Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: SPRING (09/03/20)
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TITLE: The Surprises And Sadness of Spring | Previous Challenge Entry
By Mariane Holbrook
09/10/20 -
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Both teenagers were students at the one-room schoolhouse and attended the small, white-washed Baptist church where William's father served as pastor.
As William approached the front porch where Ellen was sitting on a large flat rock that served as the porch step, his heart skipped a beat. Still, in her Sunday dress, she looked stunning with her dark hair arranged in the popular Edwardian style of the day. He longed to embrace her but knew instinctively that several pairs of siblings' eyes were watching from the open windows.
They walked toward the barn, then down to the creek below which provided a degree of privacy and natural beauty on this warm spring afternoon. He held her hand and exchanged the pleasantries typical of teenagers; awkward but sincere.
Finally, William turned to her and said haltingly, " Ellen, I have something to tell you which pains me very much. I've been dreading this moment all day. At the dinner table last night, my father told us that he had accepted the call to minister at a church in Maine which means we'll be moving at the end
of this month. He'll announce it to the church next Sunday."
Shocked, Ellen remained silent, uncomprehending. "You can't mean this, William," she cried out. "Maine is hundreds of miles from Pennsylvania. When will we ever see each other?" She stood up and began running further down the creek towards the thick woods, with William at her heels. He took her in his arms while they both wept, trying to console each other.
"I'll write to you every day," William said, wiping her tears. "I'll never forget you and someday we'll be married. I promise you, Ellen."
The next three weeks before William's family moved was a blur. The two teenagers spent every available minute together, memorizing each other's faces so they could never forget.
They exchanged letters for several weeks but eventually, the letters became less and less frequent.
Ellen, after graduating from high school, moved away to become a nanny for several children about fifty miles from home. At church, she met a young sailor who was home on furlough in World War 1, having served on a battleship off the coast of Sicily. They soon became engaged and after the war ended, they were married and raised seven children in their Christ-honoring home.
William, still living in Maine, eventually married a girl from his father's church and was blessed with five children.
Though happily married to someone else, William and Ellen often thought of each other but had no contact for over fifty years.
Ellen's husband, George, was a godly man, a leader in his church, and well-respected by everyone who knew him. Sadly, at the age of 68, George died of Multiple Myeloma, a dreaded form of cancer, leaving Ellen a bereft widow. That same year, William's wife died after an extended illness.
Several months later, William's sister called and mentioned that Ellen, his teenage sweetheart, had lost her husband and suggested that William call her for old time's sake. The call surprised and pleased Ellen who had never expected to hear from him again.
They decided to meet at Ellen's house and found to their delight that the spark between them was still there. William made the long trip to see her several times before finally asking her to marry him. After a lovely wedding, the new couple honeymooned in Florida.
But only twenty-two months later, William also died of cancer. Ellen, though grieving at the memorial service, said, "God gave me two wonderful, godly men. I met them both in the Springtime and God took them both Home in the Springtime. Then Ellen quoted these lines from John Newton's "Spring Hymn" written in 1790 during a time of personal sadness.
Kindly spring again is here,
Trees and fields in bloom appear;
Hark! the birds with artless lays
Warble their Creator’s praise.
Ellen was my mother.
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