by Mary May
Sabrina whooped out loud and startled pretty much everyone in the room, both seen and unseen. “I knew it! I knew Charlotte had a guardian angel! More than once I’ve caught her smiling and laughing at the thin air and watching someone I couldn’t see. When she was learning to walk, she hardly ever fell on her bottom, but once when she did start to fall she was stopped in mid-air and set back up on her feet like someone caught her!”
Sherrilyn’s head slowly cocked back in Gideon’s direction again. “Really, sounds like her guardian might be just a tad bit over-protective. How else was she to learn how to keep her balance if someone was always keeping her from falling on occasion?”
Gideon huffed and rolled his eyes then crossed his arms over his chest; if Sherrilyn knew half of the things he did, she would burn up his ears!
“What I was asking mother about when you came in was about ministering angels and the warrior angels; what did they do? I mean obviously the warriors were meant for battle, but what exactly are they battling?”
Gideon watched Sherrrilyn carefully, wondering what she was going to say to that loaded question. “I would imagine they battled against the forces of darkness. The Bible says that we battle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities of the air, and that’s referring to Satan and his demons, so that’s who I think the warriors are fighting.”
Sabrina nodded. “Ok, that makes sense. Now what about the ministering angels? I’m guessing from the title that they come to give us some kind of aid but what kind and when?”
Catherine spoke up. “I think I can answer that one. They come when you’re weak, either spiritually or emotionally. They come to bring you peace and to encourage you. Is that right, Sherry?”
Sherrilyn smiled. “You’re absolutely right, Catherine! When I was at my lowest point after the accident, I was seriously considering taking my own life. I had tried it once but failed; this time I was going to make sure I didn’t. That’s when God spoke to me clearer than I’ve ever heard Him before. He basically told me I could do what I was planning, or I could step back and let Him take control of my life and see how good it could really be. After we had our little talk, I felt myself being surrounded my ministering angels; my room seemed to be full of them! I could hear them whispering over and over to trust God and that I would live and not die. I was bathed in love and encouragement.”
Sabrina’s eyes were as round as saucers. “That’s amazing!”
Sherrilyn laughed. “Well, we serve an amazing God who always gives us exactly what we need when we need it, even if it’s a good kick in the pants sometimes!”
Catherine rolled off the bed. “What this lady needs is to finish packing. Our plane isn’t scheduled to leave for another three hours, but Evan always likes to get there a little early; I really wished you lived closer so I wouldn’t miss you two so much!”
Sherrilyn did her head-cocking thing again. “Have you thought about moving back to North Carolina, Sabrina? I know you have your job here, but they have schools there, too, and I know you could get on somewhere pretty fast with your wall of degrees.”
Sabrina looked at her mother and Sherrilyn. “You two are serious, aren’t you?”
Catherine shook out a shirt before folding it. “I know I am. I can’t think of a thing that would make me happier than having my two favorite girls closer, at least within driving distance.”
Sabrina frowned and shook her head. “I really don’t know, I mean, I’ve never even thought about moving back.” She looked around the room. “I guess I thought I would be here forever.”
Sherrilyn leaned forward in her chair. “Honey, I think it’s a grand idea and I’ll go you one better than that. Why don’t you and Charlie come live with me? It’s just me and Edgar in that ginormous house of mine and it would kill two birds with one stone. You wouldn’t have a house payment or rent and you and Charlie would keep me company! Plus it’s just over an hour by car to your mother’s house.”
Catherine looked at Sabrina with excitement in her eyes. “That would be perfect! Oh, darling, please say you will at least considerate it. That would actually even put you closer to Carl and Keelie as well!”
Sabrina looked a little rattled. “I don’t know; that’s such a big decision. What about Luke?”
Catherine came over to where Sabrina sat in the floor and knelt down. “Luke will be with you no matter where you live. I’m not trying to pressure you, but the more I think on it, the better the idea sounds to me. You would be raising Charlotte with all of her family nearby and it would give you a fresh start. I would ask that for right now, you just pray on it and seek God’s direction. He will let you know what you need to do.”
