Today's Reading
This morning Gordon had been conferring with the pastor here in Louisville when Mira had grabbed his attention. For a moment, the man's words flowed past him unheard. This woman was here for a reason. He was here for a reason. The Lord's plan.
Pastor Watkins noted his distraction. "Do you know our Miss Dean? She's a faithful member here."
"We were classmates in school some time ago." The man's use of "Miss" had felt like another nudge from the Lord. "I haven't seen her since then."
"A lovely lady. She was engaged to a young man several years ago, but sadly, he passed on. Tuberculosis. She turned her energies to teaching and serving here in our church."
"Oh, in what ways?" More nudges.
"Her kindness draws people to her. Whatever is needed, she is not only ready to help but has the necessary skills to do so. My wife claims she's a gift from heaven."
A gift from heaven. Another nudge. In the service that followed, Mira appeared to listen attentively as he spoke of his mission work in the hill regions of Kentucky. Each time he let his gaze touch on her, he became more positive the Lord had brought her to his attention for a reason.
At school, she was a pretty girl with light brown hair that often escaped the combs used to hold it in place. Her hazel eyes had sparkled with a love of life. She was no longer that girl. Her hair was neatly contained in a roll below her proper black hat. Her eyes were more guarded, although they had widened at his surprising proposal.
She'd left girlhood behind and known sorrow now as most people did. Hadn't he recently lost his source of constant support for his spiritual missions when his mother died? While that wasn't the same as losing your intended life partner, it was a sorrow nevertheless.
But time had a way of blunting the sharp edges of grief. Edward had died five years ago. Gordon was surprised Mira hadn't already married someone else. Perhaps it wasn't a surprise at all, but all part of the Lord's plan. Not that he believed Edward's death figured in that plan, but the Lord could make good come from any situation. He might be doing so now. Gordon merely had to convince Mira of that.
No, he wasn't the one to convince her. He had to leave that up to the Lord. But he wasn't taking the train back to Sourwood for two more days. He would share his mission with another church this evening and then take time to gather needed supplies on the morrow. The Lord could work many wonders in two days.
He had asked Mira to pray. He could do the same. He smiled as he followed Pastor Watkins out of the church to share a dinner table with one of his faithful deacons. The air was frigid, but his heart felt warm as he thought of Mira.
The Lord had created people, male and female. While Gordon had left behind his frivolous young days the same as Mira had, he wasn't an old man. Far from it at twenty-six. He had always assumed he would marry. Someday. The idea that someday might be at hand brought a smile to his face. He was a preacher. Once he accepted the Lord's call, he had never regretted his path, but he was still a man with the same need of love and companionship.
Lord, if it can be, open a path to that love for Mira and me.
* * *
Sunday was Mira's favorite day. She could take her time dressing for church without the daily rush to get to school before the children began arriving. At church, she enjoyed the hymns and the pastor's sermons that opened her eyes to Bible truths.
She never missed Sunday morning services, save for times when she was under the weather. The outdoor weather never stopped her. She walked through snow and rain, heat and cold the few blocks to her church. A little discomfort was hardly to be noticed when one thought of the Lord's great sacrifice.
Still, on a day like this with its frigid air, she was happy to return to the rooms she rented from Miss Ophelia Vandercleve, an elderly spinster who had been a schoolteacher herself some years before. The old lady had always lived in this house, except for a few years when she boarded in a nearby county while teaching there. Her parents had long since departed life, and her only relative was a brother who mostly ignored Miss Ophelia, which suited the woman fine, or so she claimed.
"He was always the bossy sort," Miss Ophelia said.
That made Mira smile, since Miss Ophelia definitely shared that family trait. While she was not slow to tell Mira what she thought was proper or not, she did have a kind heart under her brusque manner.
Now as Mira approached the two-story brick house, she felt fortunate to have rooms there. Her school and church were nearby. The steps up to a separate entrance gave her some welcome privacy. Miss Ophelia's father had them built for Miss Ophelia when she was younger so she could come and go without disturbing her mother.
...
