The Yearning of Hope

Like in The Coincidence of Hope, in life-and even in death-people are bound together. In The Yearning of Hope, this includes five lives, counting a Search and Rescue German Shepherd named Alex.

A family is killed in a tragic traffic accident, and the children, Sam and Hope, are allowed a second chance at life. Although they aren't together as brother and sister, the odds seem to be working in their favor.

Mike Stebbins is an average guy with an average life. He loves his wife, Julie, and his job. Yes, going to accident and crime scenes is tough, but having his Search and Rescue dog, Alex, at his side makes those scenes bearable.

Julie Stebbins is an average woman with an average life. She loves her husband, Mike, and her job. Yes, working as a nurse in a hospital's emergency department is tough, but having a great husband to share those experiences with makes them bearable.

And then their lives are turned upside-down.

Mike and Alex attend a tragic accident where a family of four were killed, including a brother and sister named Sam and Hope. At the same time as the accident, Julie witnesses a dying mother giving birth to a baby girl. The deaths affect Mike and Julie, even to the point of hoping to adopt the baby girl, who they call Hope. It also affects Sam, whose ghost now exists within Alex's German Shepherd form.

Yes, the odds seem to be working in favor of Sam and Hope's reunion as brother and sister, but the odds sometimes have a way of changing when we least expect it.

Because of a bizarre set of circumstances, Mike and Julie are forced to choose between keeping their beloved dog, Alex, and adopting Hope. This could separate Sam and Hope yet again, and if things don't work out, Mike and Julie's choice may also cost them their marriage.

The Yearning of Hope is the second novel of this series from J. Willis Sanders that further delves into how we may not understand ourselves until we understand each other.