Raven 1
Page 22
The doctor worked quickly to insert needles and a rubber tube to pump the blood directly from the preacher’s arm into the infant. It wasn’t long before the child’s color turned a healthy pink and he uttered a small cry.
Nurse Bilbrey had finished closing her patient. She asked the doctor to check her work.
The preacher made Sheriff Hankins hold the child. He protested, but the preacher had a way of making folks perform outside their comfort zones.
There had been a Christmas miracle on that early Christmas morning in 1938 in the little Appalachian town of Ferguson. A baby had been born in an unusual place and under unusual circumstances like it had happened almost 2000 years ago. It was a Christmas that would be long remembered.
Epilogue: The Grand Adventure
Once the excitement had ended in the early hours of that Christmas morning, the preacher handed Nurse Bilbrey her full-length red wool coat. He asked her to wait for him on the veranda of the bed and breakfast. He promised that he would be there shortly.
When the nurse stepped outside one of the two large front doors at Miss Rosie’s, she immediately noticed the damp, crispness in the air. She reckoned that the temperature was in the mid-twenties. It usually wasn’t that cold until mid-winter. Snow in December was a rarity.
The landscape was covered in a blanket of white. The light from the full moon gave it an iridescent glow. It looked more like a scene from Colorado’s Rocky Mountains than from the east Tennessee hills.
Nurse Bilbrey recalled that this was only her third white Christmas. The first one was when she was eight years old and in the third grade; another occurred when she was 22 and finishing nursing school; and, this one some 15 years later. She noted that this snowfall was definitely the most exciting of the three.
In east Tennessee, a white Christmas was a rarity and definitely a historical marker for every resident. This particular white Christmas would be remembered for the next few generations of Putnam County residents.
Nurse Bilbrey seated herself in the large porch swing and waited for the pastor. She expected the preacher to have a small gift for her. In preparation, she had purchased and wrapped a bottle of cologne for him from Smith’s Apothecary a few days earlier.
The preacher stepped onto the large front porch of the bed and breakfast. He gently closed the door and walked toward the swing.
For just an instant, their eyes met. Noticing his expression and the length of his stare, it caused her to speak first.
“Have I done something wrong?” she asked.
“Not at all,” the preacher replied.
“You have a look of consternation,” Nurse Bilbrey noted.
“I have something important to say, but I'm not sure how to begin,” the preacher explained.
“Just pretend that I'm Jack Wright,” the nurse said with a smile.
He looked directly into Nurse Bilbrey’s eyes and said, “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of you many times. If I had a flower for every time you entered my thoughts, I would always be in the midst of a beautiful garden.”
“Say on,” Nurse Bilbrey implored.
“I have every intention to ask you to marry me tonight. My only hesitation is I am afraid that it may place you in danger of losing your life,” the preacher said solemnly.
“Since that day at Miller's Lake, I knew why you had maintained your distance. I determined our life together, however long or short it might be, was well worth that risk,” the nurse replied.
“The full power of the government has been put behind the effort to apprehend those assassins and murderers. It's been six fruitless years thus far,” the preacher reported.
“I will ask what David asked of the Lord: ‘Deliver [us] from [our] enemies, O God; be our fortress against those who are attacking [us],’” the nurse responded.
The preacher reached into his overcoat pocket for the blue, gold-trimmed ring box. He opened it and showed her the diamond engagement ring and matching wedding band.
“Are you at a loss for words?” the nurse asked.
“There are no words sufficient for expressing my love for you. A life with you is my heart’s fondest desire and prayer. Will you marry me?” the preacher asked earnestly.
In those few minutes on that cold, snowy, early Christmas morning, my parents embarked on their grand adventure in life together. Fifteen months later, I was born.
What happened thereafter? Well, like my father often said, “That's another story for another day.”
MUSICAL CREDITS
You Can’t Steal My Shine The Reverend Payton
No Depression In Heaven Sheryl Crow
Moonshiner Uncle Tupelo
Honey In The Rock Ralph Stanley
There is a Fountain Various Artists
I Won’t Hang Around Dennis Barrett
How Many Biscuits? The Coon Creek Girls
Good Corn Liquor The SteelDrivers
Welcome Table Courtney Patton
Where I’m Bound Patty Loveless
Orphan Train Dry Branch Fire Squad
Heaven’s Bright Shore Alison Krauss/Union Sta
Jerusalem’s Ridge Bill Monroe/Kenny Baker
Jake Leg Dog Blues T Ferrell
Poor Man Old Crow Medicine Show
Take Em Away Old Crow Medicine Show
Jesus On The Mainline Dry Branch Fire Squad
Sowing On The Mountain The Flatlanders
Where Rainbows Never Die The SteelDrivers
Redemption Johnny Cash
Beautiful Star of BethlehemRhonda Vincent
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in 1957, in Wilson County, Tennessee, Dennis Barrett holds two earned doctorates with majors in law, economics and religion. He recently retired as an engineering and management consultant to devote his full-time efforts to writing.