Words from the Past
Illustration
Stories
Joan sat in the living room sipping her coffee. She was so pleased that Kim and the baby had been able to come home for Easter weekend. She missed seeing her daughter and because of the way things were, she hadn’t been Joan couldn’t be there when Greg moved out. She sighed. She wondered how she had missed the problems in her daughter’s marriage.
Greg wasn’t perfect by any means, but she didn’t have any concerns when he and Kim were dating. He wouldn’t have been the person Joan would have picked for her daughter, but he was certainly better than some of the others that Kim dated over the years. Joan had paid attention to the young man and honestly when Kim told her that they were going to be married she was pleased. The fact that the baby arrived shortly afterward was a great thing.
Joan shook her head. She never caught a hint there were any problems until that night in the winter when Kim told her that Greg had left and had asked for a divorce. Joan did what she could to console her daughter but honestly it was so hard with the distance and there was no way to go and be there with her. She had held out hope that they might reconcile but when Kim arrived yesterday, and they had their heart to heart in person she learned of Greg’s infidelities over the years.
Joan listened to the quiet of the house. She always liked this part of the day before anyone got up. The quiet gave her a chance to pray and think about things. Honestly, she didn’t know what to do for Kim. She knew what it was like to be a single parent and knew the road ahead of her was going to be rough. The hardest thing for Joan was the look on Kim’s face as they spoke about the future. Her daughter’s spirit was broken, and she was hurting in ways that Joan knew that she wasn’t fully sharing.
“What can I possibly say or do to make any difference?” She prayed softly. “What can I do, Lord, for the child and grandchild I love so much?”
There was no answer from the silence, so Joan sipped her coffee. The first rays of light started to break, and the world started to brighten. She heard the sounds of the baby first and then Kim getting up to tend to her. A few minutes later the sounds of someone coming down the stairs followed.
“You always loved getting up early, didn’t you Mom?” Kim asked.
Joan turned and smiled at her daughter holding her granddaughter. “You know me well. How are my precious girls today?”
“Lilly’s great,” Kim said. “She has been fed, changed, and is raring to go. Is that coffee I smell?”
Joan put her coffee down and reached out her arms for her grandchild and nodded toward the kitchen. “I made extra this morning.”
Kim disappeared into the kitchen as Joan held the baby in her arms. She wished she knew what she could possibly say to her daughter. As she heard Kim coming back into the living room, she had no idea what words could possibly help.
“How are you doing this morning? Did you sleep well?” she asked Kim.
“As well as a mother can with a baby.” Kim smiled. “So, I was thinking about Greg and my future after we spoke last night.”
Joan kept looking at the baby. “Oh?”
“Yes. What time is church?”
Joan looked over at her daughter. “There is a seven o’clock service with breakfast after and then the normal eleven o’clock.”
“Do they still serve pancakes at the seven o’clock?” Kim drank from her coffee and looked at the clock on the wall. “I think we could make it if we tried.”
“Of course.” Joan paused. “Don’t get me wrong -- I love that you are going to come to church but what does that have to do with you and Greg and the baby?”
Kim looked at her mother. “I was thinking about how you always told me that Easter is the sign that God love and grace for us cannot be stopped and that when Jesus appeared to the disciples on Easter he inspired them to live new lives and to be bold in their faith.”
Joan nodded.
“So it’s Easter and I could use to hear some of that good news that Peter preached to the crowd about Jesus. I need to be reminded of God’s forgiveness and that God’s salvation cannot and will not be denied. It’ll take me about five minutes to get ready if you could watch Lily for me.”
“I would be thrilled to watch the baby while you get ready.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Kim stood up and kissed them both on the forehead. “Your words then and now are keeping me pointed in the right direction.”
As Kim went up to get ready Joan stared into the face of the baby. She was so worried about wondering how to tell Kim that she had never considered that her daughter had already heard and accepted that hope into her heart.
“Christ is risen.” she whispered to Lily. “He is risen indeed.”
*****************************************
StoryShare, April 10, 2022, issue.
Copyright 2022 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Greg wasn’t perfect by any means, but she didn’t have any concerns when he and Kim were dating. He wouldn’t have been the person Joan would have picked for her daughter, but he was certainly better than some of the others that Kim dated over the years. Joan had paid attention to the young man and honestly when Kim told her that they were going to be married she was pleased. The fact that the baby arrived shortly afterward was a great thing.
Joan shook her head. She never caught a hint there were any problems until that night in the winter when Kim told her that Greg had left and had asked for a divorce. Joan did what she could to console her daughter but honestly it was so hard with the distance and there was no way to go and be there with her. She had held out hope that they might reconcile but when Kim arrived yesterday, and they had their heart to heart in person she learned of Greg’s infidelities over the years.
Joan listened to the quiet of the house. She always liked this part of the day before anyone got up. The quiet gave her a chance to pray and think about things. Honestly, she didn’t know what to do for Kim. She knew what it was like to be a single parent and knew the road ahead of her was going to be rough. The hardest thing for Joan was the look on Kim’s face as they spoke about the future. Her daughter’s spirit was broken, and she was hurting in ways that Joan knew that she wasn’t fully sharing.
“What can I possibly say or do to make any difference?” She prayed softly. “What can I do, Lord, for the child and grandchild I love so much?”
There was no answer from the silence, so Joan sipped her coffee. The first rays of light started to break, and the world started to brighten. She heard the sounds of the baby first and then Kim getting up to tend to her. A few minutes later the sounds of someone coming down the stairs followed.
“You always loved getting up early, didn’t you Mom?” Kim asked.
Joan turned and smiled at her daughter holding her granddaughter. “You know me well. How are my precious girls today?”
“Lilly’s great,” Kim said. “She has been fed, changed, and is raring to go. Is that coffee I smell?”
Joan put her coffee down and reached out her arms for her grandchild and nodded toward the kitchen. “I made extra this morning.”
Kim disappeared into the kitchen as Joan held the baby in her arms. She wished she knew what she could possibly say to her daughter. As she heard Kim coming back into the living room, she had no idea what words could possibly help.
“How are you doing this morning? Did you sleep well?” she asked Kim.
“As well as a mother can with a baby.” Kim smiled. “So, I was thinking about Greg and my future after we spoke last night.”
Joan kept looking at the baby. “Oh?”
“Yes. What time is church?”
Joan looked over at her daughter. “There is a seven o’clock service with breakfast after and then the normal eleven o’clock.”
“Do they still serve pancakes at the seven o’clock?” Kim drank from her coffee and looked at the clock on the wall. “I think we could make it if we tried.”
“Of course.” Joan paused. “Don’t get me wrong -- I love that you are going to come to church but what does that have to do with you and Greg and the baby?”
Kim looked at her mother. “I was thinking about how you always told me that Easter is the sign that God love and grace for us cannot be stopped and that when Jesus appeared to the disciples on Easter he inspired them to live new lives and to be bold in their faith.”
Joan nodded.
“So it’s Easter and I could use to hear some of that good news that Peter preached to the crowd about Jesus. I need to be reminded of God’s forgiveness and that God’s salvation cannot and will not be denied. It’ll take me about five minutes to get ready if you could watch Lily for me.”
“I would be thrilled to watch the baby while you get ready.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Kim stood up and kissed them both on the forehead. “Your words then and now are keeping me pointed in the right direction.”
As Kim went up to get ready Joan stared into the face of the baby. She was so worried about wondering how to tell Kim that she had never considered that her daughter had already heard and accepted that hope into her heart.
“Christ is risen.” she whispered to Lily. “He is risen indeed.”
*****************************************
StoryShare, April 10, 2022, issue.
Copyright 2022 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
