Is this it then, Lord? After all this, am I going to die in this pond?
Reuben closed his eyes. He hung from the bumper of the car and felt his strength fading as the cold began to numb his legs.
He closed his eyes and waited for the end. Just before he let go, something made him open his eyes. He was no longer hanging on the car—he was standing on a hill, and there was something right in front of him. It was a wooden cross. He looked up and saw a man hanging motionless, his hands and feet nailed to the wood. The man’s eyes were closed, but he opened them, looked straight at Reuben, and spoke to him.
“I hung between heaven and earth so you could live. I will never leave you or forsake you.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Going Home
REUBEN CLUNG DESPERATELY to the bumper of the car. The freezing water was up to his waist, draining his strength away.
Jenna, I’ll be with you soon, sweetheart.
Just then Reuben heard a sound behind him, something sliding slowly across the ice. He tried to turn his head to see what it was, and then he felt strong hands grip his coat and his arm.
“Let go, pal, I’ve got you.”
Bobby! Reuben felt his friend pulling on him, and he let go. As Bobby pulled, Reuben’s legs came up out of the water and onto the ice. Bobby slowly and carefully dragged Reuben backward across the ice and up onto the bank. Reuben lay there gasping for air.
“Where did you come from?” he asked, shaking with cold.
“Well, you always seem to get yourself into trouble, so I figured I had better make sure you got back in one piece. Your wife needs you.”
“Is she all right?”
“The fire has warmed her up and she’s doing better, but we still need to get her and the little one out of here. We’re a little too busy to be taking a swim right now.”
Reuben looked at Bobby and then began to laugh. Bobby stared at him and then started laughing too. The two friends laughed hysterically, and then finally they stopped and caught their breath.
“Now, let’s get that battery and get out of here before the whole thing gives way,” Bobby said.
“I think it fell into the pond,” Reuben said.
Bobby looked under the hood.
“Nope, we got lucky. It’s still attached to one of the cables. I’ll get around on the other side and unhook it. Did you bring tools?”
Reuben reached in his pocket and pulled out the pliers and the small screwdriver.
“I dropped the other one in the pond,” he said.
“That was a two-dollar screwdriver, pal. You owe me.”
Bobby walked around the back of the car and then carefully stepped out onto the ice. It groaned dangerously under his feet, but he kept going. He slowly worked his way up the side of the car until he got to the front. He knelt and used the pliers to undo the cable holding the battery to the car, lowered the battery all the way down, and then pushed it behind him. He reached into the engine compartment and freed the other cable. The hole where Reuben had fallen through was only a couple of feet from where he was working, and the ice continued to crack and pop.
“You better get off that ice pretty quick, but don’t forget to get all the nuts and washers,” Reuben shouted.
“Way ahead of you, pal,” Bobby replied, holding up the hardware. He held on to the car with one hand and slowly eased his way back to the bank, dragging the battery along by the attached cable. Just as he got to the bank, the ice gave another sharp crack and broke. The front of the car dropped into the crack, and the car began to slide into the pond. Bobby leaped up onto the bank, dragging the battery behind him. Huge bubbles of air escaped out of the broken window as the rest of the car slid slowly down the bank and into the water.
“Timing is everything,” said Bobby as he watched the car disappear. “Now let’s get you back to the fire and get those wet clothes dried out,” he said as he helped Reuben get up.
Bobby handed Reuben the cables and grabbed the battery. “Let’s go,” he said, and the two men headed back toward the cabin.
The fire had taken the chill out of the room when they got back, but Bobby added more wood anyway while Reuben checked Jerusha. Her breathing was shallow, but a little color had come back to her skin. She was still unconscious. The little girl lay next to her, quiet and still but alive. He stripped off his wet clothes and set them to dry while Bobby placed the battery next to the fire to warm it up.
“Hopefully it didn’t freeze so hard it lost all the charge.”
“How long will it take?” asked Reuben.
