The Guardian by Beverly Lewis

Bertie asked, standing very near her now.
    “I live in Vermont, but I’m house-sitting not far from here.”
    “House-sitting?”
    Jodi explained the concept of taking care of someone else’s home while they were away. “My cousin and his wife have a beautiful indoor cat that I’m caring for, too.” She’d seen several barn cats running around and wondered if Bertie had ever seen an animal as spoiled as the prim and proper Gigi.
    “So you’re cat-sitting, too?”
    “Strange as it may sound, I am.”
    Suddenly, the water started rushing forth, and Bertie squealed. She stepped back and clapped her hands, moving to grab the metal dipper. “Here, ya need this.”
    After all that work, only a dipperful? Jodi smiled, enjoying Bertie’s enthusiasm. It was apparent she suffered from some sort of physical disorder, as well as developmental delays. The trunk of her body was very round and disproportionate to the rest of her. But her demeanor was sweet and her joy refreshing.
    While Jodi sipped the cold water from the dipper, Leda stepped onto the back porch and held up a plastic pitcher, waving it at Bertie. “Wanna fill this up?”
    “ Gut idea,” Bertie mumbled, as if she wished she’d thought of it.
    “We’ll be ready to eat in a jiffy,” Mollie said, appearing aroundthe side of the house. “Might as well wash up. Maryanna’s headin’ this way.”
    Jodi looked over her shoulder and saw Maryanna coming from the pasture, her face red in the heat.
    “Sorry it took so long,” Maryanna called, taking long strides.
    “I’ve had good company,” Jodi replied with a glance at Bertie.
    This brought a bright smile to Bertie’s face, and she motioned for both Jodi and Maryanna to head inside with her. But Bertie stumbled on the porch steps and would have fallen if Jodi hadn’t reached out and caught her.
    “Ach, you’re gut at takin’ care of kids, ain’t so?” Maryanna commented.
    “I’ve had some practice,” Jodi admitted.
    “A family, then?”
    “No, I’m a teacher.” Well, I was… .
    “Oh? What do ya teach?” Maryanna asked as they made their way inside and to the table.
    “Third grade … I’m a classroom teacher.” She couldn’t bring herself to say that she’d been let go.
    “A gut teacher’s hard to come by.” Maryanna frowned suddenly.
    “That’s for sure.” Mollie looked up from the table, where she placed a large hot dish of creamy noodles with crumbled hamburger. “Just ask my husband, Jeremiah, and the rest of the school board.”
    “Ach, now, Mollie.” Maryanna shushed her. “Best be eatin’ our meal. Leda, go an’ ring the dinner bell for Benny and Tobias.”
    Leda immediately turned and leaned out the other kitchen door, where she pulled a cord to make the bell ring.
    “What about Sarah?” Fannie asked, going to stand at the foot of the stairs, inclining her head as if to listen for her younger cousin.
    “Let her sleep, poor thing. She must’ve been awake all last night,” Maryanna said, a catch in her voice. With that she sat at the head of the table, where Jodi assumed her husband had once sat.
    Then, pulling out the wooden chair where Maryanna directed her to sit, Jodi settled in at the quaint table. The picturesque wall calendar on the far end of the kitchen caught her eye. “And be not conformed to this world.” ~ Romans 12:2.
    Seeing it, Jodi felt she’d never been surrounded by a more visible example. She felt a sense of peace when Maryanna reached for Leda’s and Benny’s hands where they sat on either side of her, and Leda looked over and smiled shyly at Jodi, offering her other hand to her. Across the table, Mollie linked hands with her daughters.
    Maryanna bowed her head reverently for a silent table grace as everyone else did the same, a gesture that Jodi mimicked out of respect.
    When the lovely Amishwoman coughed a little, all heads bobbed up, and noticeable tears glistened beneath Maryanna’s eyes. The sight nudged Jodi’s heart, and she had