Hymn of Praise by Amy Clipston

Author:Amy Clipston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2020-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

“My friends and I would like to sing for you while you enjoy your dessert,” Sharon said as she stood in front of the group of sixteen Englishers Friday evening. They were eating either peanut butter or lemon meringue pie—or a slice of both.

Sharon had been excited when her mother told her another large group was coming, and the meal had gone almost perfectly. Andrew and Cal arrived early enough to set up the tables and chairs while Alice and Darlene helped finish preparing the meal.

They were ready for the guests when they came around five o’clock. Each of the visitors had been pleasant and showered them with compliments. The roast beef, baked potatoes, corn, egg noodles, and salad had all been a hit. So had their desserts.

But disappointment nipped at Sharon. Something was missing.

Jay hadn’t joined them. He’d stopped by to see her earlier in the week, but he didn’t mention the supper tonight, and neither had she. Surely their discussion about singing for Englishers wouldn’t have kept him away.

“What are you going to sing?” Ruby Sue asked, pulling Sharon from her thoughts.

Sharon turned to her sister. “What do you suggest?”

Ruby Sue touched her chin. “How about ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’? Your freinden should know the words.”

“Oh ya,” Mamm chimed in. “That’s one of my favorites.”

“Okay.” Still thinking of Jay, Sharon forced a smile. “You start, Ruby Sue. You can do it.”

A flicker of panic crossed her sister’s face, but when Sharon told the guests they were about to sing, Ruby Sue cleared her throat and began.

Sharon and her friends all joined in, and their little choir filled the kitchen with the Lord’s praises.

If only Jay were standing beside her, offering his voice too.

* * *

“I think that went well,” Cal said as he folded a table later that evening.

“It did.” Mamm washed, while Alice dried. “Danki for helping us. I’ll give you each some of the profits.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Andrew said. “I just enjoyed spending time with you all. And I enjoyed your food.”

“That’s not right,” Sharon said, protesting as she set a stack of dried plates in a cabinet. “You all helped, so we can split it.”

Cal waved her off before picking up the table. “We’re just glad we could, right, Andrew?”

Andrew nodded before lifting another table and following Cal into the utility room.

“Are you okay?” Alice asked Sharon as she dried a glass.

“Ya, I am. I was just hoping Jay would come, although he never told me for sure that he would.” Sharon tried to shrug, but the disappointment ran deeper than she wanted to admit.

“You should check our voice mail,” Ruby Sue suggested as she swept the floor. “Maybe he left you a message.”

Sharon hesitated.

“Go now.” Mamm nodded toward the door. “See if he did.”

“Okay.” Sharon pulled on a sweater in the mudroom and then stepped out into the cool April night.

As her shoes crunched the rock path, she glanced up at the bright stars peppering the dark sky, and then she pointed the bright-yellow beam of the flashlight toward the phone shanty.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.