Sabrina nodded her head, too dumbfounded to do more than that.
“Sherry, are you all packed up? Do you need me to help you with anything?” The two women left the room talking about flight plans and how busy would the airport be.
Sabrina sat there on the floor thinking over everything that her mother and Sherrilyn had said. It would make more sense to be closer to her family. Especially if she got sick or anything, her mother would be so much closer and would be able to take care of Charlotte. She looked around the guest room, remembering how she and Luke had argued over what it would be used for when they moved in. How could she leave this house and all her memories of Luke?
Gideon sat on the dresser and watched while Sabrina thought over everything. He saw her lips start to move and he knew she was praying for God’s guidance and direction. When she raised her head, she had tears in her eyes but she was smiling. She looked at Charlie who was playing peek-boo with Gideon using Sabrina’s body to hide behind. “Well, what do you think, baby girl? Should we pack up our wagon and head east?”
Charlie smiled and got up and walked her baby walk over to Sabrina and said, “Bye-bye?”
Sabrina laughed then stood and swooped up Charlie. “Yes, baby, lets go bye-bye!” She rushed out the door to tell her mother and Sherrilyn the news.
Chapter 17
“Oh, my gosh, how did we fit so much crap into such a small house?” Sabrina moaned after she had spent the better part of the week packing up her house getting ready to move to North Carolina. She had put in her two week notice at the school and they were fortunately able to find a good replacement for her. Sabrina knew the Lord must have taken care of that for her so she wouldn’t have any excuses or guilt. Her mother and her friend Rachel laughed. They had been here most of the week helping her so they pretty much thought the same thing.
“I for one think you have flexible walls that expand like those trash bags you can buy. It’s the only thing that makes sense!” Rachel offered.
“What I shudder to think about is the fact I really haven’t lived here that long; can you imagine the massive amounts of junk we would be moving if I had been here for ten years?”
Catherine offered them some cold drinks then sat down on the sofa; it was the only piece of furniture left in the house. “I don’t know why you act so surprised. You have always collected a lot of stuff. Remember when you lived at home your father actually had to rent a storage shed to hold your overflow!”
Sabrina chuckled. “I had forgotten about that. There was some good stuff in that shed!”
Catherine laughed as she sipped her iced tea. “I hope Sherrilyn realizes what she is getting into,” she teased. “I don’t think I mentioned your little umm… collection hobby.”
Sabrina’s face went dreamy. “Oh, I haven’t even thought about that. She has rooms and rooms and rooms I could fill up.”
Rachel busted out laughing. “I think you better call pack rats anonymous right now, Catherine, and beg for an intervention before she even gets started!”
Sabrina reached out and kicked her friend’s foot. “You two stop it! I’ll behave at Sherrilyns; besides, I’m only staying with her until I can find a house to buy.”
Her mother looked at her. “Did Luke’s insurance check come in?”
Sabri
na shook her head. “Not yet, the final paperwork has to be finalized then the money will be put into my account by direct deposit. It shouldn’t be much longer, I wouldn’t think.”
Catherine nodded. “It will be nice to have the time you need to find the perfect home for you and Charlotte. By staying with Sherrilyn you won’t feel rushed or pressured.”
Sabrina stretched and gave a huge yawn. “I know it’s really great of Sherrilyn to offer that to us, although I am thinking of putting a tracking device on Charlotte in case I lose her in that giant house. Speaking of which, why does Sherrilyn live in such a big house? Did she used to have more family or something living with her?”
Catherine shook her head. “No, it’s always been just her and Edgar, although she bought the property hoping to open a Christian retreat for people that had been battered or abused.”
Sabrina looked surprised. “Really, that’s a wonderful idea! I can’t think of anyone more suited to running a place like that than Sherrilyn. What happened? Why didn’t she do it?”
