“But a voice stopped me. An audible voice told me to back up instead.”
“Wow.” Donna felt more than a little guilty. The whole idea seemed ridiculous now that it had turned into a problem. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Aunt Kerry. “A real voice?”
“Sure sounded like it.”
“Would … would we have died, Aunt Kerry?”
Kerry was quiet for a moment. “I think so. My car would’ve knocked you down and then crushed you.”
“But how can someone talk to you if no one’s there?”
“Well … I’d say it was a miracle.” Kerry settled back against the seat of her car and for the first time she explained her faith to the girls. “I have a relationship with God, not just a religion.” Kerry’s heartbeat was finally back to normal. “Is that something you’d like to know more about?”
Both girls nodded their heads. And for the first time that summer, the story Kerry shared with them wasn’t merely something to make them laugh. It was the truth about her faith in God and how Donna and Vicki could have the same faith.
Before the day was up, both girls made the most serious decision of their lives by praying with Kerry. Not just thanking God for the miraculous voice that saved their lives, but asking him to be in their lives the way he was in Aunt Kerry’s.
The Sweetest Friend
Tami Bolton’s father needed just two words to turn her entire life upside down.
“We’re moving!” he announced one day. Then he went on to explain that he’d found a job in Southern California where he could concentrate on his career in solar energy.
Tami had known this day might come. She had known it since her father had first brought the idea up the year before. But at sixteen she wasn’t ready to leave Missouri, especially two thousand miles away from her married sister and friends in the Midwest.
“I can’t move.” Tears welled up in her eyes and she hugged herself. “Everyone I know is here, Daddy. Can’t you wait another year? Until I’m ready to live on my own?”
Her father’s expression softened. “I’d like to stay, too, Tami. Your mom and I know how hard this’ll be for you, for all of us. But this is the job I’ve been waiting years to get. I don’t have any choice, honey.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Besides, you can move back after you finish high school. Maybe get a dorm and go to school here. That’s only a few years away.”
Tami nodded but she couldn’t speak. If she did, an ocean of tears would come at the same time. Instead she managed a sad smile and headed upstairs to her room. There she threw herself on her bed and buried her face in the pillow. How could they do this to her? Move her away from her friends when she was about to start her junior year in high school? Nothing would be the same in California. She’d miss all the milestones she and her friends had planned on. Prom, graduation, applying for college admission together.
God, can’t you change his mind? Make my dad understand that this isn’t the best thing for us. Please, God.
Within the hour, her mother entered her room and sat on the side of her bed. “Tami, I’m sorry you’re upset.”
Tami rolled over onto her back and studied her mother through swollen eyes. “Is he serious? We’re really moving to California?”
Her mother nodded. “It’s a great opportunity for him, honey. It might only last a few years. Then we could all move back.” She brushed back Tami’s bangs with her fingertips. “We have to believe God will bring us back here sometime. This is home. Not just for you, sweetheart. For all of us.”
Another wave of tears fell from Tami’s eyes and she sniffed, searching for her voice. “I can’t even imagine telling my friends good-bye after so many years. And what about Mari?”
Mari Bolton Rice was six years older than Tami but the two sisters had always shared a special bond. Last year when Mari married her high school sweetheart, Tami was her maid of honor.
Tami watched her mother’s expression fall. “We’ll all miss Mari. But well visit. I can promise you that much, honey.”
For a long while they stayed there, Tami and her mother, each appreciating the fact that they faced the pain of moving together. Finally, when Tami had a better grip on her emotions, she reached out and took hold of her mother’s hand. “At least I’ll have you and Misty.”
Her mom’s body stiffened at the mention of Tami’s cat. “Now, honey, that’s something we need to talk about.”
“What?” Tami sniffed, wiping her cheeks with her fingertips.
“About Misty.” She paused. “Your father and I talked about it, and, well, there’s no way we can bring her. We’re flying to California and once we get there, we’ll rent an apartment. Mari’s offered to take her. I think that’s a much better answer for Misty, dear.”
