not tell them.”
Asa shook his head. “Micah has been through enough heartache. I don’t want to spoil his happiness.”
“That’s how Beth felt too. She didn’t want to spoil his happiness either.”
“Well, she didn’t tell anyone . . . at least I told you ,” he said, putting his arm around her. “And we’re doing something about it.”
Maddie smiled. It was true. They were doing something about it, and hopefully that something would work.
Asa opened the door, and Harper greeted them happily, wiggling all around. “Hey, there, missy,” Asa said. “Why don’t you go get busy. Your mother thinks you can’t hold your water, but you and I both know she’s the one with that problem.”
Laughing at the truth of his statement, Maddie hurried down the hall.
28
A s the congregation closed their hymnals, Laney felt jostling in the pew beside her. She looked over to see her two middle sons trying to gain possession of the only stubby pencil in the rack. She gave them a wilting look, and Ben let go, but Seth, looking vindicated and pleased, proceeded to draw on his program. She sighed. E and Gabe were both working, leaving her with only three to shepherd, but even so, two of the three couldn’t seem to behave. In fact, they were acting like two-year-olds!
Noah finished reading a passage from the New Testament about the last supper, and then invited the congregation to join him in prayer. Everyone bowed their heads, except Laney, who was lost in her own thoughts.
Noah had been quiet all day, and she looked up to watch him, standing behind the pulpit with his head bowed. His blond hair had started to come in darker underneath, and it was showing signs of silver in his sideburns. She listened to the sincerity in his solemn voice as he prayed, on behalf of the congregation, for forgiveness.
“Amen,” he said finally, looking up. He shuffled some papers and took a sip of water.
“Recently,” he began, “I came across a story about a young mother who was tucking her six-year-old son into bed, and as she did, she asked him, ‘Do you know what it means to be a Christian?’ The boy looked up at her, and with all the innocence of a child, answered, ‘Of course. You look at the cross, you think about what Jesus did, and then you become one of God’s guys.’ In that little fellow’s mind, it couldn’t have been simpler.
“Oftentimes, though, being one of ‘God’s guys’ means stepping out of one’s comfort zone, crossing that boundary, and sharing a bit of oneself. Today is one of those times . . .”
Laney’s heart pounded. Was her husband’s sermon going to be reflective of the personal struggles they’d experienced over the last few days? Was he going to talk about trust and honesty? Surely, these subjects had been foremost on his mind as he wrote his sermon this week. She looked in her bulletin for the title of the sermon. It said “The Last Time.”
Noah looked up and smiled. “Of late, I’ve found myself wondering about the passage of time. In fact, for weeks now, I’ve been wondering where spring went. Woefully, we humans overschedule our lives . . . and the lives of our families. Our days become filled with activities, and the weeks and months become a blur, until finally, we pause, shake our heads, and wonder, ‘Where did the time go?’ ”
As he spoke, Laney became captivated by his words, and her racing heart slowed.
“It is a blessing that we humans are, for the most part, blissfully unaware when some task or daily ritual occurs for the very last time. When our boys were younger, we read countless books together at bedtime. Fortunately, we still have one little one who enjoys listening to stories, although he’s growing up much too fast.” Noah looked at Asher as he said this, and Asher grinned and blushed. Hearing their father’s reference to their little brother, Ben sat up from his slouch and stopped scowling, and Seth looked up from his drawing. “But all our boys
Asa shook his head. “Micah has been through enough heartache. I don’t want to spoil his happiness.”
“That’s how Beth felt too. She didn’t want to spoil his happiness either.”
“Well, she didn’t tell anyone . . . at least I told you ,” he said, putting his arm around her. “And we’re doing something about it.”
Maddie smiled. It was true. They were doing something about it, and hopefully that something would work.
Asa opened the door, and Harper greeted them happily, wiggling all around. “Hey, there, missy,” Asa said. “Why don’t you go get busy. Your mother thinks you can’t hold your water, but you and I both know she’s the one with that problem.”
Laughing at the truth of his statement, Maddie hurried down the hall.
28
A s the congregation closed their hymnals, Laney felt jostling in the pew beside her. She looked over to see her two middle sons trying to gain possession of the only stubby pencil in the rack. She gave them a wilting look, and Ben let go, but Seth, looking vindicated and pleased, proceeded to draw on his program. She sighed. E and Gabe were both working, leaving her with only three to shepherd, but even so, two of the three couldn’t seem to behave. In fact, they were acting like two-year-olds!
Noah finished reading a passage from the New Testament about the last supper, and then invited the congregation to join him in prayer. Everyone bowed their heads, except Laney, who was lost in her own thoughts.
Noah had been quiet all day, and she looked up to watch him, standing behind the pulpit with his head bowed. His blond hair had started to come in darker underneath, and it was showing signs of silver in his sideburns. She listened to the sincerity in his solemn voice as he prayed, on behalf of the congregation, for forgiveness.
“Amen,” he said finally, looking up. He shuffled some papers and took a sip of water.
“Recently,” he began, “I came across a story about a young mother who was tucking her six-year-old son into bed, and as she did, she asked him, ‘Do you know what it means to be a Christian?’ The boy looked up at her, and with all the innocence of a child, answered, ‘Of course. You look at the cross, you think about what Jesus did, and then you become one of God’s guys.’ In that little fellow’s mind, it couldn’t have been simpler.
“Oftentimes, though, being one of ‘God’s guys’ means stepping out of one’s comfort zone, crossing that boundary, and sharing a bit of oneself. Today is one of those times . . .”
Laney’s heart pounded. Was her husband’s sermon going to be reflective of the personal struggles they’d experienced over the last few days? Was he going to talk about trust and honesty? Surely, these subjects had been foremost on his mind as he wrote his sermon this week. She looked in her bulletin for the title of the sermon. It said “The Last Time.”
Noah looked up and smiled. “Of late, I’ve found myself wondering about the passage of time. In fact, for weeks now, I’ve been wondering where spring went. Woefully, we humans overschedule our lives . . . and the lives of our families. Our days become filled with activities, and the weeks and months become a blur, until finally, we pause, shake our heads, and wonder, ‘Where did the time go?’ ”
As he spoke, Laney became captivated by his words, and her racing heart slowed.
“It is a blessing that we humans are, for the most part, blissfully unaware when some task or daily ritual occurs for the very last time. When our boys were younger, we read countless books together at bedtime. Fortunately, we still have one little one who enjoys listening to stories, although he’s growing up much too fast.” Noah looked at Asher as he said this, and Asher grinned and blushed. Hearing their father’s reference to their little brother, Ben sat up from his slouch and stopped scowling, and Seth looked up from his drawing. “But all our boys
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