THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR ACTIONS

Cathy Gohlke

Two stories in Ladies of the Lake were inspired by true events that captured my imagination from the moment I heard them—one for ill, and one for good. Both, like so much of this book, illustrate the consequences of our actions. 

The first came from a family story, an event that I wish with all my heart had never occurred.

            In Ladies of the Lake, Cal Salley, a nearly grown man with a child’s mind, is teased, terrified, and bullied by young teen girls handing out white feathers to men not in uniform. Relentless, the girls convince Cal that he will be drafted and sent to the front lines of the Great War, that he will be forced to face German artillery.

            This story was inspired by that of my Grandaunt May, who birthed two sons. Her younger son, Marshall, was a teen during WWII and was considered simple-minded. Over time, other teens ridiculed, bullied, and teased him into believing he would be drafted and sent to war as his older brother had been, that he would be forced to face German gunfire—become machine-gun fodder—igniting terrible fear in his childlike mind. His mother, my grandaunt May, came home from work one day to find her son hanging in their basement.

            Terrified like my grandaunt’s son, Cal Salley in my story hangs himself.

Ridicule, bullying, and angry, hurtful words all have consequences, sometimes consequences beyond our imagination, as the girls handing out white feathers learned, as even Addie, Dot, Ruth, and Susannah, the Ladies of the Lake, learn when they play what they consider a return prank on Mildred, an older girl who has long tormented them. 

Sadly, bullying and vehemence have become unwelcome invaders of our current culture. Political, ideological, and religious divides have spawned anger and unfiltered speech through social media and other outlets—all in the name of individual freedom, freedom of speech, and sometimes even righteousness. Hurtful words and condemnations that previously would have been thought unimaginable are spoken and written for public consumption. It is as if the words of Jesus to love our neighbor as ourselves have been forgotten, or as if the speakers and writers don’t realize hurtful words have real consequences.

On the other hand, there can be good consequences of our actions. One of the gems of my research for Ladies of the Lake revealed the great outpouring of help and support from

across Nova Scotia, the rest of Canada, the United States, and Great Britain as men and women rushed to aid Halifax after the horrific Halifax Explosion—that very day and for a long time to come.

So immediate and generous was the medical aid and donation of supplies from Boston that to this day—more than 100 years later—the people of Nova Scotia annually have their Department of Natural Resources annually scout the province to find the most beautiful evergreen tree and truck it 660 miles to the people of Boston. With ceremony and celebration, Bostonians proudly accept and display the tree in the Boston Common, where it remains lit throughout the Christmas season. Actions on the part of both countries have created a shared bond.

Adversity often seems to bring out the best in people. That was certainly true after the Halifax Explosion. Reading of the outpouring of compassion and generosity at that time reminded me of the generosity, great human kindness, and camaraderie I saw and experienced between Americans and from sympathetic leaders and citizens of other countries to the US after the attacks on 9/11. With all my heart I wish that we could again experience that kind of immediate compassion, friendship and understanding—without waiting for a devastating event to unite us.

Each time we speak or write or post on social media, or even walk out the door, we choose words and actions that will either ignite hurt and destruction or bring help and healing. Our every action bears a consequence. Will we be part of the world’s problem or part of the world’s solution? It’s up to us.

 

Bestselling, Christy Hall of Fame, and Carol and INSPY Award–winning author Cathy Gohlke writes novels steeped with inspirational lessons, speaking of world and life events through the lens of history. Her stories reveal how people break the chains that bind them and triumph over adversity through faith. When not traveling to historic sites for research, she and her husband, Dan, divide their time between northern Virginia and the Jersey Shore, enjoying time with their grown children and grandchildren. Visit her website at cathygohlke.com and find her on Facebook at CathyGohlkeBooks.

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Passing the Torch

By Cathy Gohlke

It’s nearly Thanksgiving and I’m counting life’s blessings. One of the greatest is books, and a family that devours them. We’ve read many classics both alone and aloud. Through books, I met mentors for life.

Sad to say, some of those great books are no longer popular. Is it the language, the style that creates obstacles for modern readers? Is it that those books are no longer sitting on end caps in brick-and-mortar stores, and room must be made for the push of new books each month online? I understand the short shelf life of books . . . after all, I’m a twenty-first-century author. But some books bear passing, like torches—setting aflame significant thoughts and ideas for a new generation. 

That’s the motivating force behind highlighting Christian classics in my novels—bringing stories of enduring value and the impassioned writers who penned them to new readers.

For example, the Christian’s life journey—its purpose, its pitfalls, its keys to eternal success—is painted in The Pilgrim’s Progress, a seventeenth-century book that was second only to the Bible for generations. John Bunyan’s book is featured as a companion in my novel Promise Me This, a Titanic-through-WWI love story that shows Christ’s sacrificial love for us and our response to that unmerited gift.

The importance and implications of asking ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” in every situation of life is the premise of Charles Sheldon’s nineteenth-century novel, In His Steps. This burning question is repeated by a group of women facing the perils of human trafficking and taking responsibility for sister victims in my book Band of Sisters, which takes place in the era of Ellis Island and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s TheCost of Discipleship, written before his imprisonment and execution during WWII, contrasts cheap grace and costly grace—the grace Jesus gave to rescue and redeem us. Bonhoeffer, as a cameo character, challenges an American journalist and the woman he falls for in Saving Amelie, where taking a stand for those most vulnerable in Nazi Germany means laying your life on the line.

Corrie ten Boom’s Christ-driven forgiveness of Nazi murderers—even though her sister was one of their victims (revealed in her book The Hiding Place)—was inspiration for characters facing the unthinkable in their own war-torn family in Secrets She Kept.

The challenge of believing Jesus loves us, died for us, and means for us to spend eternity with Him is brought home through a letter from C. S. Lewis (based on his writings) to my protagonist in Until We Find Home, a WWII Lake District story of embracing refugees, to be released in January.

There’s little we can give this world that will make a difference fifty years from now.  But, if through our writing we share books that have helped us, changed us, we will have shared the rich legacy we’ve received—and a springboard for the faith of a new generation.

I can’t think of better Christmas gifts for those we love.

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Three-time Christy and two-time Carol and INSPY Award–winning author Cathy Gohlke writes novels steeped with inspirational lessons from history. Her stories reveal how people break the chains that bind them and triumph over adversity through faith. When not traveling to historic sites for research, she, her husband, and their dog, Reilly, divide their time between northern Virginia and the Jersey Shore, enjoying time with their grown children and grandchildren. Visit her website at www.cathygohlke.com and find her on Facebook at CathyGohlkeBooks.