from her.
Shannon rose from her chair and came around to Alice’s side of the table. “Todd, would you fetch a blanket for your mother? We don’t want her taking a chill while she’s outdoors. And a pillow, please.”
“Sure.” Her son jumped to his feet and tossed a grin in Alice’s direction. “I’ll get ’em, Ma.”
Shannon offered the crook of her arm to aid Alice to her feet, then the two women walked slowly out to the veranda and around to the sunny side where Alice sat on one of the wooden chairs waiting there. Soon Todd reappeared, blanket and pillow in his arms. First the pillow went behind Alice’s back, and afterward Shannon tucked the blanket snugly around her legs.
Alice took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. “Heavenly,” she whispered.
“Todd,” Shannon said, “will you stay with your mother while I take care of the dishes?”
“Sure.” He sank to the floor of the porch.
“I won’t be long,” Shannon added before walking away.
Nugget scampered around the corner of the veranda and hopped onto Todd’s lap. The puppy’s paws hit her son’s chest and his tongue swiped his face again and again. Todd laughed as he tried to escape the uninvited bath. Nugget’s tail wagged back and forth like a metronome in a frenzy.
Watching them, Alice laughed too. It felt good to laugh, to feel an ordinary pleasure in life, to forget that there were too few of these kinds of moments left to her. Ah, but that thought was sad, and she didn’t want to be sad today.
“Stop it, Nugget!” Todd protested, still laughing, proving he really didn’t mind.
The puppy ignored him anyway.
“Here,” Alice said. “Give him to me. Before long, he’ll be too big to sit in anyone’s lap. Look at those paws. When he grows into them, look out.”
Todd stood, pup in arms, and placed Nugget in her lap. Alice pressed her face against the puppy’s soft coat on the back of his neck and rubbed her forehead back and forth. The fur tickled her nose, and again she laughed, the sweetness of this day, this moment, bursting within her a second time.
Thank You, God. Thank You. Thank You .
From the corner of the house, Shannon observed Alice, Todd, and the puppy. Though the tenderness of the scene made her smile, at the same time unshed tears of sorrow caused the threesome to swim before her eyes.
There were things she, as someone who’d learned how to nurse the sick and dying, could do to ease the pain of Alice Jackson’s moving from this life into the next, but there was nothing she or any physician could do to stop it from happening. She hated the helplessness she felt at such moments. Alice shouldn’t have to die at such a young age. She shouldn’t have to leave her son an orphan.
I’ve seen too much death already. Too much death .
God’s will be done. That’s what her father would tell her. And Shannon truly did want God’s will. Only she would much prefer that
His will wasn’t so difficult at times. She felt a twinge of guilt, realizing that what she wanted was for His will not to be difficult for her. She’d seen too much death.
Forgive me, Lord. I don’t want to be selfish, to think only of myself. Help me to be more like Father, to serve and not want to be served .
“How is she?”
Her heart raced as she glanced over her shoulder, her prayer forgotten in an instant. Matthew stood mere inches away, and she was all too aware of his height and breadth. Though no later than one o’clock, there was already a shadow beneath the skin of his clean-shaven face. Would it feel rough beneath her fingertips if she touched it? An almost overwhelming desire to discover the answer swept over her. Swallowing hard, she turned toward Alice again, answering in a whisper, “She seems stronger today.”
“Good. I’m glad you think so. I thought so too.”
It seemed an eternity, but at last he moved a step or two away. Her breathing eased.
“I won’t disturb her,” he said in a way that caused a
Shannon rose from her chair and came around to Alice’s side of the table. “Todd, would you fetch a blanket for your mother? We don’t want her taking a chill while she’s outdoors. And a pillow, please.”
“Sure.” Her son jumped to his feet and tossed a grin in Alice’s direction. “I’ll get ’em, Ma.”
Shannon offered the crook of her arm to aid Alice to her feet, then the two women walked slowly out to the veranda and around to the sunny side where Alice sat on one of the wooden chairs waiting there. Soon Todd reappeared, blanket and pillow in his arms. First the pillow went behind Alice’s back, and afterward Shannon tucked the blanket snugly around her legs.
Alice took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. “Heavenly,” she whispered.
“Todd,” Shannon said, “will you stay with your mother while I take care of the dishes?”
“Sure.” He sank to the floor of the porch.
“I won’t be long,” Shannon added before walking away.
Nugget scampered around the corner of the veranda and hopped onto Todd’s lap. The puppy’s paws hit her son’s chest and his tongue swiped his face again and again. Todd laughed as he tried to escape the uninvited bath. Nugget’s tail wagged back and forth like a metronome in a frenzy.
Watching them, Alice laughed too. It felt good to laugh, to feel an ordinary pleasure in life, to forget that there were too few of these kinds of moments left to her. Ah, but that thought was sad, and she didn’t want to be sad today.
“Stop it, Nugget!” Todd protested, still laughing, proving he really didn’t mind.
The puppy ignored him anyway.
“Here,” Alice said. “Give him to me. Before long, he’ll be too big to sit in anyone’s lap. Look at those paws. When he grows into them, look out.”
Todd stood, pup in arms, and placed Nugget in her lap. Alice pressed her face against the puppy’s soft coat on the back of his neck and rubbed her forehead back and forth. The fur tickled her nose, and again she laughed, the sweetness of this day, this moment, bursting within her a second time.
Thank You, God. Thank You. Thank You .
From the corner of the house, Shannon observed Alice, Todd, and the puppy. Though the tenderness of the scene made her smile, at the same time unshed tears of sorrow caused the threesome to swim before her eyes.
There were things she, as someone who’d learned how to nurse the sick and dying, could do to ease the pain of Alice Jackson’s moving from this life into the next, but there was nothing she or any physician could do to stop it from happening. She hated the helplessness she felt at such moments. Alice shouldn’t have to die at such a young age. She shouldn’t have to leave her son an orphan.
I’ve seen too much death already. Too much death .
God’s will be done. That’s what her father would tell her. And Shannon truly did want God’s will. Only she would much prefer that
His will wasn’t so difficult at times. She felt a twinge of guilt, realizing that what she wanted was for His will not to be difficult for her. She’d seen too much death.
Forgive me, Lord. I don’t want to be selfish, to think only of myself. Help me to be more like Father, to serve and not want to be served .
“How is she?”
Her heart raced as she glanced over her shoulder, her prayer forgotten in an instant. Matthew stood mere inches away, and she was all too aware of his height and breadth. Though no later than one o’clock, there was already a shadow beneath the skin of his clean-shaven face. Would it feel rough beneath her fingertips if she touched it? An almost overwhelming desire to discover the answer swept over her. Swallowing hard, she turned toward Alice again, answering in a whisper, “She seems stronger today.”
“Good. I’m glad you think so. I thought so too.”
It seemed an eternity, but at last he moved a step or two away. Her breathing eased.
“I won’t disturb her,” he said in a way that caused a
Similar Books
