The first two weeks of August were busier than ever. Not only was Lenore taking care of Cindy, but she also was putting up garden produce for the winter and getting ready for the new school term. Lenore had gone out to supper with Jesse again, and at Grandma’s invitation he’d eaten supper with them on several occasions—including Lenore’s birthday last week. Lenore’s parents and brothers had been there too, and it had been a fun evening, filled with lively banter and laughter. Sara and Brad were involved in a church activity, so they weren’t able to come, but Michelle and Ezekiel had dropped by briefly to wish Lenore a happy birthday.
Grandma had given Lenore a lovely throw pillow for her bed that she’d hand-quilted. Mom gave Lenore a set of pillowcases she’d embroidered along the edges and said it was for her hope chest. Peter and Ben went in on a gift card to Shady Maple in East Earl—the largest restaurant in the area. Dad’s gift was a card with some money in it so she could buy whatever she wanted. Even Jesse had brought her a gift—a book on the history of Christian County, Kentucky. All in all it had been a pleasant evening, and the more time Lenore spent with Jesse, the more she liked him. She’d quickly realized that it wouldn’t take much for her to fall in love with Cindy’s father. But the question was, had he begun to develop any feelings toward her that went beyond friendship? If so, he hadn’t verbalized them.
Of course, Lenore reasoned as she placed Cindy in her high chair, we’ve only known each other a short time. It’s too soon to be thinking of anything more than having Jesse as a friend. I need to be patient and see how things go.
Cindy slapped her chubby hand against the wooden high chair’s tray, scattering Lenore’s introspections. “Hold on, sweet girl, and I’ll feed you some lunch.”
The little girl babbled something unintelligible as she grinned and looked up at Lenore.
“That child sure likes you,” Grandma said when she wheeled Grandpa into the kitchen. Even though he could walk with the aid of his cane, he often preferred to use the wheelchair.
Lenore smiled. “I like her too.”
“You need a few bopplin of your own,” Grandpa mumbled as Grandma pushed him up to the table.
Lenore saw where this discussion might lead, so she quickly changed the topic. “Grandma and I picked lots of tomaets this morning.” She gestured to the plate full of sliced tomatoes on the table. “They’ll go nicely on our ham-and-cheese sandwiches.”
“Yum.” He smacked his lips.
“Yum.” Cindy mimicked him. At least it sounded like she had said “yum.”
“Here you go, sweetie.” Lenore placed a few pieces of cooked carrots on Cindy’s tray and was rewarded with another big grin.
“Bet she won’t eat those.” Grandpa scrunched his nose.
“Just watch.”
Cindy rolled one of the mushy carrots around on the tray a few seconds, picked it up, and popped it right in her mouth.
“See, Willis, you guessed wrong.” Grandma took out a loaf of homemade whole-wheat bread and placed it on the table. Lenore opened a container of cooked squash and gave Cindy a taste. The little girl didn’t seem to mind that it was cold. She ate it hungrily and then picked up another carrot Lenore had placed on her tray.
“I’ll feed her some applesauce after we’ve eaten our sandwiches.” She glanced at Grandpa, who wore a crooked smile as he watched Cindy eat.
After Grandma joined them at the table, they bowed their heads for silent prayer.
About halfway through the meal, a knock sounded on the back door.
“It’s open. Come in,” Grandma called.
A few seconds later, Michelle entered the room. Instead of her usual perky stride, she walked with her head down, like she was the bearer of bad news.
“It’s good to see you, Michelle. If you haven’t had lunch yet, come join us for a sandwich.” Apparently oblivious to Michelle’s somber mood, Grandma pointed to the empty seat beside Lenore.
Heaving a sigh, Michelle sank into the chair. “I came over here to give you some news.”
“I hope it’s good news. We surely could use some of that these days.” Grandma clasped her hands under her chin, looking at Michelle expectantly.
“Ezekiel and I will definitely be moving to New York in a few months. His parents gave us their blessing, and the business sale is going through.”
Grandpa’s eyes widened, Lenore dropped the spoon she’d been using to feed Cindy, and Grandma let out a little squeak.
“We’ll miss you, of course, but I’m sure you’ll make lots of new friends in your new community.” Grandma spoke with feeling. “Please tell us a bit more about the new business Ezekiel will be involved in.”
Lenore continued to feed Cindy as she listened to Michelle explain the details of the business Ezekiel would be taking over. This certainly seemed like a spontaneous decision—one she hoped they’d prayed about. But it wasn’t her place to make any negative comments or throw cold water on their plans, so Lenore kept her thoughts on the matter to herself.
“Ezekiel feels that it’s God’s will for our lives, so it’s not for me to say otherwise,” Michelle continued. “We’ll come back for visits whenever we can, and we hope our friends and family will be able to come see our new home too.” Michelle’s tone sounded overly cheerful all of a sudden, but the way she sat slumped in her seat told Lenore that her friend was not entirely thrilled about moving. Lenore felt sorry for Michelle. No doubt she felt forced to move because her husband wanted a change. Being married meant making sacrifices sometimes, and a wife’s place was with her husband. No doubt Michelle would adjust to the change once they got to New York and settled in.
Lenore reached over and took her friend’s hand. “As Grandma said before, we will miss you, and we’ll be sure to keep you in our prayers.” She looked at her grandparents. “Isn’t that right?”
With a grunt sounding much like one of his previously owned hogs, Grandpa moved his head up and down. Grandma nodded too, but the tears in her eyes could not be concealed. Although Michelle was not part of their family by blood, she’d become like another granddaughter to them. This would be one more adjustment for Grandma and Grandpa to get through. But I’ll be here for them, Lenore told herself. And I’ll pray for Michelle and Ezekiel—that the move will go smoothly and it will be an easy adjustment for both of them.
After the lunch dishes were washed and Cindy had been put down for a nap, Lenore felt like taking a walk to the barn. She hadn’t read any notes from either of the prayer jars recently and figured she could use some words of inspiration or encouragement.
Sadie greeted Lenore as soon as she entered the barn, wagging her tail and begging for some attention.
“How are you doing, girl? Did you come in here to take a nap or pester the katze?” Too many times Lenore had caught the collie running after one of the cats. She’d never hurt any of them, though—just barked and chased until the felines found a safe place to hide.
Sadie responded by nuzzling Lenore’s hand. Then she flopped down with a lazy grunt.
Chuckling, Lenore stepped around the dog and went to fetch the ladder. After climbing it and retrieving the old jar, she took it outside and seated herself at the picnic table. She wanted to read the messages written on several of the slips of paper, and it was too warm and stuffy in the barn to remain there very long. The picnic table was the perfect spot because it was shaded by a huge maple tree, which offered a nice respite from the heat.
Once Lenore was seated on the bench, she opened the lid, reached deep inside, and removed a slip of paper. A verse of scripture had been written on this one, and she read it out loud. “‘Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:17.’”
Lenore reflected on the verse a few minutes before taking another note out of the jar. This one was a prayer. “Dear God, please help me learn how to discern Your will. I want to do what’s right, but I am so confused.”
Lenore rolled her neck from side to side. What was my aunt Rhoda confused about? If only I would find a note in one of the jars that would explain things better. Did she know when she left home that she would never connect with any of her family again?
“Lenore, the boppli’s awake and crying pretty hard,” Grandma called from the house. “Do you want me to change her windel?”
“No, that’s okay,” Lenore shouted through cupped hands. “I’ll be right there.”
She got up and headed back to the barn to put the jar away. The next time Lenore had a free moment, she would come back out and read a few more of the notes her aunt had written. Surely one of them would reveal more information.