Short Stories
Lauren is a woman who suffers from breast cancer. She's been in and out treatment for three years but she's still going strong. Every summer she visits her great-grandmother Gloria in Boston. Lauren knows that she's been called into art ministry but her concern is that she won't live to fufill her purpose. She's done several sculptures for her church and other ministries in her hometown of Portland. This summer she's not in therapy so she flew to Boston for encouragement from Gloria.
Upon Lauren's arrival at the small, white house, Gloria takes her cane and slowly walks down the red stairs to hug her. "Oh, Lauren!, you look even better than you did last year. Come on in." "I've been feeling pretty good, I just completed ten paintings for a Christian organization in my community. I got rave reviews but hopefully the viewers were reminded of God's love through my work. I see this as a ministry", replied Lauren. "You are a tremendous blessing to everyone. Ever since you were little you loved painting and sculpting. God knew He was going to use that talent to reach people", replied Gloria. As Lauren poured some iced tea in a tall glass, she said, "My parents recognized my gift too. They always entered me in art classes and contests. Although they weren't believers at the time they knew God blessed me early on in life. It would be nice if parents nurtured their childrens' gifts instead of forcing their own dreams on them", said Lauren.
Lauren took out a painting that had a picture of a grandmother hugging her grandchildren. "This is a gift to you, you've been very influential in my life and I want to thank you", she said. "Oh, this is just precious! I'll treasure this for a long time. Thank you", smiled Gloria while hugging Lauren. "I'm glad you like it. It was done on one of days when I was really inspired." "I fixed some beef brisket, pasta salad, green bean casserole and clam chowder. Come in the kitchen." As Lauren served herself, Gloria put on some classical music and sat in the wooden chair. "So, how's the treatment?", she asked. "It's been going well. I had a few side effects from the chemotherapy and lately I've felt so sluggish. But God continues to give me strength to carry out my ministry. I'm blessed everyday", smiled Lauren. "You sure are. God gives you peace in the midst of your trials and tribulations. I remember when you were depressed for months, but as you stayed in God's Word and met with that support group, you grew stronger. It's like a transformation", smiled Gloria. "But I still worry that God will take me home before I do everything He's called me to do. I want to bless as many people as I can", frowned Lauren. "I understand your zeal for serving God and it's a good thing. But the greatest relief you'll ever have is the day you go to God's eternal home. Our finite minds can't totally understand it, but you take this promise by faith. Once you're there, you wouldn't even think about coming back to this sinful world", said Gloria. "You always know just what to say", said Lauren.
Later that night, Gloria and Lauren sat down and made quilts. "You must have hundreds of quilts. The way you complete them in twenty minutes, I was never that fast", said Lauren. "It takes years of practice. I've been doing this since I was twelve years old. Your mother loved sleeping in these quilts whenever she came to visit me. I gave her one as a wedding present and she still has it today. I used to send your great-grandfather to the fabric shop all the time. It used to drive him nuts because he'd rather stay home and watch baseball. But he was a great man", replied Gloria. "Do you think I'll have the same kind of marriage you had?", asked Lauren. "Sure, if it's God's will for you to be married and if you are called to marriage, if the man is a believer. You know in 2 Corinthians it says don't be unequally yoked", smiled Gloria. "I'll have to pray and see what God's will is concerning marriage", said Lauren.
Around early July, Gloria was experiencing health problems. She had a stroke and remained in the hospital. Today Lauren brought some lunch and roses. "Hey, Grandma! I thought I'd come and cheer you up", she said while hugging her. Gloria said in a slurred voice, "I'm so happy to see you. I get lonely sometimes in here, especially when they cut the lights off at night." "God is your comforter and in Hebrews it says "I will never leave you or forsake you." You can count on that", replied Lauren. "You're such a blessing to me,I hope God sends you many blessings in the future", said Gloria. "So, when can you go home?", asked Lauren. "I really don't know. The stroke was so bad that I'm nearly paralyzed",said Gloria. "You will get through this with prayers and encouragement from others", smiled Lauren.
In late August, Gloria was allowed to go home and Lauren decided to relocate to Boston to take care of her. She took a job as curator in a nearby museum and found a church just an hour from Gloria's house. It was there that she met her boyfriend, Clark. He's involved in the childrens' ministry and he works as a chef at a popular restaurant. One evening,the couple ate dinner at Gloria's house. "I hope you like what I cooked. We have pot roast, peas, mashed potatoes and cheesecake", said Lauren. "That's making me hungry already", laughed Clark. "She's a fantastic cook, she rarely burns anything", smiled Gloria. "I enjoy cooking but baking is actually my strongest point, especially chocolate desserts", said Lauren. "You're on your way to being a Proverbs 31 woman", joked Clark. "I don't know about that, God's still perfecting me", smiled Lauren.
Later that night, Clark hugged Lauren and went home. Meanwhile Gloria sang some spirituals while resting in the den. "Those songs are inspiring", said Lauren. "I love them, they encourage me daily. They're beautiful songs too", said Gloria. "Well, I better get to bed. I need to be at work at nine tommorrow. Goodnight, Grandma", said lauren as she kissed her head and pulled the bedspread over her.
Little did Lauren know what would happen next. Gloria died overnight and Lauren called the whole family. During her funeral, Lauren said, "She was a woman whose life reflected the love of God, her actions were rays of light, her smile reflected the inner joy, and her words were life-giving. Gloria was truly God's chosen vessel. Now she is a besutiful rose that God picked and brought home for His enjoyment."
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