In the Stink of Life Smell the Rose of Sharon

It was bad enough that the doctors thought I might losemy mind, that my skin was transparent and the veinsrunning through my body stood out like a roadmap…confinement to a wheelchair was like a last strawAge twelve is a pivotal year in most children's lives, but forCarol it was marked by the sudden onset of illness. Onthe threshold of womanhood, Carol struggles to reconcile theknowledge of her Christian faith with the reality of hercircumstance; a terminal diagnosis, medication that couldcause her to lose her mind, physical pain, loss of friendships, and rejection at church.Is God the faithful healer? Are her fellow parishioners correctin saying she is being judged by God? Would death be betterthan the struggle to live? On the other hand, maybe theprophecies and dreams surrounding her shattered life areordained by God.Carol Lebeda Johnson is married to Rev. Orville Johnson and is the motherof two children, Joshua and Lucas. A trained medical transcriptionist and medicalsecretary, Carol has chosen to stay at home and raise her children in lieu of aprofessional career. Carol graduated from the Institute of Children's Literature, and over the years has written, and published several poems and short stories. As aguest speaker in Central America, she has shared her miraculous life story withhundreds of women, inspiring them to Smell The Rose of Sharon.