“About twenty minutes or so. If we can just get enough charge to boost my battery, it will get the glow plugs warm enough to start the tractor. What I’m worried about the most is the shape my glow plugs are in. Dutch said a couple of them are pretty worn out. I was hoping to get some new ones tomorrow, but the storm came in on Thursday and I had to go with what I had.”
In about twenty minutes Reuben’s clothes had dried enough for him to slip them back on. The battery was warm to the touch.
“When we get out there, we’ll have to hook up the batteries and then wait,” said Bobby. “We’ve got to let the plugs warm for at least ten minutes. Then we’ll see if it starts up.”
Reuben built up the fire and then kissed Jerusha once more. “I’ll be back soon, my darling,” he whispered.
The two friends went back out into the storm, carrying the battery and the cables. Slowly they made their way back to the tractor. When they got there, Bobby opened up the hood, placed the battery on top of the engine, and then pulled out the screwdriver and scraped off the battery terminals to make sure there was a good connection.
“Climb up in there and throw down the jumper cables,” he yelled to Reuben.
Reuben tossed down the cables and climbed down to help Bobby. They stretched the cables from the extra battery to the one in the tractor and then checked the connections to the engine.
“If there’s enough charge, the dash light will go on in about ten minutes,” Bobby shouted over the wind. “Until then, we’ll just have to wait. Get inside.”
Reuben and Bobby climbed up into the cab. They sat on the bench seat and watched the dashboard. The indicator on the dash remained dark.
“While we’re waiting, can I ask you a question?” asked Bobby.
“Sure,” said Reuben.
“This God of yours,” said Bobby slowly, “does He ever...well, I mean...do you ever hear Him talk to you?”
“I think I heard Him talk to me while I was hanging onto the car. He told me something I’ve never really understood until today.”
“That’s interesting,” Bobby said. “Do you want to know the real reason I was there to help you?”
“Real reason?” asked Reuben.
“I was sitting in the cabin with Jerusha, waiting for you to get back, and all of a sudden, I heard a voice...or maybe it was a feeling, I don’t know...but it was very clearly telling me to get up and go help you. It sounds crazy, but it was so real, I just got up and went. And when I got there, I found you goofing around with the car.”
“Goofing around?” Reuben said with a laugh. And then in a more serious tone he said, “I believe you, Bobby. I do.”
As Reuben finished speaking, a small yellow light on the dashboard blinked on. Bobby stared at it in amazement.
“What?” asked Reuben.
“The glow plugs! They warmed up!”
“Isn’t that what you expected?”
“Actually, I thought that we had about a snowball’s chance in...well you know.”
“What now?” Reuben asked.
“I’m going to try to turn it over.” Bobby pressed the starter. The diesel jumped and chugged a couple of times and then stopped. He tried it once more. Again it turned over but didn’t start.
“Sounds like that battery is running down,” Reuben said.
“We’ve got about one more try,” Bobby said. Then a thought occurred to him.
“Hey, look be
hind the seat and see if there’s a spray can back there.”
Reuben groped behind the seat and found a can. “Ether?”
“Dutch, I love you!” Bobby shouted as he took the can from Reuben.
“I’m going down and spray this into the manifold port. When I yell, you crank it over.”
Bobby climbed down and brushed the snow off the engine. He pointed the spray nozzle into a small hole in the manifold and shot a stream of ether into the engine.
“Go!” he shouted.
Reuben pressed the starter. The engine gave a bang, kicked like a mule, and started. The jerk knocked Bobby down, and he jumped back up as the diesel came to life.
“Ka-chug, ka-chug, ka-chug!” he shouted as he danced around in the snow to the chug of the engine. “You old hunk-a-junk,” he shouted. “I love you!”
Bobby climbed up in the cab and grabbed Reuben in a hug. “Let’s go home,” he said.
