The Amber Photograph by Penelope J. Stokes

Author:Penelope J. Stokes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

25

Soul Aflame

Amber sat on the back porch and watched as the moon slid lazily over the Olympic Mountains and hovered at the peak of Mount Constance. The night was cool and quiet; she could almost hear the wind under the eagle's wings as he glided like a dark shadow over the glimmering waters of Hood Canal.

Meg and Twojoe had gone to bed hours ago, but Amber couldn't sleep. She was still too full of amazement and wonder at what this day had brought. In one brief moment, in the blink of an eye, everything had changed. Everything.

Amber had work—real work, bringing in real money. Twojoe wouldn't have to sell the llamas . . . or the farm . . . or his soul. They could all stay together, right here, where they belonged.

Maybe Susan was right—maybe God did answer prayers. Just not in the way we expected. And without a moment to spare, Amber admitted wryly. But no one seemed inclined to quibble over the timing.

They had all gone out to dinner to celebrate. Amber and Twojoe and Meg, Vernon and Emmaline Houston and little Sam—even the Reverend Doctor Susan Quentin—had piled into two cars and driven into Port Ludlow to have seafood at a restaurant overlooking Paradise Bay.

For two hours they had laughed and joked and hammered crabs and thrown shells at each other. Sam had circled the table gathering a box full of scraps to take home to Pocahontas. Meg and Susan marveled over the Miracle, as they called Amber's commission. Twojoe sat beside her, gazing at her, his expression filled with pride and wonder. The anxiety of the past few weeks was gone, replaced with joy and tranquillity. And at the head and foot of the restaurant table, Vernon and Emmaline Houston beamed over all of them like the proud parents of a slightly rowdy brood.

As Amber recalled the scene in her mind, a creeping awareness trickled through her veins and into her heart. For the first time in years, she had trusted—or at least she had tried to trust. And a response had come. But the wonder of it was that the answer turned out to be a gift much more valuable than simply the money they needed to save the farm.

A phrase floated to the surface of her mind, a verse Susan had quoted to her a couple times, something like "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." She had looked it up later, that Bible story, and it seemed that Jesus had honored that honest prayer—just as Amber's feeble attempts had been honored. But as usual, God had done something different—and deeper—than anyone had expected. God had reached into the hidden places of Amber Chaney's soul and answered a need even she had not been able—or willing—to articulate.

God had given her back a family. Not kindred of blood, but of spirit. A protecting father. A doting mother. A sister who loved her. A mentor who challenged her to grow. A little brother who made her laugh and swelled her heart with delight.

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