Catherine played with her tea glass. “Well, the way I understood it, it had something to do with zoning laws, although the mayor and city council seemed all for it until they realized it was going to be a Christian-based organization; then all of a sudden her property wasn’t zoned right so they wouldn’t issue her the permits.”
Sabrina sat up. “What does that have to do with anything? Did they come out and say that was the reason?”
Catherine laughed. “Of course not, but we thought it was mighty strange that until they found out what she was going to call it and the fact that it would be based on physical, mental and spiritual healing they were all for it, but then out of the blue… nope, you’re not zoned right.”
Sabrina stared at her mother. “But that’s not right! Did she try to fight it?”
“Of course she did! You know Sherrilyn. She fought them tooth and nail for it; it was her dream, her calling. When it all fell apart, she was devastated.”
Sabrina slowly got to her feet. “Well, I think that’s a bunch of hog manure and when I get moved in I’m going to talk to her about trying it again.”
Catherine and Rachel followed Sabrina and they got up and went into Sabrina’s bedroom to take out the last of the boxes. While they were putting the boxes on the truck, Sabrina remembered what her mother had said. “What was she going to call it, Mother?”
Catherine set down the box she was carrying. “She was going to call it Lost Haven; she said it was going to be a sanctuary for anyone who had lost their way.”
Rachel carried her box onto the truck then came back and sat down on the bumper. “I think that’s beautiful, and it’s a place that is desperately needed. There has to be a way to get the city council to give her the permits she needs to build it.”
Sabrina nodded. “I agree and I would like both of you to join me in prayer that God would move on the council members hearts to reconsider and let Lost Haven become a reality.” The ladies all joined hands and lifted their heartfelt prayer request into the heavens.
After the van was loaded, Sabrina took one last walk through the home that she had shared so briefly with Luke. She went through each room, letting the memories take her back one last time. When she finished and stood at the front door looking back into the now empty living room and kitchen area, her heart hurt for what could have been. She wiped away the tears and realized that while she felt sad about leaving the house that she had shared with Luke, she felt peace about leaving. It was time to move on and her mother was right. It didn’t matter where she went -- she would carry the memories and love they shared with her. She lifted her hand and blew the little house a kiss then she turned out the light and closed the door.
Gideon had found something even worse to ride in than an airplane. A moving van! Although the ride itself didn’t make him sick, he just didn’t care for having to sit in the back on top of boxes and upside down furniture. He seriously considered moving stuff around a little to be more comfortable, but he figured that would be another broken rule to add to the ever growing pile of broken rules. So just to avoid temptation, he rode on top of the van, and every now and then he would fly along beside it to stretch his wings a little. He was very happy they would be staying with Sherrilyn for a while; he enjoyed the spunky woman’s attitude, and it was really nice to have someone to talk to. But the main reason he was glad to be close to her is because he was worried about her. When she had left Sabrina’s house a few weeks ago, her life force felt weak to him. He knew she was lying when she would say she was fine when someone would ask. She was taking naps more frequently and she never looked rested afterwards. Something was definitely going on with her health, and he wasn’t going to stop until he found out what.
The moving van finally pulled up to Sherrilyn’s estate right before dark. Sabrina climbed down, followed by Evan who was carrying Charlotte. The house was just as grand as Sabrina remembered it. Sherrilyn was sitting in her chair at the top of the circular steps smiling her welcome.
“Lands sake, I thought you were never going to get here! It was worse than waiting on Christmas morning!”
Sabrina rushed up the steps to hug her friend. “Oh, it’s good to finally be here! That was the longest three days of my life!”
Sherrilyn laughed. “Honey, I bet it was and with a two year old, too!”
Sabrina stretched and twisted, trying to work out the kinks in her back. “Actually you wouldn’t believe how good Charlotte was. I thought she was going to be miserable, but her Grandpa Evan kept her entertained with his funny voices and stories, and we would stop every couple of hours to let her play and run around, so it wasn’t too bad.”
Evan came up the stairs a little slower than Sabrina; he put Charlotte down then reached to give Sherrilyn a hug. “Hey there, beautiful, how have you been doing?” he asked.
