Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Happy (07/12/07)
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TITLE: Joyful Hearts | Previous Challenge Entry
By Charla Diehl
07/19/07 -
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Kalee prayed, begging God to send Robert home to her and their baby. Her parents warned her about Robert, but she wouldn’t listen. She loved him. They punished her by ignoring her cries for help. She felt even God had turned His back on her as her tearful prayers went unanswered. As unloved as she felt, she promised her new baby that she would never abandon her. “I will always be here. If I can only give you my love, Holly, I will make it enough.”
He watched the small child from afar. Her golden braids were flopping as Holly ran in the park alongside her spirited puppy. When she finally tumbled onto the old quilt with her mom, he witnessed the love flowing between the mother and child. The melodious girlish giggles and gently caressing motherly touches melted his heart. The deep crinkles by his gazing eyes were evidence of his happiness as he continued to watch the touching scene from his vantage point. It wasn’t time for them to meet again, but someday they surely would.
The small child grew in her mother’s love. By the time she was twelve her nurturing heart filled her with the desire to help others. Compassion and kindness were her constant companions. Rarely did Holly complain about anything, though she and her mom lived frugally by anyone’s standards. Yet, Holly’s positive attitude and sunshine smile left a happy imprint on those fortunate enough to know her. Her mother’s words often reminded her that “A frown brings people down, but smiles last for miles.”
At the age of 26, Holly held her dying mother’s hand. She listened to her mother beg for forgiveness as life ebbed from her body like gentle waves withdrawing from the shore.
“Mother, to whom are you speaking?” Holly asked fearfully.
“To God.” In her weakening voice she explained that she had cut Him out of her life because He had abandoned her long ago. “I made some wrong choices, dear, and I blamed God for allowing me to make them. I was young and foolish. Holly, please forgive me for robbing you of a relationship with your heavenly Father. He died for me and for you.”
“Mother, I’m confused. What are you saying? Who is my father?”
“Jesus. He will never leave you,” Kalee whispered before her exhausted body gave in to sleep.
Tears warmed Holly’s cheeks as she sat next to her mother’s bed and tried to make sense of her mother’s words. She wished she had family to turn to, but as far as she knew, her mother was the only family she had. For the first time in her life, she felt scared and more alone than she thought possible. She eased herself into her mother’s bed and cradled the frail figure in her arms. Somewhere between almost sleeping, but not quite, Holly thought she heard her mother’s wispy voice.
“Good bye darling. Jesus is waiting for me.”
And when Holly came out of her daze, her mother’s face looked serenely beautiful. She was smiling. Her heavenly Father knew they would meet again. With a joyful heart He welcomed His lost daughter home. With a happy heart she embraced His eternal love.
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