“Mom, you can’t be serious.” Tami raised her voice. Misty had slept on the end of her bed since she was eight years old. Sometimes at night after Tami was done talking to God, she would share her heart with the old gray cat. Again fresh tears stung at Tami’s eyes. “Misty’s part of the family. She has to come.”
“Tami, be sensible.” Her mother kept her voice calm, gentle. “Can you imagine what type of life Misty would have in an apartment? Here she spends the days chasing mice in the field behind our house. She knows her way around. It’d be the same thing with all the space at Mari’s house. But an apartment?” Her mother kissed her on the cheek, then stood to leave. “Please, Tami. Try to understand.”
But after her mother left the room, Tami spent an hour crying in her room. She couldn’t understand any of it. Not the move, not the idea of leaving her friends and her sister, and certainly not the idea of leaving Misty.
But over the next few weeks, Tami had no choice but to give in to the idea. Her mother was right; it would be cruel to confine Misty to an apartment all day. Especially when the three of them would be gone at school and work. What kind of a life would that be for an old cat? Finally, even as she felt her world crumbling around her, Tami knew that giving the cat to Mari was the only answer.
When moving day arrived three months later, Tami placed Misty in her sister’s arms. “Here.” She was sobbing, weary from all the good-byes she’d said that week. “Take good care of her, okay?”
“I will, sweetie.” Her sister hugged her close, the cat between them. “I’ll miss you so much, Tami.”
“Me, too.” Tami buried her head in her sister’s shoulder. “How am I going to make it, Mari?”
“You’ll make it. The weeks will pass quickly.” Mari pulled away and sniffed twice. “Before you know it you’ll be back again.”
The flight across the country was quiet and somber, with Tami lost in thoughts of all she’d left behind. Her parents were serious, but excited all the same. Halfway to California they became caught up in a conversation about her father’s new job.
Easy for you both, Tami thought as she looked out the window. But what about me? She stared as far up as she could see. What about me, God, huh? Can you see my heart breaking?
When they arrived, the Boltons found a small, two-bedroom apartment not far from where Tami’s father would be working. Soon afterward they joined a church in the area, and Tami decided to have a positive attitude.
But as the weeks passed she grew more homesick, constantly thinking of her friends and her sister and her precious feline friend, Misty. Many afternoons she would come home from her new school, lay on her bed, and wish for a way to turn back the clock. Her attitude was affecting the atmosphere of their small home, and Tami was sorry about that. Normally the Bolton household was filled with fun and laughter. But Tami couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of isolation.
Two months passed and her parents bought a beautiful home with a swimming pool, but even that didn’t help. Worst of all, she felt far from God, almost as if he were unaware of her situation, unable to help her feel better.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so sad lately,” she told her parents a month later. “I don’t want to spoil things for y
ou guys.” She shot a weak smile toward her father. “I know you’re excited about your new job and the house, and I’m happy for you. Really. It’s just that sometimes I feel so lonely it’s almost like I’m suffocating.”
Later that night, Tami’s parents thought about her apology and the way she’d tried to adjust to their new home. “Tami’s birthday is next week, right?” Tami’s father sat back in his chair, his eyes twinkling.
“Yes.” Her mother sighed. “I’ve been trying to think of a way to cheer her up, but there doesn’t seem to be much we can do.”
Tami’s father smiled. “I think I just thought of a way.”
The next week, on Tami’s birthday, the two of them presented Tami with a tiny gray kitten.
“Oh my goodness,” she squealed, taking the tiny ball of fur into her arms. “He’s perfect. Thank you so much.”
For the first time since their move Tami looked genuinely happy, and her parents congratulated themselves on finding the perfect birthday present for her.
“He’ll have to be a house cat.” Her father came up to her and stroked the kitten’s soft gray fur. “He won’t have acres of fields to play in, but he won’t know any different.”
