Girlfriend, It's Just a Storm

 

I had the opportunity of attending a church play that had a friend and her daughter as part of the cast. The title Girlfriend, It's Just a Storm was performed at The Star once known as New Rising Star Baptist Church. 

The play concerns four friends who meet for lunch just to catch up after a number of years being apart. Each friend is experiencing  "a storm" in her life. None share their storm out loud in detail to  the others. Later, we see each one of the characters in her own vignette revealing what her life struggle is.

 Will  Jane's *  breast cancer surgery and reconstruction be successful?  Will her fiancé still want to marry her after such a body and life altering experience?

pictured  l.to.r. : Jane, Jane's, fiancé and  mother.

Between scene changes we were treated with humor by, 

                                                      Two Ladies and a Pocketbook

                                                                            ***

As a self-employed business woman, Diane is facing bankruptcy due to the pandemic and a backlog in shipment of merchandise.  This predicament finds her plagued by creditors, utilities in arrears and  repossession of her car.

 Since the death of his brother Shirley's  husband  no longer attends church service  or spends time with her, 

                                          Two Ladies and a Pocketbook

***

 Mary is a hospital worker whose mother has dementia.  The in-home caregiver's own mother has fallen and she'll be leaving immediately to take care of her. This leaves Mary in a dilemma. Who can she get to care for her mother on such short notice? 

In each scene, unseen by the characters, an angel comes to them with news of hope and trust in God telling them they're only going through a storm in life.

The Outcome

Jane*  is cancer free, her reconstruction  a success and her fiancé  still loves her

Diane receives  a letter stating that a rich relative has died leaving her $650,000.

Mary receives a call from the Home Care Service agency stating that they'll be sending out a Home Health Aide the next day along with improved meds for her mother.

Shirley's husband is visited by the angel. He prays and decides to reunite himself with the church and his wife.

When Shirley returns because she forgot her purse, her husband decides to attend church services with her.

                                                         ***

When the women reunite each one tells the storms they have experienced and how God made a way and saw them through.

 The cast of,  Girlfriend, It's Just a Storm

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Playwright, Mona Dilworth, author of Girlfriend, It's Just a Storm, accepting flowers

* Jane- I was unable to remember the character's name so I named her Jane.

That's it ⛪⛪⛪

BOOK REPORT: Recipe For a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

      2018. Nate and Alice Hale move from busy New York City to a dilapidated 1940’s fixer-upper complete with the former occupant’s belongings in the quiet suburb of Greenville. Nate is ecstatic. Alice, not so much. Happy that Alice has resigned her PR position Nate feels it’s the perfect time to start a family and Alice can write the book she’s anticipated for so long.


Alice isn’t so sure she’s ready for a family. She’s at a loss without her PR job. Whoever heard of being fired for one innocent mistake. Alice feels alone and foreign in suburbia until she meets he older neighbor, Sally.  


1955, Nellie Murdoch, has the perfect life. Husband, home, and a beautiful garden she loves tending. The garden reminds Nellie of the fun times she and her spent together when she was a child. 


Her husband Richard is desperate for Nellie to become pregnant so that he too can prove his masculinity becoming a father like his male counterparts. Nellie has been pregnant before but miscarried the day Richard arrived home from work finding Nellie working in the garden instead of preparing his after work cocktail and placing dinner on the table. A furious Richard chastened her too roughly. 

Nellie finds a friend in Miriam her older neighbor who sees and hears the abuse.  Richard doesn’t allow his abusive nature to be seen by anyone. That would make things imperfect.

Nellie entrusts Miriam to hold on to letters she writes to her mother but never mails. 

In 2018, Miriam’s daughter, Sally gives the letters to Alice. Upon reading their contents, Alice is privy to Nellie’s life as a “perfect” wife. It also opens her mind to what she wants in life.

 As the author relates the stories of both women, the reader can see how both want to be seen, heard and recognized as a person. Examine the similarities and difference in the lives of two separate women living 63 years apart. 

Throughout the book. Alice's chapters begin with an admonition on the duties of a perfect wife.

Nellie's chapters begin with a rolling pin icon and  recipe that the author has collected from vintage cookbooks or one of her own.

My experience making  Herbed Cheese Popovers. From the 5 Roses Cook Book (1913)

Additional recipes and credits 

The covers of this books speak volumes. On the hard cover the title obliterates the woman's face indicating her lack of worth. The paperback copy shows the imperfections of the woman displaying her as jagged. Yet in another sense it could symbolize the many facets of this person. Her face is also covered.

!!!!SPOILER ALERT !!!: I subscribe to Cityline on Facebook. Two of the personalities were discussing the book with its author. If you want to know what was discussed click the Cityline link above. The video is about 18 minutes long.

NOTE: I did notice that the title on the books they have don't cover the woman.

This was a fantastic read. It had surprises that I didn't even know were coming. But I guess that's what a surprise is.😃 If there's a sequel, I'll be in line for it.

That's it ***