The Gifts of Faith - What a Day! (Ch 6)
Contemplation
“I have to find Nathaniel, Sarah.”
Up until now, the girls had quietly gone about getting a light dinner together giving them time to absorb what had happened in the meadow. Faith’s sudden declaration brought Sarah out of her meandering thoughts.
“And do what, Faith? You said Nathaniel frightened you. Why would you want to find him now?”
Faith stopped chopping the vegetables for their salad and motioned for Sarah to sit at the kitchen table.
“I didn’t say he frightened me, Sarah. I said I was repulsed by the decaying life in his soul; there’s a difference. Something happened when I received the flowers earlier today. I – I was transcended back to the day Mama died.”
“That’s understandable. You picked a bouquet of Lily of the Valley that day in the field. I can understand why the flowers you received would bring the memory back to you.”
“You don’t get it; there’s more to it than that.” Faith took a deep breath and continued:
“I was there again, Sarah. But not as a little girl; I was in Mama’s bedroom this morning! Only I couldn’t move. Mama was still alive but I couldn’t help her. I saw Hope’s rainbow at the head of Mama’s bed, then it disappeared. In its place a mist filled the room and I saw a little boy leaning over her. I thought he was going to hurt her. Then I saw a rancid substance leave Mama’s body and bury itself inside the little boy. Hope’s rainbow reappeared, but much dimmer than when I first entered the room. The mist and the little boy were gone and so was Mama’s soul. I saw her die.”
Sarah reached across the table and took Faith’s hands in hers. “Faith, I’m so sorry you had to see that. What can I do to help you?”
“You can help me find Nathaniel. Remember when Hope told us she was standing watch over Mama until Nathaniel came to take the cancer away?” Sarah nodded as the conversation with Faith’s departed sister came back to her. Faith continued, “Hope was to have prevented Mama’s cancer from poisoning Nathaniel’s body. He’s in trouble and I need to help him. I don’t know how. I only know deep in my soul that I’m the only one who can help him.”
Sarah didn’t know how to respond. To give herself some time to think, she got up from the table and headed for the fridge. “Come on, Faith. Let’s finish making dinner. You’re not in this alone. We’ll figure it out together. Right now I’m famished!”
Help me out here
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Connecting the Dots
After cleaning up the dinner dishes, Faith and Sarah retreated to the back patio to go over the events of the day. Lily followed the pair as they settled in with a chilled carafe of White Zinfandel. The cool evening air was breezy and brought a breath of fresh air to this emotionally charged day.
Initially, Faith and Sarah spoke nary a word. They were content to watch Lily skitter about the yard chasing leaves and items of interest only she could see. It was refreshing to just sit. And breathe. It wasn’t until the sun made its final descent below the horizon that either of them felt compelled to speak.
Sarah broke the silence: “Faith, I can’t wrap my head around the fact that I was able to see your sister, Hope. I know you see souls shimmering within live people. Hope is the opposite – a soul with a glimmer of who she would have been, silhouetted beneath. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t make sense of it.”
Faith took a moment to collect her thoughts.
“Sarah, first I must remind you never to underestimate the power of the soul. The soul is who we are. The soul is what leads our paths. The key is to believe that the soul exists and to accept that our souls are true. The soul continues on long after our bodies have succumbed to age, the elements and time itself. I know this may sound like a bunch of gobbledy-goop, but it’s the truth. I don’t want to get into a theological discussion, but think about it: religions exist not to save (for lack of a better word) the flesh, but to save the soul. Souls exist. I know that for a fact because I see them. Once we can come to terms with the fact that our souls are just as alive as we are, and accept the fact that they reside within us even in life, we can welcome our spirit and make better decisions.”
Lily jumped up to nestle between the friends which served as a much-needed break in the conversation. The events of the day were already more than most will ever experience and Lily provided an opportune distraction.
Faith replenished their wine glasses and continued:
“Sarah, you are my best friend – in fact, you’re the only friend I’ve ever had. You never doubted my ‘gift’ and more importantly, you never shunned me because of it. For some reason, Hope has made herself known to you. She once told me I have a purpose on this Earth and I have come to believe you are a part of it. I sense Hope needs to move on. Don’t get me wrong – she will always be with me, but her spirit needs to find peace and be free to achieve it. I’m not altogether sure how it all fits just yet, but you are a part of Faith picking up where Hope left off.”
It was Sarah’s turn to speak. “Today has been a monumental day and I’m exhausted. We still need to talk about how Nathaniel fits into all of this. Do you mind if I spend the night? I know we have to open up shop tomorrow, but I truly feel we need to be together until we can figure this out and determine what it all means. This is all so new – and a bit confusing to me. I’m overwhelmed at the moment but I don’t want to leave you until the pieces are put together. Do you mind?”
Faith breathed a sigh of relief. “Of course not, Sarah; I was hoping you’d stay the night. I really don’t want to be alone right now. It’s all a bit much for me, too. We have a lot to think about and I’m not sure how it all fits, either. Perhaps after a good night’s sleep - if that’s possible – we’ll be able to put the pieces together. For now, let’s turn off our minds and go watch something funny on TV.”
With that Faith, Sarah and Lily went back into the house with hopes of getting their minds off what was ahead of them.
Shauna L Bowling
Refining, Defining or Rhyming
All Rights Reserved
Here are the Preceding Chapters in This Series:
I Will Now Leave You With a Song From the 60's
© 2014 Shauna L Bowling
