GOD is Watching the Apples

Capturing the central theme of this book, John Salerno shares a story he told as a church youth leader to illustrate the point that God constantly watches over us, even when we are unaware of it, and even in spite of our doubts. A young boy going through the cafeteria line notices a sign that reads, "Take only one apple. God is watching," so as he passes the cookies, he makes up his own sign and places it front of them. "Take as many as you want... God is Watching the Apples Journey with John Salerno and Betsy Tooker in this often heart-warming, sometimes heart-breaking, and always inspiring book. In unflinchingly honest first person accounts, they share with author Chuck Miceli and you the reader, their individual life stories intermingled with their faith, and the surprising and sometimes incredible History of Tops Marketplace. GOD is Watching the Apples provides a deeply intimate look into people who devoted their lives, their fortunes and their relationships to making a business succeed and explores in-depth, the themes that marked this incredible journey: Grit: George and Julia Topshe opened Tops Market in 1951. The tiny 'box' store with a single cash register sat in a very rural area of the state. Some of the locals chided them, "Who ya gonna sell groceries to: The cows?" When John and his partner, Jack Kastner, bought Tops, they dedicated ten percent of their profits to charity. John later shares, "I was the numbers man and became convinced that at the rate we were going, we'd soon be out of cash and out of business. Do you know what this means?" Jack replied, "Yes, we just have to give more." Grief: John and Betsy chronicle the sacrifices and lives of so many loved ones they lost along the way. In particular, John relates the toll that business stresses took on his relationship with his wife, Nancylee, and lays bare his failures for the reader to assess. Then, just when it seemed as though hope could triumph over ordeal, Nancylee was killed by a wrong-way drunk driver. John laments, "My soul mate, my traveling companion, confidant and lover, was gone; her life cut short by a careless, senseless, merciless act, and I didn't know how I could go on living without her." God: Betsy Tooker recalls clearly her impression of the new Tops owners, "When John and Jack bought the store in 1979, in plain English, they didn't know a damn thing about the grocery business, but they were hell bent on dedicating it to God." John recalls "When the hospital finally released me, I was still delirious and I couldn't walk. I was convinced that they had sent me home to die but then Jack came to visit me and after hearing me complain, he grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me violently while shouting, "God isn't finished with you, John. God is not going to let you die!" Groceries: (Chuck) "When John and Betsy first approached me about working with them on writing this book, I hesitated. After all, how much of a story could there be about a grocery store? I couldn't have been more wrong. (Betsy) "On march 3, 2019, we experienced a devastating blow that we thought might finally signal the end of Tops... For me, the tipping point occurred after they demolished the burned out shell of what used to be our store... As I looked over the empty lot, I saw a single, beautiful flower that had pushed its way out of the ground and was growing through the dirt and in that moment, I knew. I pointed to the flower and said, 'There's your answer. We have to rebuild.'" Read GOD is Watching the Apples and let it make you laugh, and cry, and even more than that, let it inspire you with the power of its enduring story of faith, hope, and love.