A VOW for ALWAYS (4 page)

“Henry’s right,” Norma put in. “When the fall foliage starts in early October and
lasts until early November, there doesn’t seem to be enough time to enjoy the magnificent
shades of autumn. Right now the mountains and valleys throughout Pennsylvania are
ablaze with the most vibrant colors. Many folks like us feel there is no other season
of the year more breathtaking than this one.”

Luke popped a piece of cucumber in his mouth and thought about the upcoming holiday
season. He wished he could remember having celebrated it before. Even more than that,
he wished he knew who he’d celebrated the holidays with.

I
’ve never seen so much food all in one place,” Luke said as he took a seat at the
Baileys’ Thanksgiving table. “Least, I don’t think I have.”

Henry chuckled. “That’s what Thanksgiving is all about—good food, and sharing it with
friends and family.”

“And remembering to be thankful,” Anne put in.

Susan bobbed her head in agreement. “That’s right, and we have much to be thankful
for.”

Luke sat, mulling things over. Even though he didn’t have his memory fully back, he
had a roof over his head, clothes to wear, and four people who really cared about
him. If that’s all he ever had, it was enough to be thankful for.

After taking each other’s hands, bowing their heads, and listening to Henry’s words
of devotion and praise, they all finished with a hearty, “Amen!”

Henry stood and began carving the turkey, while Norma made sure everything was on
the table.

“My mouth is watering already,” Susan said, reaching for the bowl of steaming mashed
potatoes. She looked at Luke and giggled. “I always go for these first.”

“That’s right,” Anne interjected with a snicker. “Don’t get in the way of my sister
and her mashed potatoes. As for me, I can’t wait for some of Grandma’s stuffing,”
she added as Norma passed her the corn. “Just wait till you taste it, Luke. It’s so
moist and good, you’ll have to go back for seconds.”

“Along with bread, celery, and onions, Norma always adds some diced apple and a few
chopped mushrooms,” Henry added. “Anne’s right—it’s scrumptious!”

By now, Luke’s mouth was watering. Watching Susan smother her fluffy mashed potatoes
in gravy, Luke was suddenly reminded that they were someone else’s favorite. But who?
Was it him, or someone he knew from the past?

Even though Luke wanted to follow the thought further, everyone was having such a
good time, he didn’t want to spoil the festive mood.
When it’s supposed to happen, it’ll come to me
, he decided.

Luke handed his plate to Henry, watching as he scooped some of the stuffing out of
the breast cavity.

“How about it, Luke?” Henry asked as he continued to carve the bird. “Would you like
a drumstick to start with, or do you prefer some white meat first?”

“That drumstick looks pretty good. Think I’ll start with that.” Luke grinned, eager
to taste the golden-brown skin that covered the dark meat. He could see from the smiles
across the table that the Baileys were in high spirits. He enjoyed listening to everyone
as they complimented Norma on the delicious meal she’d spent most of the morning preparing.

“We always eat our Thanksgiving meal promptly at noon, because Grandma is traditional
when it comes to Thanksgiving, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.” Susan looked
at Norma with appreciation in her eyes. “By eating early enough in the day, we’ll
have plenty of room for dessert later on.” She reached over and patted her grandmother’s
hand. “You did it again, Grandma. You’ve made another Thanksgiving feast special for
all of us.”

“Well now, honey, you know I love doing it. And isn’t the day just perfect?” Norma
added, looking out the dining-room window. “I could never figure out why, but I love
it when the weather’s cloudy on Thanksgiving Day.”

“Cloudy outside, warm and inviting inside,” Henry said, passing Anne the bowl of cranberry
sauce. “It looks a bit like snow out there, even though they aren’t calling for any.
It won’t be long, though,” he added with a wink in Susan’s direction. “Maybe you’d
better get out your sled and wax up the runners.”

Susan laughed. “I might do that, Grandpa.”

After all the food had been passed, Luke started out with the drumstick, but he was
eager to taste Norma’s stuffing. The sweet potatoes still bubbled in the casserole
dish, next to a bowl of fresh green beans.

“Eat slowly now, because later, we’ll be having some of the pumpkin and apple pies
the girls made this morning,” Henry said, nudging Luke’s arm with his elbow.

“Dessert is the only thing Grandma will allow me and Susan to help with when Thanksgiving
rolls around.” Anne winked at Norma, who still had a gleam in her eyes, watching everyone
enjoy their meal.

“We can’t forget the ice cream, either,” Susan chimed in as she reached for a second
helping of mashed potatoes. “I got vanilla, and it’s a new brand that’s supposed to
taste like homemade.”

Luke felt blessed being a part of this meal. Even though he couldn’t remember any
of his other Thanksgivings, he knew without a doubt that he’d never forget this one.

Ronks

Luann’s forehead beaded with perspiration as she scurried around the kitchen, stirring
kettles, checking on the turkey roasting in the oven, and making sure everything was
just right for Thanksgiving dinner. She didn’t know why, but she seemed to work best
under pressure. A lot was happening in the next couple of weeks. In addition to Thanksgiving,
Laurie and Kevin’s wedding would take place on the first Saturday of December, and
there was still much to do in preparation for that.

