28

The next morning at church, Kathryn was distracted. She sat two rows behind Adam, and every time he turned, she was keenly aware of his handsome profile. She desperately wanted to talk to him, but every time she did, it was harder to let him go. Finally, when Mark stood to speak, she forced herself to pay attention.

Mark’s text for the morning was Matthew 18: 21-35. “What does forgiveness mean for us today?” he asked the congregation. “We live in a world full of sinners. Even those of us who try hard to follow Jesus’ example still fail. That gives us lots of opportunities to practice forgiveness.” He paused for a moment, his gaze circling the congregation, and continued. “It’s not always an easy thing to do. Some of you were hurt terribly, and the idea of forgiving the one or ones responsible is impossible to accept.”

God was speaking to Kathryn. Could she risk forgiving her father and open herself up to hurt again?

Mark continued. “Some of you are afraid forgiving the one who has hurt you will give them the power to do it again.”

Kathryn sat straighter as Mark went on. “Forgiveness breaks the power of others over you. People will ultimately disappoint you, but our Lord and Savior never will. Once you forgive, a burden will be lifted, and you’ll find freedom from the hurt.”

Adam nodding in agreement caught Kathryn’s attention. He’d forgiven Gina since they were together again. Gina had abandoned Adam, the same way Kathryn’s father abandoned her. Adam seemed glad about forgiving Gina, since they were back together. If that was true, though, why was he still in Pine Springs two weeks later? She shifted her attention back to Mark.

“You may think the person who hurt you does not deserve to be forgiven. That may be true, but that’s not the point. Turn to Luke 23:34. Jesus was hanging on the cross after being beaten, spat upon, mocked, and what did he say? ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ They didn’t deserve his forgiveness, but he freely gave it.” Mark paused. “Allow me to leave you with one final thought. The final verse of our chapter. If you do not forgive others, neither will you be forgiven. We are commanded to forgive others, and that reason alone should be enough for us to do so.”

As Mark closed in prayer, Kathryn had her answer. Like it or not, she would be reuniting with her father.

When the service ended, Kathryn was tempted to make her way over to Adam, but she was intercepted by Anne.

“Katie, are you available to help in the nursery during the next service? The other woman who was supposed to help in there this morning is sick.” At Kathryn’s hesitation, she continued. “You’re so good with Emma, you’ll do fine. I’ll be in there with you. All you need to do is cuddle the kids. Well, that, and change a few diapers. Please?”

Kathryn took one last glance at Adam heading to his classroom and agreed to help. She followed Anne to the nursery, hand in hand with Emma. She soon found herself surrounded with little ones. One mother dropped off a plump little boy who cried as soon as she left, but after a few minutes of rocking and patting him, he was giggling in Kathryn’s arms.

“Anne, I could get used to this.”

“We can always use help in the nursery,” Anne said. “It’s good to give back to the church. There are a lot of ministries here you could get plugged into.”

“I might not be here too much longer, though.”

“Well, we’ll pray God will make a way for you to stay here.”

~*~

Across the hall, Adam was busy with the four-year-olds, but he happened to glance out the door while his co-teacher was leading the kids in a song. There, in the nursery, he caught sight of Kathryn cuddling a baby. His breath caught in his throat. He’d never seen her more beautiful. As she rocked the baby back and forth, his mind traveled back to the night they spent at the Campbells’ house with their kids.

He wanted a family of his own, and the woman he wanted to share that dream with was standing right across the hall. If only she wanted the same thing. What happened? Everything was going well before Christmas. She was coming to church. That must mean something. If she was open to God, why shouldn’t they be together now? He sighed and turned back to the class.

~*~

When the service wrapped up, Kathryn and Anne passed the babies back to their parents while Emma contentedly stacked blocks in the corner.

Kathryn turned to Anne. “I don’t understand God’s timing. Why couldn’t I realize all this while Robert was alive?”

Anne pushed a stray hair out of her face. “All what?”

“I never understood what it meant to be a real Christian. All these years, that’s what Robert wanted for me. And after all this time, I finally want a family, and my husband is gone.” She fought the hot tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

Anne drew her close. “Oh, Katie. You’ve been so strong and brave. It’s OK to cry. I don’t understand God’s plans all the time either.”

Kathryn buried her head in Anne’s shoulder and let the tears fall. Robert or no Robert, Anne was family. His death wouldn’t change that. She pulled back.

“Thanks, Anne. What I would do without you?”

Anne put her hands on Kathryn’s shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. I’m always here for you.”

“That’s just it. I won’t be here much longer. Whose shoulder will I cry on in Boston? I guess I better get it together before I go.”

“You can come home anytime. We’re not going anywhere,” Anne said. “Now let’s get Ben, and you can come over for lunch.”

“I’d like that.”

Over lunch, Kathryn asked Mark the question that plagued her throughout the service. “Have you been in touch with my mom lately?”

Mark blinked, his fork halfway to his mouth. “Why would I be talking to your mom?” He put his fork down. “Don’t get me wrong, Doris is a lovely person, but I’ve only spoken to her when she’s been with you.”

Kathryn smiled weakly. “I know. But how did you know I needed to hear about forgiveness today?”

Mark smiled. “I didn’t know. God did. I pray before every sermon He will give me the message the people need to hear. Why do you need to forgive Doris?”

Kathryn swallowed hard. “It’s not Mom I need to forgive. She called to tell me my dad is back.”

Mark and Anne’s eyes grew wide.

“What will you do?” Anne asked.

“Well, after sitting through this morning’s message, I guess I need to forgive him. God has a plan. We’ll see how it goes,” Kathryn said.

After lunch, Kathryn called her mother. Doris answered on the first ring. “Hi, sweetie! What’s up?”

Kathryn got right to the point. “Mom, I’m ready to talk to my father.”