1. At the beginning of the book, Macy is struggling with Chase’s return. Why do you think she is conflicted about letting him into her life again? What would you do if you were in her position?
2. Brenda has perpetuated her own grief by creating some traditions that her children think are rather morbid. What are they? Have you ever known someone who created a similar tradition in response to grief? Did the tradition help them move forward or halt their process?
3. Macy states several times that she knows that God is not a genie in a bottle, not in the business of granting desperate wishes. Can you remember a time you treated Him as though He was? How did that affect your prayers?
4. Macy won “second prize” (the colored pencils) in the shell contest and used those pencils to draw her first picture in the guest book. She says, “Sometimes second prize can change your life.” Is there a time that not coming in first ultimately benefited you far more than winning would have?
5. Max has struggles of his own and looks to Macy to come to his rescue. What are some of the things Macy does differently at Sunset Beach that ultimately create a different outcome for Max?
6. Which man were you rooting for Macy to be with? Do you think she ended up with the right one? Did she really need to end up with one at all?
7. Macy’s search for the artist leads to a dead-end—or so she initially thought. But does it? Instead of finding the artist, she finds The Artist. How can looking at your life as a series of pictures He has drawn for you—a message of His love for you—change the way you see your life?
8. What pictures has The Artist drawn for you today?