Week 13

A man and a woman meet in high school in Rhode Island. He secretly gambles behind the school to get money to buy her a milkshake. They get married, he joins the army. After spending three years in and out of the hospital, he returns home and moves to Waite, Maine to start a farm with his young wife. Having one of their children die of leukemia at the age of 9 nearly tears the family apart. A family of equally hot-headed people and hitch-hikers and wanders who come and go, there are endless comedic tales of mishaps that occur on the prosperous farm in the middle of the Maine woods.

Meanwhile, states away, a young Registered Nurse and a young army man go to a community dance with two separate dates, but leave together. They start a life together, building from the ground up, for both of them were products of extremely poor families. Living in Detroit, Michigan and moving to Calais, Maine, the couple goes through tribulations trying to start a family, and are unable to have kids. They adopt a baby girl and a toddler boy and raise them on the craggy coast of a bay near Calais, Maine. A daughter who got into some trouble here and there and a son who had a witty in-put for every situation, this family has heart-warming tales of growing up and learning about love and life.


Both of these very different life paths lead, eventually, to two people meeting at a bar in Calais. This book is about all of the things that occur before that; the things both families endure, the lessons they learn and the stories they have to tell. Each of them have unique tales that are different and yet unique .

All of them come down to love.

The love that a husband and wife share, even if it means driving her crazy like when Don used to torture Jean by poking fun at her Italian back ground. Or when Jim bought Catherine a diamond, and when she lost the diamond from the ring, he went out and bought her a new one. Even though she found the diamond while vacuuming, Jim only smiled and said, "Well now you have two rings."

Or it's the love that siblings share, even in the midst of tragedies. All of the stories in the book lead up to when a new chapter begins. The stories remind you of the value and the purpose of life, and they teach you the importance of family and how it truly is the most important thing in life.