Sarah is tall and slim and definitely a "Tom Boy".  Her hair is usually in a ponytail for convenience and her outfit is always jeans, sweat shirt and sneakers.  Despite her presentation she is very sweet and pretty.  Hazel eyes, light brown hair, slender figure, and exceptionally quick to understand the innuendos often found in conversation.

Matt is Sarah's long term boyfriend and pushes Sarah to make a date for them to marry.  He is handsome, tall, athletic and also very smart.  With both he and Sarah about to graduate from college, he is anxious to get to the task of building a life for them.  However, when tragedy hits Matt and his family, he blames God and lives every day in anger against the lack of control he has over his life and for what appears to him to be a horrific unfairness in God's plan.  Matt struggles with his anger and is determined to find answers to why God allows such injustice.

Paul is Matt's younger brother.  Paul's personality is one which everyone loves.  He makes others smile not only with his good looks, but also with his jokes and his incredible quips about healthy foods, feeding plants organically, and natural remedies to fight a variety of illnesses.  He and Grandma developed 
a special relationship which was a joy to behold.  But Paul's tragedy was an addiction to drugs which his coach encouraged when Paul was only ten years old and which was the agony of his existence.

Mary and Kevin became Matt and Sarah's neighbors and good friends when Matt and Sarah married and purchased their home.  Sarah noticed that Mary never went anywhere without carrying her lucky rabbit's foot, consulting her tarot cards or avoiding certain types of architecture.    Sarah was concerned for her and when she finally learned why Mary was so afraid she decided to step in an help Mary understand where her real help could be found.  Mary's great tragedy became her greatest joy as she finally heeded Sarah's advice and sought the miracle which Sarah knew would come.

Richard is Caleb's next door neighbor.  Caleb built the home for Richard and they became friends as a result.  Richard is an orthopedic surgeon and saves Caleb's life in the operating room.

Caleb and Josh are Sarah's brothers.  Caleb, married to Ann is the oldest and wisest and becomes the one the family looks to in times of trouble.  Josh, married to Debbie is impulsive and has to learn to listen to what his older brother advises.  When Caleb has a serious accident and comes face to face with a life decision, the family realizes what it might take to prove one's faith.  They learn what scripture means when it states: "It is harder for a rich made to reach heaven than for a camel to move through the eye of a needle."

Wade is Jim's best friend.  They met while serving together in Iraq and were soon bosom buddies.  Together they witnessed an attack on a market place in the heart of a small town with innocent women and children marketing for the supplies they needed for the day.  The carnage was too great to describe and suddenly Jim found himself lifting a pregnant woman from the rubble and running with her to the medics.  The woman died but the baby lived.  The woman had a son with her who was badly injured and lost a leg.  The story of the friendship between Wade and Jim and how they cope with the tragedy of what they witnessed, boggled their minds and at the same time touched Wade's heart to the point where he adopts these two children and brings them to the United States.

Grandma was the real strength in the family and took the responsibility of raising three of her grandchildren when their mother died.  She'd been asked not to tell the family of the heartaches she'd endured because it ight affect how they felt about another family member.  But finally it was time and Grabdma told her story.

Barbara is Matt's sister and Sarah's best friend.  After a long and difficult courtship Barbara marries Jim who has lost his faith in God.  Jim is impressed by Grandma's explanation of how and why evolution and creation are compatible and he decides to listen to more of the revelations the family offers.  But he adamantly refuses to trust God ever again and employs a method of sarcastic rebuttals he's learned from watching a commentator on TV.  A miracle of faith brings him to his knees.

United States

Faith

Family

Reality

English

Book

Movie

New Jersey

Florida

Present Day

While the story relates incidents occurring the the past of the characters, the basic era is "today" and the story applies to "today".

While some of the narrative moves to the Iraq war, most takes place in a home on a serene tree lined street in suburbia.