“Happy birthday, honey.” Tami’s mother slipped an arm around her shoulder. “Maybe now you won’t be so lonely.”
Tami named the kitten Chloe, and with a new friend to keep her company, her outlook changed overnight. She began meeting more kids at school and took a greater interest in her classes. Then she would hurry home to share the afternoon with Chloe.
Over the next few months, she spent hours playing with the kitten, training her, and teaching her the house rules, much as she’d once done with Misty. Sometimes when her homework was finished, she would scoop Chloe into her arms and take her outside by the pool for fresh air and sunshine.
Since Chloe was primarily an indoor cat, the Boltons took him to the veterinarian to be declawed. After that, they were careful not to let him jump the fence around their home. Without his claws he would have no way to defend himself. Sometimes Tami lost track of Chloe and before she could stop her, the kitten would climb over the fence. But when that happened, the dogs on either side of the Boltons’ home would bark ferociously, and Tami would call Chloe back into her own yard.
Chloe developed a keen ear for Tami’s voice and whenever she called her, the kitten would meow and scamper immediately back to her side.
“That’s a good girl,” Tami would say, cuddling Chloe close and rubbing her behind her ears.
There was no way to put into words how thankful Tami was for Chloe’s presence in her life. Many times as Tami drifted off to sleep she would whisper a special thank-you to God for using the precious kitten to lift the dark cloud she’d been living under. Meanwhile, she kept in touch with Mari and learned that Misty was doing well.
Time was passing and Tami was surviving it. Her parents were right. One day they would finish up in California and they could go back home. Until then, Chloe was the best friend Tami could hope to have.
Then one day her warning system failed. One of the neighbors had taken their dog out for a walk, and by the time Tami realized what had happened, Chloe had disappeared. Frightened, Tami contacted both next-door neighbors and asked them to search their yards for the gray kitten. When neither found Chloe, Tami told herself that certainly the kitten would return within a few hours when she got hungry.
Five o’clock came, and then six. Still Chloe had not returned, and Tami was beginning to panic. Her parents arrived home, and together they searched the surrounding streets.
“Chloe, here kitty, kitty, kitty,” Tami called as they walked. They searched for two hours, but there was no sign of the kitten.
Two days passed. Each afternoon Tami rushed back from her classes hoping to find her kitten home where she belonged. She walked up and down her neighborhood each afternoon asking neighbors if they’d seen her gray kitten and calling Chloe’s name.
By the third afternoon, Tami began to lose hope. She walked home from the bus stop more slowly that day, a trickle of tears splashing on the ground near her tennis shoes. How could this happen? Why? She thought about God. Lord, you let me find a friend and now you’ve let her disappear. Couldn’t you bring Chloe back to me, God? Please.
But the truth was clearer than Tami wanted to admit. The chances that Chloe would come back now—after so many days away—were almost nonexistent. Either something had happened to the kitty or she’d been taken by someone. Either way, Tami had to face the facts. She would probably never see Chloe again.
She set her books on the kitchen counter and went into the backyard.
“Chloe,” she yelled as loud as she could. “Here, Chloe.”
She stood waiting for a response, until finally her fear and loneliness overwhelmed her and she turned back toward the house, running into her bedroom. There, she threw herself on her bed and began yelling at God. She thought of a Bible verse in Lamentations that says, “Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.”
And that was exactly what she did.
“God, I can’t handle this! I’m so lonely and Chloe was all I had. Now she’s gone, too!” Her sobs filled the room. “I just can’t handle this. It’s too much.”
She continued for several minutes until her anger and frustration were spent. Then, still crying, she remembered another scripture, Psalms 34:18, which says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Suddenly, Tami felt God’s presence, and in her grief she clung to the feeling. The chasm that had developed between her and God disappeared in an instant. You’re my friend, too, right God? Is that what you’re trying to tell me? A surge of hope welled up within her. Yes, that was it. God was her friend, now and always. A friend even better than Chloe.