Keeping busy helped Luann not to worry so much, and she was worried right now—worried
about Laurie becoming a missionary and concerned about Meredith and her relationship
with Jonah. They’d been seeing a lot of each other lately. Luann figured it was just
a matter of time before Jonah asked Meredith to marry him. It wasn’t that she didn’t
like Jonah; he seemed very nice and was kind and attentive to both Meredith and Levi.
She just had this nagging feeling that wouldn’t go away, and it troubled her, thinking
Meredith might not be truly happy if she married Jonah.

I can’t share my feelings about all of this with Meredith
, Luann thought as she lifted the lid on the kettle of potatoes simmering slowly on
the stove.
I need to keep my opinion to myself and trust the Lord to work everything out for
His good
.

She glanced out the window, wondering when their company would arrive. At Meredith’s
suggestion, Luann had invited Jonah and his folks to join them for Thanksgiving. Kevin
and his parents would be here, as well as Sadie and Elam, so the house would be full
when they sat down for the holiday meal.

“We’re just about done here now,” Laurie said when Luann poked her head into the dining
room and found Laurie and Meredith putting the finishing touches on the two large
tables that had been set up to accommodate their family and guests.

Luann smiled. “Things are getting done in the kitchen now, too, so once our company
arrives, we should be able to eat.”

Meredith stepped over to Luann. “Before everyone gets here, there’s something I’d
like to talk to you about, Mom.”

Luann’s mouth went dry.
Has Jonah already proposed? Is that what Meredith wants to say?

“Is anyone else in the kitchen?” Meredith asked.

“Not at the moment,” Luann replied. “My
mamm
went to her room to change her dress; your daed and brothers are in the barn; and
Kendra’s keeping the younger ones occupied in the living room.”

Meredith motioned to the kitchen door. “Let’s go in there so we can talk.”

When they entered the kitchen, both women took a seat at the table. “What’d you want
to talk to me about?” Luann asked.

“I’ve found someone to rent my house, and I was wondering if Levi and I could move
back here for a while—until things improve for me financially.”

Luann took Meredith’s hand and clasped her fingers. “You and Levi are welcome to stay
here for as long as you like.”

“Danki, Mom, I appreciate that. I know you and Dad have your hands full, but with
Laurie getting married and leaving soon, I can be here to help out.”

Luann breathed a sigh of relief. Since Meredith would be moving in with them, maybe
she wouldn’t feel the need to marry Jonah, should he ask. She and the baby would be
surrounded by their family, and Luann would make sure their needs were met, even if
it meant making some sacrifices. After all, that’s what families were for.

When Meredith returned to the dining room, she was pleased to see that Laurie had
filled the glasses with water and everything was ready. Now all they had to do was
wait until their company arrived.

“I think I’d better see how Mom is doing,” Laurie said, brushing past Meredith on
her way to the kitchen.

Meredith smiled. She knew her sister was getting nervous about her upcoming wedding,
which was probably why she wanted to keep busy. Meredith understood that. She’d felt
the same way before she and Luke were married.

Meredith moved to the window and stared out toward the barn. She could hear joyous
sounds of laughter coming from the yard, where her younger brothers raced through
the fallen leaves, chasing each other, as well as the dog they’d recently acquired.
He’d been abandoned at the schoolyard, and the boys had brought the mutt home. Of
course, Mom couldn’t say no to their sad looks, so now Freckles, the brown-andwhite
mixed terrier, had a new home.

Meredith’s thoughts went to Fritz. When she and Levi moved here, she’d have to bring
the dog along. She wondered how well he’d get along with Freckles. If it turned out
to be a problem, she might have to ask Luke’s folks to take Fritz. That had been his
home before Luke and Meredith got married, so maybe he’d be happy there.

Meredith was glad Luke’s parents had been invited to join them for dinner. Since none
of Luke’s siblings had been able to come for Thanksgiving, Sadie and Elam would have
been alone today if Mom hadn’t extended the invitation.

Meredith had been feeling a lot better about things since Sadie now accepted the idea
of her being courted by Jonah. She hadn’t said anything to Mom or anyone else in the
family, but she had a feeling Jonah would ask her to marry him sometime in the spring.
She’d begun praying about what her response should be. She cared deeply for Jonah
and was sure he would be a good father to Levi. But did she love Jonah enough to be
the kind of wife he deserved?

Pushing her thoughts aside, Meredith noticed the low-hanging clouds that threatened
to unleash the drizzle that had been predicted for Lancaster County. That was okay
with her. She was never disappointed when Thanksgiving Day was overcast or even snowy.
It was sort of a prelude to the Christmas season.

Continuing to stare out the window, as her breath steamed the glass, Meredith looked
beyond the yard into the fields, catching sight of the baled hay that was ready to
be brought into the barn.

Suddenly, an image of Luke came to mind, and she was reminded of last Thanksgiving,
when they’d had the meal at their house. They’d invited both of their families to
join them for the feast, and everyone had been in good spirits throughout the day.
Even though Meredith had been a bit frazzled getting everything ready that morning,
the meal and all the trimmings she’d prepared had turned out quite well.

Meredith rested her forehead against the cool window glass and sighed. When she’d
first learned that Luke had been killed, she’d felt guilty for all the times they’d
disagreed on things and thought she could never be happy again. Now, just ten months
later, she felt a sense of peace, and a reason to go on living. Not only had God blessed
her with a precious son, but now she had Jonah and his friendship.

Soon everyone would be sitting around the tables. It would be wonderful to enjoy Thanksgiving
with those who meant so much to her.