THE NIGHT HAD turned cold, like it often does high in the mountains in early summer. Tom and Marty were asleep with their bedroom window wide open. It felt good to snuggle under the warm quilt, as the fresh scented breeze stirred in their room. The stars were out again by the millions, while the full moon glowed in all its brilliance, giving its silver light to the world below. The earth seemed right with God and his creation out here, somehow.
They awoke suddenly from a peaceful sleep to pounding on the front door.
“Who’s that at this hour?” asked Marty.
“No idea,” Tom responded, grabbing his bathrobe.
Turning on the porch light, he opened the door to see a young man in his early twenties with dark hair and hazel eyes. He was close to tears as he asked, “Are you the new pastor?”
“Yes, I’m Tom Madison. Come in.”
The young man stepped inside and shook the pastor’s hand. “I’m Kyle McKenna. Doc told us you had just arrived in town and I’m sorry to bother you so late, but it’s my dad. He’s dying and he wants to see you in the worst way.” With grief in his voice, from the imminent loss of his father, he asked, “Will you come?”
“Give me a second to put something on,” Tom said without hesitation as he turned to see Marty standing in the hallway.
Giving her a hug, he darted into the bedroom and quickly changed.
“I’ll be back when I can,” he told her as he returned, taking the car keys she had ready for him. With another hug and kiss for his wife, he turned to Kyle.
“I’ll be praying for everyone,” she said softly.
“Kyle, I’ll take our car and follow you. No sense in you coming back here.”
The young man nodded and left to get into his truck. Kyle’s old, red, ’62 Chevy pulled out onto the road and headed back into town with Pastor Tom following.
Just before Mitzy’s Cafe, the truck tail lights came on and the vehicle turned left onto Eagle’s Crest Drive, heading out of town and toward the peaks. The dirt road climbed and turned, making its way through the rough, mountainous terrain. Tom lost count of the many turns and roads they had taken. Understandably he was concerned about finding his way back, but focused on keeping the back of the truck in sight.
Finally, Kyle pulled up to a large log cabin in a clearing in the woods. Almost every room glowed from the lights within, giving the clearing and forest surrounding it a warm glow in the moonlight. A dark green Jeep Cherokee was parked by the front door.
Kyle jumped out and ran back to the pastor’s car, “Just park next to Doc’s Jeep, Pastor. I’ll put my rig away and join you inside,” the boy said, choking back some of this grief.
The pastor complied and walked to the front door and knocked. Standing under the porch light that was illuminating the way for anyone who might need it that night, he waited. The door was opened by a woman in her forty’s.
“Hello, I’m Pastor Tom Madison.”
“Lynn McKenna, Pastor. Thanks for coming,” she said stoically. “My husband’s in our bedroom.”
Turning, the woman led the way to a cozy room in the back. On a big, old, brass bed with a patchwork quilt, lay an ashen and pale man in his fifty’s. A large, middle aged man, taking his pulse, looked up as Tom entered the room.
“You must be the new pastor. Glad you could come,” the doctor said with some relief. “I’m Dr. Larry Bishop and this here is Vincent McKenna, best hunting guide and lumberjack Bonneville County has ever had.”
“How are you doing Vincent?” Tom asked, taking the chair next to the bed.
“I’m so glad you could come,” the ailing man said weakly, his breathing slow and shallow. “It’s a comfort to have you here.”
For the next hour or so, Vincent’s family, doctor and the new young pastor stayed by his side. Tom learned that Vince was a devout Christian, a man who loved God and the world his Lord had created, and was secure in his faith of a life to come. Pastor Tom read from the small Bible he always carried, reading verses to comfort, to encourage, and to ease the passing of a soul from this life into the next.
Shortly before dawn, Vincent took his last breath and passed away, quietly… leaving behind those that loved him and would miss him profoundly.
Pastor Tom offered comfort to the survivors and asked if there was anything they needed.
“Would it be possible to hold Vince’s services at the church, Pastor?” Lynn asked in a husky voice, as tears swam in her eyes, “where all his family and friends can attend? He loved that church so. We all did, before that mess with Pastor Andrew drove us away. Vince and I grew up there, married there, and baptized our boy in the same spot where we were christened.”
There’s that problem with the previous pastor again. How sad that the situation drove them from the church. I wonder how deep this issue goes in this community?
Tom replied compassionately, “I don’t see why we can’t use the church. That’s what it’s for.”
Lynn looked pleased. “Good. I was afraid there might be a problem since we aren’t members anymore. Would you mind officiating at the service?”
“Certainly not, I’d be happy to,” Pastor Tom responded.
“Oh, thank you. I just didn’t know what I was going to do, way out here, if we couldn’t use the church. I’m so grateful that you’re here. You’ll never know how much this means to us,” she continued, relief visible on her face.
“The church is for anyone who wants to come,” Tom told her kindly, but felt a vague concern. “I’ll see about the arrangements right away and get back to you with the details Mrs. McKenna.”
Lynn thanked him gratefully, shaking his hand as she said goodbye, then returned to her husband’s bedside.
Kyle walked out with Pastor Tom to the front door, holding back his grief.
“Goodbye Pastor and thank you for coming,” he said softly as he gently closed the door behind him.
Tom got into his car thinking, What would make a devout couple leave a church? What happened? And how do I get home?
Then he realized, This is my first death as a pastor. I hope I never get used to it or the grief and loss that goes with it. But, I’m glad they believe in life after death with our Lord, and have the faith in a God of love waiting for him. May I always be able to give that hope to those who need it.
The door opened and the doctor came out into the predawn light. Walking over to Tom’s car he asked, “I’m going down the mountain to get things ready for Vince. Would you like to follow me out?”
With relief visible on his face, the new man to the mountains responded, “Thank you. I suspect it’ll take me some time to get used to the area.”
“It took me years and there’s still some area’s I don’t know very well,” the doctor told him, “very dangerous at night if you don’t know where you’re going.”
Tom followed the doctor down the mountain as the stars faded into the soft light of early morning. It would stay that way for hours until the sun rose above the mountain tops in its full brightness.
Walking into his new home, he changed and got into bed for a few hours of sleep.
* * * *
A Tale Of True Love Page 4
