said.
“Stephen, you know what, though? Sometimes we so barely manage to find the Lord’s will. You know? Kind of like a needle in a haystack? If you keep searching and want to find it with all your heart, you will. Right?”
“Sometimes you know where it is, you feel deep down that you found it, and then, you can’t have it,” Stephen said very quietly.
A slow smile spread across Lizzie’s face. “You mean me, don’t you?”
“Yes, I mean you. Although you’re a lot bigger than a needle in a haystack.”
Lizzie laughed.
Chapter 9
A FEW WEEKS LATER , all the building permits had passed through the network of township ordinances, the bank had obligingly loaned Stephen and Lizzie the amount they needed for Stephen to get started on the house, and the bulldozer was scheduled to arrive.
Dat was fairly dancing with excitement. Mam said she declared he was getting better, MS or not. His mind was fully occupied with Stephen and Lizzie building a new house on the acre of ground Dat and Mam had given them. It was still a one-way street when Dat and Stephen were together, Dat doing all the talking, or rather, the greater portion by far, and Stephen quietly deciding things his way without much ado.
Mam said she was afraid Dat was a bit pushy, shoving all his own ideas on Stephen, but Lizzie assured her that Stephen could take care of himself. He just didn’t say much, then went ahead and did exactly what he wanted to do in the first place.
When Lizzie stood on the hillside and watched the huge bulldozer backing down off the trailer that had transported it, she put both hands to her mouth to hide her excitement. KatieAnn and Susan were with her, their eyes big with awe around this noisy, rattling monster.
Stephen and Dat walked over to them and grinned.
“Think he can dig your basement?” Dat asked.
“He’s certainly big and noisy enough!” Lizzie yelled above the clanking and chugging of the big machine.
The driver waved down at them, pulling levers and working pedals as he turned the bulldozer toward the four wooden stakes with plastic orange streamers tied to them, outlining where the house would be built. And then, just like a gigantic spoon over a dish of hard, frozen ice cream, he scooped up a layer of sod and set it aside.
Lizzie felt a bit sad for the poor warped little alfalfa plants which were taken from all the rest of the alfalfa plants on the hillside and cast aside by the bulldozer to die. It didn’t seem right. The little plants had to sacrifice their lives so she could live in her house on the hill. Sorry, little alfalfa, but you’d have to withstand the winter winds anyway, and then only to be cut and dried and eaten by a cow, she thought.
The huge yellow machine kept chewing and scraping at the alfalfa-covered hillside until a decided hole appeared, which swallowed up parts of the bulldozer as the driver dug away, or so it seemed.
Stephen stood and watched, his blue eyes alight, as Dat kept walking here and there, swinging his shovel and talking fast and loud whenever he passed by Stephen. Stephen smiled at Lizzie over Dat’s head, and she burst into laughter of pure joy. That was Dat! That was just how he was.
“I’m cold!” KatieAnn said, grasping Lizzie’s hand tightly as she burrowed her head into her sweater.
“Are you?” Lizzie asked, glancing at the twins, surprised to find their noses red with the brisk wind.
“Okay, come on. We’ll go down to Mam. This is long enough now. We know what he’ll be doing the rest of the day, right?”
Susan nodded, and turning, Lizzie walked briskly down the hill, the twins hopping and skipping along on either side, clinging to her hands.
They burst through the kitchen door. Mam stood at the stove, stirring something that smelled wonderful, the steam enveloping her face. She stepped back, lifting the spoon and knocking it against the rim of the kettle before smiling at them.
“Cold, isn’t it?” she said.
“Mam, you should see
“Stephen, you know what, though? Sometimes we so barely manage to find the Lord’s will. You know? Kind of like a needle in a haystack? If you keep searching and want to find it with all your heart, you will. Right?”
“Sometimes you know where it is, you feel deep down that you found it, and then, you can’t have it,” Stephen said very quietly.
A slow smile spread across Lizzie’s face. “You mean me, don’t you?”
“Yes, I mean you. Although you’re a lot bigger than a needle in a haystack.”
Lizzie laughed.
Chapter 9
A FEW WEEKS LATER , all the building permits had passed through the network of township ordinances, the bank had obligingly loaned Stephen and Lizzie the amount they needed for Stephen to get started on the house, and the bulldozer was scheduled to arrive.
Dat was fairly dancing with excitement. Mam said she declared he was getting better, MS or not. His mind was fully occupied with Stephen and Lizzie building a new house on the acre of ground Dat and Mam had given them. It was still a one-way street when Dat and Stephen were together, Dat doing all the talking, or rather, the greater portion by far, and Stephen quietly deciding things his way without much ado.
Mam said she was afraid Dat was a bit pushy, shoving all his own ideas on Stephen, but Lizzie assured her that Stephen could take care of himself. He just didn’t say much, then went ahead and did exactly what he wanted to do in the first place.
When Lizzie stood on the hillside and watched the huge bulldozer backing down off the trailer that had transported it, she put both hands to her mouth to hide her excitement. KatieAnn and Susan were with her, their eyes big with awe around this noisy, rattling monster.
Stephen and Dat walked over to them and grinned.
“Think he can dig your basement?” Dat asked.
“He’s certainly big and noisy enough!” Lizzie yelled above the clanking and chugging of the big machine.
The driver waved down at them, pulling levers and working pedals as he turned the bulldozer toward the four wooden stakes with plastic orange streamers tied to them, outlining where the house would be built. And then, just like a gigantic spoon over a dish of hard, frozen ice cream, he scooped up a layer of sod and set it aside.
Lizzie felt a bit sad for the poor warped little alfalfa plants which were taken from all the rest of the alfalfa plants on the hillside and cast aside by the bulldozer to die. It didn’t seem right. The little plants had to sacrifice their lives so she could live in her house on the hill. Sorry, little alfalfa, but you’d have to withstand the winter winds anyway, and then only to be cut and dried and eaten by a cow, she thought.
The huge yellow machine kept chewing and scraping at the alfalfa-covered hillside until a decided hole appeared, which swallowed up parts of the bulldozer as the driver dug away, or so it seemed.
Stephen stood and watched, his blue eyes alight, as Dat kept walking here and there, swinging his shovel and talking fast and loud whenever he passed by Stephen. Stephen smiled at Lizzie over Dat’s head, and she burst into laughter of pure joy. That was Dat! That was just how he was.
“I’m cold!” KatieAnn said, grasping Lizzie’s hand tightly as she burrowed her head into her sweater.
“Are you?” Lizzie asked, glancing at the twins, surprised to find their noses red with the brisk wind.
“Okay, come on. We’ll go down to Mam. This is long enough now. We know what he’ll be doing the rest of the day, right?”
Susan nodded, and turning, Lizzie walked briskly down the hill, the twins hopping and skipping along on either side, clinging to her hands.
They burst through the kitchen door. Mam stood at the stove, stirring something that smelled wonderful, the steam enveloping her face. She stepped back, lifting the spoon and knocking it against the rim of the kettle before smiling at them.
“Cold, isn’t it?” she said.
“Mam, you should see
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