I am."
Is she heartbroken? If that was true, just how was he to go aboul approaching the Lord with that news? Most daughters drew strength from their mothers or older sisters, and Lydiann was
95
blessed to have Leah, Sadie, and Lizzie near. Why on earth she'd anight him out, he didn't know.
(loing back to his rocking chair, Abram nodded and sat down, in,iking his familiar whispered grunt, as he always had prior to a mIcmi prayer. But his young Lydiann had asked specifically, so he hir.nlied in, asking God for divine strength, and began. "Father in lic.ivcii, I come before you with my dear daughter Lydiann in mind. She's downright heartsick and in need of your help, and I humbly a>,k lor your presence to come now and fill her with divine peace and joy . . . even understandin'. In the holy name of our Lord Jesus, I i-.k (his. Amen."
I Ic heard Lydiann's sniffles and was hesitant to open his eyes lest Im embarrass her. But she surprised him by reaching to touch the li.u k of his hand. "What I must do is the worst and best thing I'll ever do in my life," she whispered. "Keep on prayin' for me, Dat. I''.very single day. I need it something awful."
Well, now she had his interest but good, and his heart beat double time. "I promise I will continue talking to the Lord God about your sadness, daughter."
"Denki, Dat." She stood and kissed his forehead before hurrying out" of the kitchen.
lie might've stayed put there, soaking in the sweetness of his youngest daughter in the stillness, but he got himself up and lumhered across the room to the stairs. He meant to help Lizzie take down her long*brown hair from its bun again tonight, knowing she would be grateful, given her broken and painful thumb, even i hough his dabbich fingers and the hairpins didn't mix so well.
Making his way to the stairs, Abram offered up another prayer, i h is one silent, for whatever was ailing Lydiann, dear girl that she was.
Shoe polishing was a regular occurrence every other Saturday night, and Hannah quickly lined up each of her daughters' black Sunday-go-to-meeting shoes alongside her husband's big ones, placing them on waxed paper on the kitchen table. She could hear Ida
96
Mae and Katie Ann and Mimi playing happily together in the front room, where Mimi was saying she was the Amish doctor, "for pictend." On any other Saturday Hannah might've stopped to ask her eldest, ten-year-old Ida, for help with the chore, but she wished to be alone with her thoughts, still reeling as she was from Gid's firm no to her request to invite Zachariah and Mary Ann Henner over for supper.
His refusal makes no sense, she thought, wondering why he'd objected to having a nice hot meal with good folk from a neighboring church district. She suspected his response was somehow related to having gotten another earful from Dat not too many days ago, because he was now saying things like they best be looking to the Lord God for their family's healing, as well as other things. " 'Tis time we relied more on the Word of God."
She knew better than to speak out of turn to her husband, being that she was his helper, not his equal. But now that Gid was down working at the barn again with her Bible-reading father, she was stewing plenty.
He's one of the preachers, for pity's sake!
She must respect the divine ordination of her husband, yet she was eager to get better acquainted with the Henners. Had Gid put his foot down because of studying the Bible? He had even been reciting Scripture here lately, which was considered a serious form of pride. She recalled the bishop stating yet again at Preaching service recently that the Bible was not to be freely read and explored except by those ordained of God: in short, bishops and preachers. And since Gid is a preacher, it must be all right, Hannah decided. All the same, she couldn't help but wonder if Dat's influence wasn't steadily spilling over onto him.
Being an obedient woman, she set about shining her husband's church shoes,
Is she heartbroken? If that was true, just how was he to go aboul approaching the Lord with that news? Most daughters drew strength from their mothers or older sisters, and Lydiann was
95
blessed to have Leah, Sadie, and Lizzie near. Why on earth she'd anight him out, he didn't know.
(loing back to his rocking chair, Abram nodded and sat down, in,iking his familiar whispered grunt, as he always had prior to a mIcmi prayer. But his young Lydiann had asked specifically, so he hir.nlied in, asking God for divine strength, and began. "Father in lic.ivcii, I come before you with my dear daughter Lydiann in mind. She's downright heartsick and in need of your help, and I humbly a>,k lor your presence to come now and fill her with divine peace and joy . . . even understandin'. In the holy name of our Lord Jesus, I i-.k (his. Amen."
I Ic heard Lydiann's sniffles and was hesitant to open his eyes lest Im embarrass her. But she surprised him by reaching to touch the li.u k of his hand. "What I must do is the worst and best thing I'll ever do in my life," she whispered. "Keep on prayin' for me, Dat. I''.very single day. I need it something awful."
Well, now she had his interest but good, and his heart beat double time. "I promise I will continue talking to the Lord God about your sadness, daughter."
"Denki, Dat." She stood and kissed his forehead before hurrying out" of the kitchen.
lie might've stayed put there, soaking in the sweetness of his youngest daughter in the stillness, but he got himself up and lumhered across the room to the stairs. He meant to help Lizzie take down her long*brown hair from its bun again tonight, knowing she would be grateful, given her broken and painful thumb, even i hough his dabbich fingers and the hairpins didn't mix so well.
Making his way to the stairs, Abram offered up another prayer, i h is one silent, for whatever was ailing Lydiann, dear girl that she was.
Shoe polishing was a regular occurrence every other Saturday night, and Hannah quickly lined up each of her daughters' black Sunday-go-to-meeting shoes alongside her husband's big ones, placing them on waxed paper on the kitchen table. She could hear Ida
96
Mae and Katie Ann and Mimi playing happily together in the front room, where Mimi was saying she was the Amish doctor, "for pictend." On any other Saturday Hannah might've stopped to ask her eldest, ten-year-old Ida, for help with the chore, but she wished to be alone with her thoughts, still reeling as she was from Gid's firm no to her request to invite Zachariah and Mary Ann Henner over for supper.
His refusal makes no sense, she thought, wondering why he'd objected to having a nice hot meal with good folk from a neighboring church district. She suspected his response was somehow related to having gotten another earful from Dat not too many days ago, because he was now saying things like they best be looking to the Lord God for their family's healing, as well as other things. " 'Tis time we relied more on the Word of God."
She knew better than to speak out of turn to her husband, being that she was his helper, not his equal. But now that Gid was down working at the barn again with her Bible-reading father, she was stewing plenty.
He's one of the preachers, for pity's sake!
She must respect the divine ordination of her husband, yet she was eager to get better acquainted with the Henners. Had Gid put his foot down because of studying the Bible? He had even been reciting Scripture here lately, which was considered a serious form of pride. She recalled the bishop stating yet again at Preaching service recently that the Bible was not to be freely read and explored except by those ordained of God: in short, bishops and preachers. And since Gid is a preacher, it must be all right, Hannah decided. All the same, she couldn't help but wonder if Dat's influence wasn't steadily spilling over onto him.
Being an obedient woman, she set about shining her husband's church shoes,
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