Jerusha slowly opened her eyes. She was in a white room. It was warm and quiet. She was in a bed with warm blankets pulled over her.
Is this heaven?
She slowly turned her head and focused her eyes. A face swam into her field of vision. A familiar face...with a hidden smile behind violet eyes.
“Reuben?” Jerusha held out her arms.
Reuben got out of his chair, knelt by the bed, and took Jerusha in his arms. They clung together tightly.
“Jerusha, can you ever forgive me?” he asked.
“I already have, my love,” Jerusha said quietly. “But can you forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Reuben said. “I just want to be with you and start again. I need you to help me forgive myself, and I need to be there for you. We’ve suffered a tragedy, but if we stay together, I know we can find healing.”
“With the Lord’s help?” asked Jerusha.
“Yes, with the Lord’s help.”
Just then there was a knock on the door. Reuben sat up, still holding Jerusha’s hand. “Come in.”
Dr. Schaeffer came into the room with Bobby and a nurse.
“Bobby!” Jerusha said. “I know you had something to do with finding me. Thank you.”
“If it wasn’t for Bobby, you wouldn’t be alive today,” Reuben said.
Bobby took Jerusha’s hand. “I’m grateful to God I was able to help,” he said.
Jerusha and Reuben looked at each other and smiled.
Dr. Schaeffer came to the bedside, peered over his glasses, and said, “Well, one of our patients is doing better, I see.”
“One of our patients?” asked Jerusha.
“Well, there’s this one too. She came in with you.”
Dr. Schaeffer pointed to a smaller bed pulled up right next to Jerusha’s. A little girl lay in the bed. Her eyes were open and she lay looking at Jerusha solemly.
“You found me,” she said to Jerusha. “I was lost, and you found me.”
Jerusha stared at the little girl. For a moment she thought it was Jenna. But it couldn’t be Jenna. Jenna was gone. And then she remembered everything—the storm, the wrecked car, the cabin. She remembered God’s healing touch and holding this little girl through the long nights. Without thinking she held out her arms to the little girl who started to come to her.
Dr. Schaeffer moved forward. “I don’t think—”
Bobby tapped the doctor on the shoulder and said, “I think I just heard a nurse calling you, doctor. They need you in the ICU.”
The doctor looked at Bobby and then at Reuben and then to Jerusha and the little girl.
“Yes, I believe you’re right. I’ll be on my way.” He turned and left.
Reuben walked around to the little girl and picked her up. He placed her in the bed beside Jerusha.
Jerusha took the little one into her arms.
“What’s your name, darling?” she asked softly.
“My name is Jenny.”
Reuben and Jerusha looked at each other in amazement and then tears began to flow down Jerusha’s cheeks. She pulled Jenny close against her breast.
“Thank you, Lord, oh thank you.”
Reuben knelt at the side of the bed and took them both into his strong arms. And though the wind was still blowing and the storm was still raging outside, inside their hearts it was spring in Apple Creek.
Epilogue
APPLE CREEK, OHIO, THANKSGIVING 1962
THE WOMAN PUSHED THE DOOR OPEN and slowly entered the room. Her blonde hair was beginning to show some gray now, and a strand peeked out from under her kappe. The years had left their mark on her beautiful face, but not unkindly. She turned up the gas lamp and went to the old cedar chest against the wall. The lid creaked as she opened it and knelt beside it.
Some shawls and other handmade items were on top, and she lifted them out and laid them aside. Finally in the bottom of the chest, she came to the object of her search. It was a parcel rolled in paper and tied with thick brown string. She pulled it out, stood, and went to the rocking chair in the corner, where she sat down and placed the parcel in her lap.
After all these years, I still miss you, my darling Jenna. I have received many blessings since you left us, but in my heart is that place where you will always live. I thank the Lord every day for the four years you spent with us and the joy of having you for my daughter.
