"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. " Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 King James Version
There is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. Some say that time heals all wounds. Time passed by in the same fashion it had since it began, and Walter, Hope, and Tenny's wounds slowly started to heal as they wept, mourned, laughed, and danced with their kin. Walter no longer dreamed of fairies when he walked along Rainbow Valley, he dreamed of Katie; of her eyes, her smile, her laugh, and her embrace. He didn't neglect his children: they were his life. However, sometimes he lost himself in his dreams, just as another widower once was known to do.
Tenny and Hope slowly drew closer and closer to not only their father, but to Anne and Gilbert, their aunts, uncles, and cousins as well. In their Golden Years, Anne and Gilbert reveled in being such an important part of Hope and Tenny's lives. They truly benefited from their extended family. The living room of Ingleside and Rainbow Valley were once again filled with laughter as in days of yore. Anne had to pinch herself sometimes when she saw Walt, Gil, and Tenny playing to remind herself that they were not Jem, Kenneth, and Walter, as they so reminded her of their fathers.
Yes, time passed on as it does. The September of Discovery gave way to October, then November. With the November, wind came a 'phone call from Avonlea. It seemed that the ship o' dreams came to harbor there, and with it a stork brought two more little bundles of joy, Ted and Barry Wright. Tenny and Hope were very excited by this news as they had never been around babies much before, and these were twins just as they were. Daddy and their grandparents promised to take them to Avonlea for a visit as soon as winter began to thaw.
Soon came their first Christmas in Avonlea, and their first Christmas with snow, because it was a rare occurrence to have a White Christmas in Oklahoma. Santa Clause came to visit, as did Uncle Shirley, Aunt Rebecca, Aunt Nan, Uncle Jerry, and Cecilia. Ted and Barry were too young for traveling, so they stayed in Avonlea with their parents and Grandmother and Grandfather Wright.
Hope loved Cecilia with her brown eyes and hair, and Cecilia loved Hope. They were the same age, and told each other all their secrets. Small Anne followed them around a great deal and was soon included in the society. The girls all cried when Cecilia had to return to Avonlea, but it made Hope all the more impatient for her visit that spring.
Aunt Faith grew bigger and bigger with every week and when it came time for the long awaited trip to Avonlea, Walt and John were allowed to go along, as did Aunt Rilla and her small fry. It was a tremendous visit. They learned all the places where Grandmother and Grandfather had played as children. Hope and Cecilia loved to take Small Anne to Hester Gray's Garden and talk to the fairy children. The boys loved fishing in the Lake of Shining Waters and searching for 'haunts in the Haunted Wood.
It was a grand visit indeed, though all the visiting family was glad to return to the Glen, the House of Dreams, and dear Ingleside. They even had a surprise when they returned to Ingleside. That same stork that had left the plump little Ted and Barry at Orchard Slope seemed to have left a wee lady at Ingleside while they were away!
"Well, we didn't have a name picked out until she came. Then I thought, we Blythes have our Faith, we now have our Hope, so thought why not complete the set with a Charity." Jem stated, proudly showing off his new daughter.
Soon after their return from Avonlea, Walt, Tenny, and Gil took a little trip with Jem in search of Mayflowers. Little had Jem known so long ago that he would start such a tradition shared between the mothers and sons of the Blythe clan. Walt picked flowers for Faith. Gil picked many for Rilla. Tenny though, realized that he had no one for whom to pick flowers. He stood and watched as his comrades picked theirs and just stared rather enviously. Jem walked to him with a handful of the prettiest mayflowers and said, "Tenny, you can pick some for your mother, even though she is in Heaven. We'll place them by her picture on your nightstand. You can also give these to your Grandmother. I've done it so many years, that she will love getting them from you."
Tenny did give flowers to Anne, and she accepted them graciously and with understanding when he placed some beside his mother's picture as well.
With the exciting births of new babies, the devotion of their father, adoration of their grandparents, the hearts of their aunts and uncles, and the friendship of their cousins, Tenny and Hope grew up strong and healthy with the ever changing seasons.