Read Online A Marriage Carol by Chris Fabry, Gary D. Chapman - Free Book Online
Authors: Chris Fabry, Gary D. Chapman
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smile.
“So, my husband has shown you the power of snow.”
“Yes, and I’ve seen something awful.”
“You saw the future?”
“The third pan. I put the snow in it by mistake …” My voice trailed and the room felt as if it were spinning. “The last scene of the present showed an accident and in my hurry, I got the wrong pot.”
“It’s all right. I’m just sorry you had to go through that alone.”
“I n-need to know,” I stammered. “Is what I saw what
might be
or what
will be?
I want to know if it has to be this way, or if the future can be changed.”
“And you want to know if it can change, how do
you
change it?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
She blinked, like a female Yoda, then closed her eyes and lifted a finger in the air and traced something unseen. “Just one snowflake changes the construction of the water. One choice changes the construction of a life. What feels like an accident changes everything. Likethat snow globe you broke on your anniversary.”
“How did you know about that?” I said. I hadn’t told even my closest friends the story. And we bought a replica of the globe and never told the owners the truth.
She kept her eyes closed and her hand fell to rest on the comforter. The woman moved her legs under the covers and Rue stretched and curled his tongue, his legs shaking as he extended every inch. Then he snuggled close again.
When I looked back at the woman’s face, she was smiling, showing aged teeth, and it was in that smile that I finally recognized. The chipped tooth. The faded brown eyes. Her face was a mirror that projected forward in time.
I saw myself
.
I stepped back, trying to breathe, questions swirling. “This can’t be … you can’t be …”
“I am.”
“But, if you are … then Jay … is Jacob?”
“He is.”
“But why didn’t I recognize him? How could I have been so blind?”
“Remember the story of the two on the road toEmmaus?” she said.
That sounded biblical. Something about a post-resurrection appearance and travelers, but I couldn’t place it.
“They didn’t recognize the one they loved as they walked along,” she said. “Their eyes were closed because of their own pain. And then they sat down by a fire and He kept speaking to them. He opened their eyes with His words and their hearts burned within them.
“Tell me,” she continued. “Did the things you saw in the melting snow make your heart yearn for another chance? For a different outcome to your life?”
“Yes,” I choked.
She looked inside my soul and held out both hands. “Then this is it. What you see here is just as possible as what you saw in the snow. Neither is reality yet. But you can choose.”
I sat on the bed, the air escaping the room. “But there’s so much hurt. So much distance between him and me. It’s not like we can just start over.”
“You think I don’t know that? I know what you’ve been through.”
I stared at the fire, wondering why it didn’t flicker and die. You have to have wood to keep a fire going. Youhave to have hope to keep a marriage intact.
“So, you’re not real? You’re just like the woman I saw who married Erik?”
Though her body had been ravaged by time, that could not steal the sudden sweetness to her face or her words. “You have been given a gift few are open to receiving. You have seen two different futures, two differing paths for what may lie ahead.”
“May
,” I said. “So it’s not determined. The future can be changed.”
“Yes. But what might be, never will be, unless you make the choice to move toward your husband. What could be, will never be known if it’s abandoned. You’ll never experience the joy and tenderness of a lifelong love unless you fight for it. I know that now. The question is, will you? Or will you settle for something else?”
“The children,” I
“So, my husband has shown you the power of snow.”
“Yes, and I’ve seen something awful.”
“You saw the future?”
“The third pan. I put the snow in it by mistake …” My voice trailed and the room felt as if it were spinning. “The last scene of the present showed an accident and in my hurry, I got the wrong pot.”
“It’s all right. I’m just sorry you had to go through that alone.”
“I n-need to know,” I stammered. “Is what I saw what
might be
or what
will be?
I want to know if it has to be this way, or if the future can be changed.”
“And you want to know if it can change, how do
you
change it?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
She blinked, like a female Yoda, then closed her eyes and lifted a finger in the air and traced something unseen. “Just one snowflake changes the construction of the water. One choice changes the construction of a life. What feels like an accident changes everything. Likethat snow globe you broke on your anniversary.”
“How did you know about that?” I said. I hadn’t told even my closest friends the story. And we bought a replica of the globe and never told the owners the truth.
She kept her eyes closed and her hand fell to rest on the comforter. The woman moved her legs under the covers and Rue stretched and curled his tongue, his legs shaking as he extended every inch. Then he snuggled close again.
When I looked back at the woman’s face, she was smiling, showing aged teeth, and it was in that smile that I finally recognized. The chipped tooth. The faded brown eyes. Her face was a mirror that projected forward in time.
I saw myself
.
I stepped back, trying to breathe, questions swirling. “This can’t be … you can’t be …”
“I am.”
“But, if you are … then Jay … is Jacob?”
“He is.”
“But why didn’t I recognize him? How could I have been so blind?”
“Remember the story of the two on the road toEmmaus?” she said.
That sounded biblical. Something about a post-resurrection appearance and travelers, but I couldn’t place it.
“They didn’t recognize the one they loved as they walked along,” she said. “Their eyes were closed because of their own pain. And then they sat down by a fire and He kept speaking to them. He opened their eyes with His words and their hearts burned within them.
“Tell me,” she continued. “Did the things you saw in the melting snow make your heart yearn for another chance? For a different outcome to your life?”
“Yes,” I choked.
She looked inside my soul and held out both hands. “Then this is it. What you see here is just as possible as what you saw in the snow. Neither is reality yet. But you can choose.”
I sat on the bed, the air escaping the room. “But there’s so much hurt. So much distance between him and me. It’s not like we can just start over.”
“You think I don’t know that? I know what you’ve been through.”
I stared at the fire, wondering why it didn’t flicker and die. You have to have wood to keep a fire going. Youhave to have hope to keep a marriage intact.
“So, you’re not real? You’re just like the woman I saw who married Erik?”
Though her body had been ravaged by time, that could not steal the sudden sweetness to her face or her words. “You have been given a gift few are open to receiving. You have seen two different futures, two differing paths for what may lie ahead.”
“May
,” I said. “So it’s not determined. The future can be changed.”
“Yes. But what might be, never will be, unless you make the choice to move toward your husband. What could be, will never be known if it’s abandoned. You’ll never experience the joy and tenderness of a lifelong love unless you fight for it. I know that now. The question is, will you? Or will you settle for something else?”
“The children,” I
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