“Well, now that you finally got my new roommates here, I’m finer than frog hair split four ways!”
Evan chuckled, “That’s pretty fine then, isn’t it?”
“The absolute finest!” Sherrilyn shot back. “Let’s go inside, everyone; I know you have got to be dying for a hot soak in the tub. Sabrina, I had Edgar put you in the green suite where you stayed last time.”
Sabrina nearly groaned at the idea of slipping into the massive garden tub. “That sounds like heaven on earth, Sherrilyn! I can’t wait!”
Her mother came out of the kitchen. “I thought I heard your voice!” She hurried over and gave her daughter a hug and a kiss then stole Charlotte out of Evan’s arms. “How’s my little angel? I bet that was a long bye-bye, wasn’t it?”
Charlotte smiled at her grandmother and said, “Bye-bye bye-bye!” Everyone laughed at her response. They all filed into the kitchen that smelled of roast and yeast rolls.
Sabrina sniffed and said, “No, this is heaven on earth right here. Mother, that smells so good!”
Catherine laughed. “Thank you, I knew you would be starving so I made your favorite dinner, pot roast with carrots, onions and new potatoes with yeast rolls and peach cobbler for dessert.” The group all sat down and soon had made short work of Catherine’s meal.
After dinner was over, Sabrina went up to their room and gave Charlotte a bath. The little girl had a grand time splashing in the huge garden tub. Sherrilyn had done a little shopping, judging from the huge assortment of bath toys that were everywhere. Sabrina could already see where this was heading; Sherrilyn was going to do her best to spoil Charlotte rotten! But she knew that sweet lady didn’t really have any family to speak of, and if spoiling Charlotte a little made her happy, then Sabrina wouldn’t say anything, as long as she didn’t get too carried away. After she finally dragged Charlotte out of the tub and got her into her floppy bunny sleeper, she lay down with her in the small toddler bed that Sherrilyn had brought up. She held her daughter and talked to her, telling her that this was their new home for a while and not to be afraid, that God would take care of them. She didn’t know how long she
talked to Charlotte before she looked down and realized the little girl was sound asleep, and that she had really been talking to herself.
Gideon waited until Sabrina had Charlie down and was soaking in the giant bathtub before he sought out Sherrilyn. She was in the den with Evan and Catherine in front of a huge fireplace that was blazing. He didn’t know who the person was that designed this house, but he decided he must have spit-roasted, oxen judging from the size of the fireplaces. The friends were all piled up on overstuffed couches sipping hot drinks and enjoying one another’s company. He knew Sherrilyn felt his presence; she always tilted her head in his direction to acknowledge him. He liked that she did that; it made him feel welcomed. But that was the way she was. He knew she did everyone that way; her heart was as big and open as her house, and she treated everyone like they were family. Evan was telling them some of the funny things that Charlie had done on the trip and he had the ladies in tears with his near-perfect rendition of the little girl.
“Sherry, I hope you don’t mind, but I told Sabrina about Lost Haven.”
Sherrilyn looked surprised. “Oh, no, that’s fine! How did that come up?”
Catherine laughed. “Well, it’s rather a long story, but basically Sabrina had asked why you lived in such a large house with just Edgar, so I told her why you had initially bought the property. She loved the idea and plans on talking with you about trying to get the city council to issue you your permits.”
Sherrilyn shook her head. “I don’t know if it would do any good. I’ve tried everything under the sun to get them to reconsider. They just seem dead set against it for whatever reason.”
Evan leaned forward. “Tell me exactly what they told you the reason was.”
Sherrilyn sighed. “Well, they said because the home would be housing such a large group of people and the fact that we would be rehabilitating them to learn a new trade to support themselves, somehow made it a commercial property and that this was a residential neighborhood. I asked how many people could I have before they considered it that, and they told me it didn’t really matter. It was still a rehabilitation center and it wasn’t zoned for this area.”