No longer angry, she looked upward and whispered yet another prayer. “Please, Lord, hear me now. I only need you. But I really want my cat to come home, too.” She thought a moment. “I’m going to go out into the backyard and I beg you to bring Chloe home for me. If it is your will, Lord, please answer my prayer.”
Tami realized that her request sounded childish, but she trusted with all her heart that God could hear her. She walked down the hallway and opened the back door. There, sitting by the pool, was Chloe. She glanced at Tami casually as if she’d been there all the time.
“Meow,” she squeaked. Then she scampered toward Tami.
Tami fell to her knees, bowing her head in thanks. Not because her cat was back home. But because she had rediscovered a different best friend. The sweetest friend of all.
Heaven’s Perfect Timing
Her freshman year, Amy Baron commuted between college and home so often she became expert at it. She was just eighteen, younger than her peers at school and her parents wanted her to wait until the next fall before taking a dorm on campus. Amy agreed. She was the oldest of six kids and though the commute took an hour each way, she would miss her family too much to live at school.
“It’s not an easy drive, honey,” her father had told her when she started college. “Storms come up quickly around here. Please be careful. If it’s bad weather, wait it out.”
Time and again throughout the year, Amy found her father to be right. Especially during the winter, when storms could blow in with little or no warning. When that happened, roads became perilous and deaths on the area’s highways were common. The most difficult part of Amy’s commute was a stretch of roadway locals called, “The Summit,” a particularly dangerous stretch with winding turns and steep drop-offs.
One day that January, Amy walked out of her last class and gazed at the sky. Menacing clouds were moving in along the eastern skyline. For a long moment, Amy stood still while other students made their way around her. She studied the clouds. Were they moving closer? Her eyes shifted to the blue sky above her and she whispered a prayer.
God … I have so much homework. Please help me get home safely. Keep the s
torm away, okay?
Then she hurried toward her car. But just as she opened the door a gust of wind blew across the parking lot. Amy looked skyward again and noticed that the air had grown very still. She shuddered. Her life had been filled with enough severe snowstorms to understand what the stillness meant. The storm was ready to bear down on anything in its path.
“Please, God …” This time she whispered the words out loud as she climbed inside. “Let me get through safely. Don’t let me cross that Summit if it’s going to be too dangerous.”
She drove along surface streets toward Route 22, wondering if she should wait it out or try to cross the Summit before the storm hit. She could feel her stomach churning. Usually if the sky was blue, she’d take a chance and make it just fine. But something about these clouds looked more dangerous, more ominous, than usual. She knew she would have to drive up the steep grade of the Allegheny Mountains before reaching the Summit, where the roadway leveled out at the top of the mountain range. Route 22 was extremely dangerous there because without the protection of surrounding mountains crosswinds made driving treacherous even in mild weather. Signs warning drivers about the danger of crosswinds were scattered along the Summit. But still accidents were commonplace.
Amy continued making her way toward the on ramp, frustrated by the heavy traffic. There seemed to be a sense of panic and confusion among the other drivers as people flooded the roads, attempting to reach their destinations before the storm descended. Wind began blowing, and Amy was thankful that Route 22 was less than a block away.
Then, up ahead, she spotted a fast-food restaurant.
Suddenly she was gripped by a strong urge to pull in and order something from the drive-through window. She shook off the feeling, determined to stay on the road. Every minute would be crucial in clearing the Summit before the storm. The traffic crept forward, and again Amy was nearly overcome with the desire to pull off the road and get something to eat.
“This is crazy.” She muttered the words out loud and tapped out a nervous beat on the steering wheel. It was two o’clock and she’d eaten lunch at school. There was no reason why she should be hungry. She drew a deep breath. She never stopped for food on the way home from college and today would not be an exception. Her family would have dinner in a few hours, after all.
A Treasury of Miracles for Teens Page 10