The woman untied the string, laid it aside, opened the package, and pulled out the torn quilt. It was still mud-stained, and a corner was missing, but the exquisite design and the expert stitching that had once marked this quilt as the best she had ever made was still evident to her practiced eye.
The Rose of Sharon, I called this quilt. I made it with silk. The rose in the center was blood red...like the blood of Christ. I named it for you, my darling girl.
Just then the door opened, and a teenage girl peeked in.
“Mama?”
“Come in, dochter,” Jerusha said, and the girl entered.
She was lovely, with reddish blonde hair and a strong face. She came to her mother’s side and looked down at the quilt.
“That’s my quilt,” she said. “The one you wrapped me in to save my life.”
“Yes, Jenny, this is your quilt. It’s a strange and wonderful story, how it came to be yours.”
Jenny knelt down at her mother’s feet and laid her head on Jerusha’s lap.
“Tell me again, Mama,” she said.
Jerusha laid her hand gently on her daughter’s head and began to stroke her hair as she spoke.
“I made this quilt for your sister, Jenna. I was running away from God and from my faith. This quilt was my way out. But God led me to you, and I had to make a choice—to hold on to my pride and keep the quilt unspoiled or to use it to save you. I made the right choice.”
“And how did you get me?” Jenny asked even though she had heard the story many times.
“No one knew where you came from or who your parents were. When the police went to Jepsons’ Pond to pull out the car I found you in, it was already spring. In the bottom of the pond they found the body of a man. He never was identified. He may have been your father, but no one knows. When they checked on the car, they found that it had been stolen in New York City. You were all alone, so we applied to take you into foster care while the authorities looked for some relatives, but that was a hopeless search. So we adopted you, and that’s how you became our daughter. And a wonderful daughter you’ve been.”
“Mama, did you ever regret having me instead of Jenna?” Jenny asked, looking up into her mother’s face.
“Jenna was a wonderful child. She already had a special relationship with the Lord when she died. It was an easy thing to raise her. You were a stronger child than Jenna, more determined and self-willed. God knew that you needed your daed and me to raise you, to bring order to your life, and to give you the opportunity to have a relationship with Him. Who knows what would have happened to you or me or your daed if God had not put us together? We all needed each other. And since that day, I have never thought of
you as anything but my own flesh and blood.”
Jenny laid her head down in her mama’s lap again. “Sometimes I dream about being in the car where you found me,” Jenny said. “The dreams are sometimes strange, and mostly I don’t understand them. You are there, and then you’re an angel. And there’s a bad man, and then Daed is there, and he always makes me feel safe. All I know is that I was lost and you found me. Thank you, Mama, for saving me.”
A voice from the doorway piped up. “No, Jenny, it was you who saved us.”
A tall man stood there, his hair and beard starting to show gray hairs among the black. He was stern of face but with a smile hidden in his eyes. He took off his black, broad-brimmed hat and came into the room.
“And how are my girls today?” he asked as he reached down and pulled them both into an embrace. He kissed Jenny on the cheek and the forehead and then gave Jerusha a kiss on the lips.
“Husband!” said Jerusha as she lowered her eyes and blushed red.
Reuben smiled and held them both even tighter.
Discussion Questions
I. Dealing with Loss
In chapter 1 Jerusha has experienced a deep personal tragedy in the death of her daughter, Jenna, and the disappearance of her husband, Reuben. She deals with it by letting a root of bitterness into her life that results in hatred toward God.
1. Have you ever had a similar loss in your life? A similar situation?
2. How did you deal with it?
3. What was the outcome? Positive or negative?
Scripture References: Philippians 3:8; Hebrews 12:12-15
II. Family Roots
In chapters 6 and 7 Jerusha learns about the roots of her faith and her family from her grossmudder, Hannah.
1. How important is it to understand your family’s heritage?
2. How do you gain strength from your family?
3. If you are someone whose family is scattered and out of touch, how does it affect your life?
4. How important are families to God?
A Quilt for Jenna Page 24
