The Healing Jar

The Healing Jar by Wanda Brunstetter is the third and final book in The Prayer Jars series, and I will say I enjoyed it just as much as the first two!

Wanda Brunstetter always has a way of bringing you into the lives of her characters, and this book and series has been no exception. This story of faith and family had me turning page after page wanting to finish the book, yet hating to see it and the series end.

As this is the third book in the series, I would recommend reading the first two books in this series prior to reading this book to fully understand this book.

I received a copy of this book from the author and Barbour Publishing, but was not required to give a positive review. This is my honest opinion of this book.

THE HEALING JAR. Wanda Brunsetter
Lenore is wondering when love will come for her, with two of her friends now married. At her grandparents home, still loved being there, now seeing that they were in need of love and assurance, unable to tend to the farm.
She took a new teaching position this year, close by. In the barn, on a shelf, she noticed a canning jar that had papers inside. Michelle came in, and notice that Lenore had found her jar, It was when she was living there and pretending to be Sara, she wrote them. Sara knew about them also, and there were more jars with notes in them. They never asked about them to the grandmother for some were personal. Mishap outside the school yard and Lenore falls into an old well. Jesse happen to come by and noticed the children. He probably saved her life, and realized the love for her. A second chance at love if she would forgive him for what he had said before.
Beautiful story and series of a love for the older, and the new love that comes in God’s time. Given an ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
by Net Galley and Barbour .

The Healing Jar is the third installment in The Prayer Jar series. You do need to read the books in order for the complete story. In this final book in the series, we get to know Lenore. Lenore is the local schoolteacher who dreams of having a happy marriage and a houseful of children. Unfortunately, the right man has not come along for Lenore. After Willis Lapp suffers a debilitating stroke, Lenore’s faith has weakened. She does not understand why bad things happen to good people like her grandparent’s. Jesse Smucker’s wife died giving birth to their daughter, Cindy. He left Kentucky to start anew away from the memories, but it is hard being a single parent. Jesse wants a marriage of convenience since he still loves his deceased wife, and he begins to court Lenore without telling her this little tidbit. I thought The Healing Jar was well-written with a gentle pace. It was lovely to revisit the Lapp family and catch up with them. Mary Ruth is a positive woman with strong faith which aids in her times of adversity. Michelle is shocked when Ezekiel wishes to move to New York. She wants her husband to find a job he loves, but Michelle does not want to be away from her family and friends. It is been a year and half since they married, and Michelle has yet to get pregnant which worries her. Sara and Brad are happily married, but Sara still wonders about the identity of her biological father. The Healing Jar is an emotional novel and you need to have a box of tissues nearby for some poignant scenes. I like the prayer jars and how each of our main characters find slips of paper that speak to them. There are scripture passages, prayers, and inspirational quotes inside the jar. Our characters pray for guidance and assistance. I admire their deep faith and how they can pray in front of others. They are good Christians and they live by example which is hard to do in this day and age. I did find some items repeated too often. An example is Jesse’s love for his wife, Esther and Michelle’s desire for children. There are discussion questions at the end of the book along with a recipe for Lenore’s Pineapple Philly Pie. The Healing Jar is a satisfying conclusion to this uplifting series.