April is standing at the edge of a pond on the day of her husband's funeral, wondering why she didn't talk him out of joining the Marines, and why God didn't keep him safe for her as she had prayed for time and again. Her question is answered -- in a stranger, in memories, and in a gift from a bird. If Love Were Enough by Regina Puckett is a story that displays the emotional struggle when fervent prayers and good living aren't rewarded in the way you expect.
This story is short but strong. It tugged at my heartstrings on the first page, not for the subject matter, which was as sad a situation as a person could face -- but for its honesty. Without over dramatizing, author Regina Puckett went straight to the point and, without apologizing, showed how betrayed by God a person can feel when her world is shattered and she feels alone and too small to be noticed or cared about. And in just as brief of a span, the author also shows where God can be found even on the darkest day. Although some elements of the story have a mysticism that may be hard to accept and rare to behold, there are also elements of reality that are present and easy to grasp on the precipice. The story raises the question "If Love Were Enough" then how can a good person be in such a sad situation? If only in real life the answers were so immediate and obvious as in this story ... but then again, maybe they are, if only we have the eyes to see.