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Authors: Katie Crabapple
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thing.
After the dishes were done, and the children tucked into their beds, Millie sat down at the table for her Bible reading with George.
“What did you think of the sermon today?” he asked.
She smiled. “I enjoyed it. I learned a lot,” she fibbed. She had listened to part of it, but not all, of course. It was just so long and Pastor Jenkins was so boring.
“What did you think of Pastor Jenkins’s points about how a man should always listen to his wife’s needs as well as the wife obeying her husband?”
Millie’s eyes widened. She hadn’t heard that part of it. “I think he’s right. I think women should have their feelings taken into account, but the final decision about what should happen with the family should always come from the husband. And the wife needs to make sure she complies with whatever the husband decides.”
He nodded slowly. “Pastor Jenkins didn’t talk about a man listening to his wife’s needs. You seemed to be in your own world during the sermon. Did you pay attention?”
She sighed and looked down at her hands. “I tried. I really did. But he’s so boring! His voice never changes. He could be talking about the most exciting thing in the world and it would put me to sleep.” She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you for admitting the truth about it. I’ll be honest, I have a hard time listening to him, too, but he’s the only pastor we have around here, so we need to do our best.” He paused for a moment, studying his young wife. “I wish we had a younger pastor who was more interesting to listen to, but it’s not possible here. We need to appreciate what we have.”
“I really did try.”
“I understand. Just don’t try to pretend you listened well when you didn’t. That’s being dishonest.”
“I’ll try to do better,” she whispered. Was she ever going to be good enough?
He reached out and took her hand in his, something he’d never done before. “I’m not condemning you, Millie. You’re a hard worker. The kids already love you, and I think we’ll have a good marriage someday. I would just like to see you try to get over some of your bad habits before they rub off on the children. Lying is one thing I just can’t abide.”
She clenched his hand with tears in her eyes. “I’m really sorry.”
He smiled. “I think you are, and I appreciate that. We’ll work together at doing better.” He paused for a moment. “When you first got here, I was sure you would fail miserably at what I needed from you just based on your age. You’ve already proven me wrong there. I think with a little more understanding of what the Lord expects from us, you will make a fine wife and mother.”
She smiled at his praise. “Thank you.”
Chapter Six
Millie worked extra hard the following day, trying to get everything ahead, so she’d be able to sit down with Bess and have a nice visit, rather than having to do chores while her new friend was there. She did the weekly wash and baked bread for the next few days. Now that she was caught up, doing wash one day per week would be easy.
She’d finished the major cleaning, and now it was just a matter of keeping things up. The worst of the catching up was finally done. The one thing that bothered her was the girls’ dresses, but while she was washing the lunch dishes on Monday, the solution came to her.
She’d bought several yards of fabric to make some new dresses for herself but hadn’t had time to sew them. Now that she was here, and saw how simple life was, she knew she didn’t need more than two dresses for church and two for work and she already had those. She could use the fabric she had to make six new dresses for her girls, and they’d have two for play and one for good each. She smiled to herself. That’s exactly what she’d do.
Once the two little ones were down for their afternoon nap, she brought out the pretty calico fabric she’d bought and spread it on the
After the dishes were done, and the children tucked into their beds, Millie sat down at the table for her Bible reading with George.
“What did you think of the sermon today?” he asked.
She smiled. “I enjoyed it. I learned a lot,” she fibbed. She had listened to part of it, but not all, of course. It was just so long and Pastor Jenkins was so boring.
“What did you think of Pastor Jenkins’s points about how a man should always listen to his wife’s needs as well as the wife obeying her husband?”
Millie’s eyes widened. She hadn’t heard that part of it. “I think he’s right. I think women should have their feelings taken into account, but the final decision about what should happen with the family should always come from the husband. And the wife needs to make sure she complies with whatever the husband decides.”
He nodded slowly. “Pastor Jenkins didn’t talk about a man listening to his wife’s needs. You seemed to be in your own world during the sermon. Did you pay attention?”
She sighed and looked down at her hands. “I tried. I really did. But he’s so boring! His voice never changes. He could be talking about the most exciting thing in the world and it would put me to sleep.” She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you for admitting the truth about it. I’ll be honest, I have a hard time listening to him, too, but he’s the only pastor we have around here, so we need to do our best.” He paused for a moment, studying his young wife. “I wish we had a younger pastor who was more interesting to listen to, but it’s not possible here. We need to appreciate what we have.”
“I really did try.”
“I understand. Just don’t try to pretend you listened well when you didn’t. That’s being dishonest.”
“I’ll try to do better,” she whispered. Was she ever going to be good enough?
He reached out and took her hand in his, something he’d never done before. “I’m not condemning you, Millie. You’re a hard worker. The kids already love you, and I think we’ll have a good marriage someday. I would just like to see you try to get over some of your bad habits before they rub off on the children. Lying is one thing I just can’t abide.”
She clenched his hand with tears in her eyes. “I’m really sorry.”
He smiled. “I think you are, and I appreciate that. We’ll work together at doing better.” He paused for a moment. “When you first got here, I was sure you would fail miserably at what I needed from you just based on your age. You’ve already proven me wrong there. I think with a little more understanding of what the Lord expects from us, you will make a fine wife and mother.”
She smiled at his praise. “Thank you.”
Chapter Six
Millie worked extra hard the following day, trying to get everything ahead, so she’d be able to sit down with Bess and have a nice visit, rather than having to do chores while her new friend was there. She did the weekly wash and baked bread for the next few days. Now that she was caught up, doing wash one day per week would be easy.
She’d finished the major cleaning, and now it was just a matter of keeping things up. The worst of the catching up was finally done. The one thing that bothered her was the girls’ dresses, but while she was washing the lunch dishes on Monday, the solution came to her.
She’d bought several yards of fabric to make some new dresses for herself but hadn’t had time to sew them. Now that she was here, and saw how simple life was, she knew she didn’t need more than two dresses for church and two for work and she already had those. She could use the fabric she had to make six new dresses for her girls, and they’d have two for play and one for good each. She smiled to herself. That’s exactly what she’d do.
Once the two little ones were down for their afternoon nap, she brought out the pretty calico fabric she’d bought and spread it on the
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