Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: KINDNESS (11/04/21)
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TITLE: Actions That Speak Louder Than Words | Previous Challenge Entry
By Mariane Holbrook
11/11/21 -
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For the hundredth time she wondered what had made him so special. When Nate was a baby and the pressures of Rebecca's life were too great, she would rock him in her old but sturdy rocking chair. It calmed her frazzled nerves as she cradled and kissed his flawless face. With her older son, Zach, it had been different. When she'd tried to put her arms around him, he invariably pulled away from her, resisting any affection.
Zach was only ten years old when his father died from blood poisoning. Zach could not and would not forgive God for taking his father from them when the family needed him most. Six year old, Nate, grieved but soon the tears were gone and he was able to laugh and play again.
To support her family, Rebecca took in washings and sewed clothing for the women in the more affluent section of town. As the boys grew into young adulthood, they took on more responsibilities, but Zach began spending more time with his friends who encouraged him to move out and get a life of his own.
Zach dated a young woman and in time they married and found a small apartment. Due to time constraints on his job and his marriage, he saw less and less of his mother and Nate. Sometimes his visits with them were hurried and unpleasant.
Completing school, Nate found work at a nearby construction site but became concerned with his mother's health. She appeared listless and weak so Nate insisted that she see a doctor After tests, the doctor confirmed that she had an inoperable mass in her abdomen, a diagnosis which both stunned and frightened Rebecca and her sons.
At home, Rebecca spent more and more time in bed, unable to do any household chores. Nate's place of employment was nearby, enabling him to come home every day to serve lunch to his mother. He would carry her in his arms to her favorite rocking chair and sit beside her, sharing whatever news of the day would interest her. Over and over, Rebecca would thank him for his unfailing kindness and love for her.
Zach, living in another part of town, could only manage to visit his mother infrequently. Rebecca never complained, preferring to hear about his family which now included two children; a boy and a girl.
On one visit, Zach explained to his mother that with the arrival of their daughter, they needed furniture for her bedroom. He asked if he could have the bed, dresser and desk that he had used when living at home. Rebecca was delighted that her granddaughter would be using the set, so Nate and Zach loaded it and moved it to Zach's house.
Rebecca's condition worsened. Nate knew he should plan for the inevitable so he met privately with Zach to discuss how to proceed. His mother had no savings so the only matters remaining unresolved were the disposal of their mother's house and its contents.
One evening after Nate had settled his mother in her rocking chair and tucked a blanket around her, she told Nate that although she had given several pieces of furniture to Zach, the only thing of value in their
home was the rocking chair in which she was sitting. She wanted Nate to have it.
Nate couldn't hide his surprise. "But why, mother? I know it's your favorite chair and it's brought you a lot of comfort through the years but we've always thought of it as just an old, wooden rocking chair."
Rebecca smiled but soon was falling asleep so Nat quietly carried his mother to her bed and, after kissing her goodnight, tucked her in.
She died a few days later. After her burial, her two sons walked through the house while Zach chose the remaining furniture he wanted for his family.
"Nate, you haven't said anything. Isn't there something you want?"
"Well, Mother wanted me to have that," Nate replied, pointing to the battered and worn rocking chair.
Zach laughed, but after he left for home in western Jerusalem, Nate sat for a while in the rocker, thinking of his mother.
The next day, Nate inspected the rocker, turning it upside down, searching for any clues that might indicate its value.
Using his small knife, he carefully scraped away some dried paint and saw these engraved words: "Carpentry by Jesus of Nazareth."
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It also points out we often do not recognise the value we hold.
Well deserved firs place finish.
It also points out we often do not recognise the value we hold.
Well deserved firs place finish.
It also points out we often do not recognise the value we hold.
Well deserved firs place finish.