The Promised Piece: The Inspirational Journey of Two Lifelong Friends

The Promised Piece is the inspirational journey of two girls, Ford (Carol Ford Jennings) and Lucky (Marilyn Lutke Emery) who have remained lifetime friends. From elementary school to present park bench conversations as active retirees, you will travel with and experience Carol and Marilyn's forever friendship journey.

Ford and Lucky share their conversations and events while attending grades K-12 at Godfrey-Lee Public School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Included are their experiences with the Lee High School (LHS) group of sisters called Draco. The group, known in adulthood as The Ten, continued a longtime friendship through college, careers, marriages, birth of children, and family issues, with a sharing and caring attitude.

The LHS classmates who graduated with Carol and Marilyn in 1960 also became forever friends. You will read about the five-year class reunions and other dinners held over the years.

God led the way for Carol, Marilyn, and their friends as they were planted, nourished, grew, and bloomed through healthy lifestyles, joys, and sorrows, to become one large family. You'll realize the fun they experienced and how a lifetime relationship became such a precious gift.

Marilyn documented Carol's and her past experiences and read the manuscript aloud until Carol was physically able to contribute to the storyline. Carol shared her ideas with additional details about her life, health issues, and survival. The Ten and also a few male classmates submitted pieces for The Promised Piece as well.

Upon conclusion of the friendship story, Carol compared the process to that of birthing a baby. The usual nine months became ten years for the project to fully develop, with additional time for the book to be published.

Marilyn felt the writing process from beginning to end was like an artist painting a beautiful canvas of flowers. It took time to get the proper perspective by patiently sketching then painting each petal, adding color, tone, and texture, and finally upon perfection, the artistic piece was framed and enjoyed.

The project concluded with thankfulness to God for giving Carol and Marilyn the motivation and determination to finish The Promised Piece, thus fulfilling their promise to each other.