Read Online The Christmas Quilt: Quilts of Love Series by Vannetta Chapman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Vannetta Chapman
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window shade that was half pulled down.
Smiling, Leah reached out and straightened Annie’s prayer kapp .
As they stood there, the sounds of their family in the room behind them, Annie thought about Leah’s observation. The idea gained merit the longer she considered it.
“What would Rachel have to be afraid of though?”
“I don’t know. Some days I’m afraid of what people will think about me being as big as a house. Other days I’m afraid that my marriage might be broken, and I’m certainly afraid I’m doing things wrong.”
Leah’s words stayed with Annie as they walked back into the sitting room and helped themselves to a small piece of dessert.
It didn’t occur to her until later in the evening that the fight had actually begun with Rachel and Eli. Why would Rachel be picking a fight with Eli?
She’d been so worried about Leah the last few weeks, but now she wondered if maybe Rachel was the one who needed rescuing.
But how did you rescue someone who was afraid, especially when they wouldn’t give you even a clue as to what had given them such a fright?
7
A nnie spent Monday morning doing the laundry that had piled up from the previous week. Since there was only she and Samuel, there wasn’t a lot to do, but she was still surprised at how dirty a man’s clothing became when he spent the day working in the fields or in the barn.
She accessed their basement by going outside via the mudroom and down two steps. It had long narrow windows running the length of the south wall. Annie couldn’t have explained it, but there was something she liked about the basement. Maybe it was the shelves of food—canned and winking at her along the north wall.
To the left were rows of vegetables—squash, beans, carrots, corn, and peas. They all waited there for her to choose from each evening. It was like having her own grocery store, and though the canning had been hard work, she loved walking downstairs and selecting one for their dinner. The right side of the shelves held berries from Leah’s bushes and preserves Annie had made with her mother. There were other fruits as well. Items she’d traded with women from church.
There was abundance.
Every time she came into the basement, to fetch one of the jars or to do the laundry, she was reminded of the harvest and of God’s goodness. The words she’d read with Samuel the day before echoed through her mind. “I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.” It was from the book of Jeremiah, from the Old Testament. Jeremiah was one of her favorite books, though there was much violence within its pages. What she clung to were the promises there, despite what Jeremiah and God’s people endured.
The jars of food, the windows with the light, even the smell of washing powder—all of it combined to make the basement a cheery place. So even when she came down to do the loads of laundry, Annie found she was in a good mood. She was grateful.
Although it was cold outside, the snow had stopped and the temperatures were above freezing. She’d try hanging the clothes out on the line and see if they’d dry. They probably would.
She filled the machine with two small buckets of hot water, tapped from the water heater, which was a wood-burning one—same as her parents had. Samuel always checked the room on Mondays and made sure everything was ready for her before he went to the barn. Actually, the basement was almost warm, given the water heater, the windows, and the size of the room—about the length and width of their living room.
After measuring a half-cup of laundry powder, Annie pushed their bed sheets into the machine. One yank on the starting cord was enough. The gasoline engine had been stalling, but Adam had come by and serviced it a month ago. This time it started up immediately. She added the soap powder to the water as the agitator began moving the sheets back and forth. Annie glanced at the battery-powered clock on the
Smiling, Leah reached out and straightened Annie’s prayer kapp .
As they stood there, the sounds of their family in the room behind them, Annie thought about Leah’s observation. The idea gained merit the longer she considered it.
“What would Rachel have to be afraid of though?”
“I don’t know. Some days I’m afraid of what people will think about me being as big as a house. Other days I’m afraid that my marriage might be broken, and I’m certainly afraid I’m doing things wrong.”
Leah’s words stayed with Annie as they walked back into the sitting room and helped themselves to a small piece of dessert.
It didn’t occur to her until later in the evening that the fight had actually begun with Rachel and Eli. Why would Rachel be picking a fight with Eli?
She’d been so worried about Leah the last few weeks, but now she wondered if maybe Rachel was the one who needed rescuing.
But how did you rescue someone who was afraid, especially when they wouldn’t give you even a clue as to what had given them such a fright?
7
A nnie spent Monday morning doing the laundry that had piled up from the previous week. Since there was only she and Samuel, there wasn’t a lot to do, but she was still surprised at how dirty a man’s clothing became when he spent the day working in the fields or in the barn.
She accessed their basement by going outside via the mudroom and down two steps. It had long narrow windows running the length of the south wall. Annie couldn’t have explained it, but there was something she liked about the basement. Maybe it was the shelves of food—canned and winking at her along the north wall.
To the left were rows of vegetables—squash, beans, carrots, corn, and peas. They all waited there for her to choose from each evening. It was like having her own grocery store, and though the canning had been hard work, she loved walking downstairs and selecting one for their dinner. The right side of the shelves held berries from Leah’s bushes and preserves Annie had made with her mother. There were other fruits as well. Items she’d traded with women from church.
There was abundance.
Every time she came into the basement, to fetch one of the jars or to do the laundry, she was reminded of the harvest and of God’s goodness. The words she’d read with Samuel the day before echoed through her mind. “I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.” It was from the book of Jeremiah, from the Old Testament. Jeremiah was one of her favorite books, though there was much violence within its pages. What she clung to were the promises there, despite what Jeremiah and God’s people endured.
The jars of food, the windows with the light, even the smell of washing powder—all of it combined to make the basement a cheery place. So even when she came down to do the loads of laundry, Annie found she was in a good mood. She was grateful.
Although it was cold outside, the snow had stopped and the temperatures were above freezing. She’d try hanging the clothes out on the line and see if they’d dry. They probably would.
She filled the machine with two small buckets of hot water, tapped from the water heater, which was a wood-burning one—same as her parents had. Samuel always checked the room on Mondays and made sure everything was ready for her before he went to the barn. Actually, the basement was almost warm, given the water heater, the windows, and the size of the room—about the length and width of their living room.
After measuring a half-cup of laundry powder, Annie pushed their bed sheets into the machine. One yank on the starting cord was enough. The gasoline engine had been stalling, but Adam had come by and serviced it a month ago. This time it started up immediately. She added the soap powder to the water as the agitator began moving the sheets back and forth. Annie glanced at the battery-powered clock on the
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