“Going, going, anyone else? Gone! For thirty-five thousand dollars. What is your name, sir?”
The applause started as the gavel fell, and as one, the women stood and turned to honor the man who bought the quilt.
If only I could whistle like Amber used to. Kit clapped until her hands were hot.
“Thirty-five thousand dollars.” Teza leaned back against her chair as they sat down again. “Who'd a dreamed it.”
“Winston bid for quite a while.” Beth leaned toward Kit. “I think he liked it hanging in the lobby at the hospital like it did.”
“I know. Would have been nice to keep it in the community.”
They settled back to enjoy the remainder of the auction, groaning along with Garth when the car bid started higher than he'd dreamed of paying for it.
“So much for making my dad jealous. But then jealousy isn't good for him anyway.”
“Don't tell me you were coveting that there automobile?” The man in front of them spoke over his shoulder.
Garth tapped one of his elders on the back. “Not at all, Wayne. Just dreaming.”
The auctioneer moved the bidding right along, and the woman painting in the red thermometer kept busy. The closer the red line drew to ninety-eight degrees, the faster the bids flew.
When the gavel fell for the final time, Kit leaned back against Mark's arm and fanned herself with the program.
“I feel like I've been running a race or something.”
“Me, too.” Beth propped her elbows on her knees. “But you realize, hardly anyone has left.”
“Pretty amazing.” Mark stood and stretched. “I'll be right back.”
Kit watched him as he left, thinking he was going to the men's room, but when he went up to the cashier, she gave Teza a questioning look.
“Did you see him bid on anything?”
Teza shook her head. “Although I sure thought about bidding on the house painters, but I'd have them paint the barn instead.”
“Housecleaning for six months would have been my choice.” Kit trapped a yawn with her hand. “Or that Caribbean cruise, like we mentioned. I didn't see who got that. Did any of you?”
“I was afraid to move in case I bought something I couldn't afford.” Garth glanced over to where the new owner was talking with the dealer who'd donated the Chevy.
“Cars that are paid for are a real mercy.” Beth tapped his arm.
“I know, but dreams don't cost a dime.”
“True.” She smiled at Kit as she caught the yawn. “How come we're yawning and Teza isn't?”
“Too tired to yawn.”
“Then we better get you home.” Kit picked up her purse and stood, glancing around for Mark.
“Sorry it took so long.” Mark held up a Caribbean travel brochure. “Do you think we can fit this in our schedule?”
“Elaine, dear, I was really proud of you tonight.” George kissed her cheek, then put his arms around her as they stood looking out the window toward the mountain. Lights twinkled in the blackness of both the sky and the land. “That has to be the coup of your career.”
“Thank you.” Elaine leaned her forehead against his shoulder. “You're not on call tonight, are you?”
“No. And I won't be much anymore, only extreme emergencies. I've decided to let the younger men do that. There's got to be some kind of privilege with age, don't you think?”
“I think age has only made you sexier.” She popped out the first of the studs in his shirt and reached up to kiss his chin.
The next morning she stood at the window watching the sun come up behind Mount Rainier. With Doodlebug on one arm and a cup of coffee in the other hand, she thought back to what she called the quilt months. “You know what, Bug? After everything I've done and seen and heard these last months”—she sucked on her bottom lip—“I'm beginning to think there is more to life after all.”
The brilliant orange disk broke free from the mountain. “And I don't want to miss out.”
Dear Readers.
Back in 1986 when our daughter Marie died of cancer at age twenty-one, I had no idea what terrible, heart breaking grief is like. Yes, my father had died as well as other relatives, but they were older and, in the natural scheme of things, they would die before I did. But not my daughter. God had healed her once, and I felt sure he would do so again. He did, but not in the way I wanted. When someone asked me if I would write our story, I said only when God is adamant that the time is right. I asked him years ago whether, since I am hard of hearing to that still small voice, would he please say things three times so that I get the message. When the time came for this story to be told, he bombarded me with signals. Three, and then three, and then three again.
However, the story you just read, The Healing Quilt, is not the story I started out to write. It grew. My story is only a small piece of the stories of these four women who strive, like you and I do, to understand and live out forgiveness. Kit, who struggles with anger and grief over the death of her daughter, is not me but parts of me. Beth cannot forgive herself— haven't we all been there? Teza trusts God but still fears—ah, who can say that is not herself? And Elaine seeks to get even and sees no need to forgive, and yet is confronted by love anyway. Ring a bell?
These many years after 1986 I still cry at times. I miss Marie, but I remember more of the good times than the bad, and I'm thankful the pain of the memories is gone—most of the time. I know with everything that I am, that God loves me, forgives me, and extends the grace I do not understand but rejoice in daily to heal me and, through the sharing of my stories, help bring healing and hope to others.
I hope and pray that you enjoyed this story, laughed some, cried some, and allowed Gods love and mercy to flood your very being. I need to go blow my nose and wipe my eyes now.
RESOURCE LIST
The Compassionate Friends, Inc.
P.O. Box 3696
Oak Brook, IL 60522-3696
(877) 969-0010 (toll free)
http://www.compassionatefriends.org
The mission of Compassionate Friends is “to assist families in the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child.” They provide suggested reading, online resources, and newsletters.
American Cancer Society
National Home Office
1599 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
(800) 227-2345
http://www.cancer.org
The Society provides information on cancer, community programs, and research.
Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization
212 West Van Buren Street, Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60607-3908
(800) 221-2141 (English)
RESOURCE LIST
(800) 986-9505 (Spanish)
http://www.y-me.org
Y-Me provides breast cancer information and support. Their hotline is staffed by trained peer counselors who are breast cancer survivors.
Bosom Buddies of Hawaii
The Queens Medical Center
Pain Management Services
1301 Punchbowl Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 585-LIFE
http://www.bosombuddies.org
Bosom Buddies is in partnership with Healing Touch, toll free (877) 823-4088. Bosom Buddies provides therapy to ease the discomfort of breast cancer treatments.
In addition to the Web sites listed above, extensive resources can be found online, including the following: http://www.breastcancer site.com.
THE HEALING QUILT
PUBLISHED BY WATERBROOK PRESS
12265 Oracle Blvd., Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
A division of Random House, Inc.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations also taken from the King James Version.
T
he characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
eISBN: 978-0-307-55321-8
Copyright © 2002 by Lauraine Snelling
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
v3.0
Table of Contents
Cover
Other Books By This Author
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Epilogue
Resource List
Copyright
The Healing Quilt Page 34
