dance maybe two dances; the others their age
staring, and then they would retreat to their place. There was a
stage at the front of the hall where the caller and musicians would
play. The side curtains provided a barrier for young people to
talk.
They did nothing but talk, but when she returned to
the farm she would treasure every word that Henry had said. The
curtains around them drawn close together creating their own little
cubby hole within. Here, the rest of the world didnât exist. They
would spend part of the evening with their other friends, but they
cherished that time alone. Their companionship sheltered them both.
It was here that Henry shared his life with Christ and here that
Mary responded. It was here that their closeness began to develop.
Years later, their life would continue with the same sense of
closeness and self-sufficiency, relying on the Lord and each other
while still having the ability to not close themselves off from the
need of others.
Over the years, it was amazing to see the Cooperâs
love for each other. It was as solid and unmoving as the land
itself. The simple life of the farm made it easy to rely on each
other, but at the same time they never allowed the troubles of the
farm to enter their marriage.
They were childless, not by design, but by nature. It
was to this comfortable nest that Erik was brought that fateful
evening. Mary worried at times, and especially this evening as she
thought back over the past, that Henryâs and her closeness had not
allowed Erik room in their lives. They had tried as best they
could, but they had been married twenty-one years when Erik moved
to their house. Maybe they hadnât realized it and had shut Erik
out, no matter how hard they tried. Guilt is a terrible thing,
especially when it is unjustified. That evening guilt was tearing
at Mary as she remembered the nightmares of Jimmie and worried that
maybe she hadnât done enough to prevent Erikâs nightmares.
She didnât know. She could only pray and hope she had
done enough, and pray some more. But none of this allowed her to
sleep that night. Finally, in the morning hours, she gave up and
walked to the kitchen and started the coffee pot. As she opened the
drawer to pull out a spoon she noticed a worn corner of the metal
cabinets. They had installed metal cabinets in the farmhouse
because they were told they would last forever. However, the
porcelain had flaked off years ago and the cabinet showed its age.
Mary also felt her age, but at the same time she remembered how
often she had gone through the same morning routine. There were
days that started with joy and anticipation. There were days that
started after sleepless nights worrying about the crops or some
other crisis. Each day brought its own chores to be done, farm
tasks to be completed and sometimes tragedies to face.
As she looked at that worn edged she smiled. No
matter what the day brought, she still went on. Her life might seem
like that worn edge from day to day, but there had never been a
time that the Lord hadnât been faithful. Even as that old drawer
opened each time it was pulled, Christ would open a way, and she
needed to remember that. Every time to this date that her life had
been filled with fear, He had sheltered them. She knew He would be
true even today. She knew the same could be true for Erik. And she
waited for Erik to come to breakfast
Â
Â
When Erik went into the main house at 6:30 a.m., he
smelled the coffee that meant Aunt Mary was already up. She urged
him to go back and sleep longer. âThe fields can wait. Take a
couple of days and just relax.â Erik made some feeble excuses that
the work had to be done and it was his job. His only reaction to
the turmoil of the last thirty-six hours was to go back to what was
most familiar: the tractor and its endless laps around the stripes
of fields. He knew he was going to the fields today not for the
work, but the chance to sort things
staring, and then they would retreat to their place. There was a
stage at the front of the hall where the caller and musicians would
play. The side curtains provided a barrier for young people to
talk.
They did nothing but talk, but when she returned to
the farm she would treasure every word that Henry had said. The
curtains around them drawn close together creating their own little
cubby hole within. Here, the rest of the world didnât exist. They
would spend part of the evening with their other friends, but they
cherished that time alone. Their companionship sheltered them both.
It was here that Henry shared his life with Christ and here that
Mary responded. It was here that their closeness began to develop.
Years later, their life would continue with the same sense of
closeness and self-sufficiency, relying on the Lord and each other
while still having the ability to not close themselves off from the
need of others.
Over the years, it was amazing to see the Cooperâs
love for each other. It was as solid and unmoving as the land
itself. The simple life of the farm made it easy to rely on each
other, but at the same time they never allowed the troubles of the
farm to enter their marriage.
They were childless, not by design, but by nature. It
was to this comfortable nest that Erik was brought that fateful
evening. Mary worried at times, and especially this evening as she
thought back over the past, that Henryâs and her closeness had not
allowed Erik room in their lives. They had tried as best they
could, but they had been married twenty-one years when Erik moved
to their house. Maybe they hadnât realized it and had shut Erik
out, no matter how hard they tried. Guilt is a terrible thing,
especially when it is unjustified. That evening guilt was tearing
at Mary as she remembered the nightmares of Jimmie and worried that
maybe she hadnât done enough to prevent Erikâs nightmares.
She didnât know. She could only pray and hope she had
done enough, and pray some more. But none of this allowed her to
sleep that night. Finally, in the morning hours, she gave up and
walked to the kitchen and started the coffee pot. As she opened the
drawer to pull out a spoon she noticed a worn corner of the metal
cabinets. They had installed metal cabinets in the farmhouse
because they were told they would last forever. However, the
porcelain had flaked off years ago and the cabinet showed its age.
Mary also felt her age, but at the same time she remembered how
often she had gone through the same morning routine. There were
days that started with joy and anticipation. There were days that
started after sleepless nights worrying about the crops or some
other crisis. Each day brought its own chores to be done, farm
tasks to be completed and sometimes tragedies to face.
As she looked at that worn edged she smiled. No
matter what the day brought, she still went on. Her life might seem
like that worn edge from day to day, but there had never been a
time that the Lord hadnât been faithful. Even as that old drawer
opened each time it was pulled, Christ would open a way, and she
needed to remember that. Every time to this date that her life had
been filled with fear, He had sheltered them. She knew He would be
true even today. She knew the same could be true for Erik. And she
waited for Erik to come to breakfast
Â
Â
When Erik went into the main house at 6:30 a.m., he
smelled the coffee that meant Aunt Mary was already up. She urged
him to go back and sleep longer. âThe fields can wait. Take a
couple of days and just relax.â Erik made some feeble excuses that
the work had to be done and it was his job. His only reaction to
the turmoil of the last thirty-six hours was to go back to what was
most familiar: the tractor and its endless laps around the stripes
of fields. He knew he was going to the fields today not for the
work, but the chance to sort things
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