A synopsis for a novel
First love is unforgettable--no one knows that better than Magnolia Ann Gardner, who couldn't start living in the moment if she tried. In the attic of her mind she'd ponder, "why?" and "what if. . .?" Why did her first love, Ashton Lee Johnson, break their engagement? What if he had not left town? Now, years later, she finds an old photo. To Mag, this is as odd as Ash's bizarre behavior on that fateful day on Sugar Mountain. He had left her and the unborn child he never knew--a child who had mysteriously died.
Returning to their southern hometown for their 40th high school reunion, Mag and Ash reconnect and she learns the truth about his abrupt departure. His father, blackmailed by another girl's family, had forced him to marry and move away. Now dying of cancer, Ash begs Mag to spend his remaining days with him. He promises never to leave her again. She agrees, although she knows she faces heartbreak again.
After Ash's death, Mag becomes obsessed with the butterflies that land on his grave. She is certain they carry a message from her beloved Ash. In the depths of her sadness and despair, she meets wise old Scratch, who teaches her how to squeeze all the juice out of each day. Dream like you'll live forever, but live like it's your last day. He explains how butterflies know more about living than humans. How they live without regret.
Will Mag realize the eternal message from Ash? Can she learn to live in the moment and forgive him for leaving her again, in time to welcome one last bit of news from the past?
Life is uncertain, so, like the butterfly, savor the sweet nectar of the moment.
Returning to their southern hometown for their 40th high school reunion, Mag and Ash reconnect and she learns the truth about his abrupt departure. His father, blackmailed by another girl's family, had forced him to marry and move away. Now dying of cancer, Ash begs Mag to spend his remaining days with him. He promises never to leave her again. She agrees, although she knows she faces heartbreak again.
After Ash's death, Mag becomes obsessed with the butterflies that land on his grave. She is certain they carry a message from her beloved Ash. In the depths of her sadness and despair, she meets wise old Scratch, who teaches her how to squeeze all the juice out of each day. Dream like you'll live forever, but live like it's your last day. He explains how butterflies know more about living than humans. How they live without regret.
Will Mag realize the eternal message from Ash? Can she learn to live in the moment and forgive him for leaving her again, in time to welcome one last bit of news from the past?
Life is uncertain, so, like the butterfly, savor the sweet nectar of the moment.