Melissa Kane, who helped me with a major project this past year. Thanks to Ann and Sylvia and all of you who pray for me and my family. We couldn’t do this without you. Thanks to all of you who continue to surround me with love and prayer and support. I could list you by name, but you know who you are. Thank you for believing in me and for seeing who I really am. A true friend stands by through the changing seasons of life and cheers you on not for your successes but for staying true to what matters most. You are the ones who know me that way, and I’m grateful for every one of you.
Of course, the greatest thanks go to God Almighty, the most wonderful Author of all—the Author of life. The gift is Yours. I pray I might have the incredible opportunity and responsibility to use it for You all the days of my life.
Forever in Fiction
A special thanks to Heidi Jones, who won the Forever in Fiction auction at the Veritas Classical Christian School in Oregon. Heidi chose to give the gift to her friend Susan Johnson, who chose to honor her sister, Cynthia Crivellone Deming, by naming her Forever in Fiction.
Cindy Deming died in a car accident at age thirty-seven. She was pregnant with her first child and survived by her husband, Sean. Cindy was passionate about animals, and at the time of her death she had eight cats, three dogs, two ferrets, and a rabbit. She was a very giving person, quiet by nature, and a good listener. She was petite with long, naturally curly brown hair, and she had just one sibling, Susan Johnson. She was also survived by her parents, Leonard Murphy and Barbara Murphy, who died seven months after Cindy.
Cindy enjoyed scuba diving and hiking the Oregon mountains, because she was always up for a challenge. She once went to Europe with friends and stayed at hostels, figuring out transportation as they traveled from one place to another. Even so, her favorite vacation spot was easily Hawaii. Cindy was a dedicated sister and daughter and granddaughter and would go out of her way to spend time with family. She was looking forward to being a mother.
In Forever, I chose to make Cindy a neurosurgeon so her character could take part in saving the life of someone who had also been in a terrible car accident. Heidi and Susan, I pray that Cindy is honored by her placement in Forever and that you will always remember her with a smile when you see her name in the pages of this novel, where she will be Forever in Fiction.
For those of you who are not familiar with Forever in Fiction, it is my way of involving you, the readers, in my stories while raising money for charities. To date this item has raised more than $200,000 at charity auctions across the country. If you are interested in having a Forever in Fiction package donated to your auction, contact my assistant, Tricia Kingsbury, at
[email protected]. Please write Forever in Fiction in the subject line. Please note that I am able to donate only a limited number of these each year. For that reason I have set a fairly high minimum bid on this package. That way the maximum funds are raised for charities.
Table of Contents<
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Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Author’s Note
Discussion Questions
There were moments when the sun shone so brightly on her life that Katy Hart could barely stand beneath it. Moments when she would be getting ready for a day of Christian Kids Theater rehearsals or folding laundry or filling her tank with gas and she’d have to check her ring finger. Just to be sure it had really happened.
Dayne Matthews had asked her to marry him.
She opened the door to her apartment, stepped inside, and exhaled. She’d spent the afternoon and evening with the Flanigans, first shopping with Jenny and then having dinner and watching a movie with the family. Now she wanted to be upstairs when Dayne called, the way he called every night around this time. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a minute.
Overnight God had taken her life from foggy uncertainty to crystal clear panoramas. She and Dayne wanted a simple wedding on the shore of Lake Monroe. He had already met with a wedding planner in Hollywood, a woman known for her brilliance at pulling off secret ceremonies, events the paparazzi never figured out until they were over.