I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, the Sovereign Lord says. Coming of age through suffering in the Great Depression, a wild mountain boy meets a serious young widow. They start a new family only to be separated by World War II. Like a williwaw squall that sweeps the Aleutian islands, the war uproots young dreams, detours voyages, and hides enemy forces. Are Helens prayers a match for the call of the wild when Sim crosses paths with men who find adventure and fortune with international construction companies? Is psychology or theology a better explanatory frame for the question Robert Frost posed in The Road Not Taken?
Virginia L. Douglas, Ed.D, was enchanted by the poem, The Road Not Taken, early in life. From farm to university; from daughter to wife and parent to grandparent; from student to teacher and therapist her way passed through many places and many family stories. But the greatest mystery she ever encountered was the power of prayer: after every wrong turn, can mercy still be found? She affirms that in wrath, remember mercy, is an awesome prayer to the God of the Universe. Retired after 30 years in community mental health in Las Vegas, Nevada she takes courses and volunteers to be with people in crisis and trauma through secular and faith-based organizations. “I’d rather be a responder than a victim,” she says. Her favorite way to be with people is in conversation and prayer.