Chapter 19: One Summer Day

Elizabeth got up early on the Wednesday after the summer celebration, on the last day of June, as the sun rose that morning. She had an appointment with Joseph a little later on that morning in town over at the schoolhouse. Quietly, she got herself dressed, went downstairs, and made a small breakfast for her and Little Jack, leaving it on the table while she went to wake her son. Little Jack woke quite easily and helped his mother get him ready for the day. Together, they went downstairs to have breakfast. This was the routine that they had established for Little Jack. He attended the preschool class for half of the day in the summer to prepare him for the full-day schedule starting in the fall. This allowed Elizabeth to write, meet with Joseph, or do whatever she needed to do. Yet, it also allowed for some quality time in the afternoons between mother and son.

When the Thorntons finished their breakfast, Elizabeth carried the dishes to the sink. She moved the chair over to the sink and lifted Little Jack onto the chair, then handed him a dish towel and instructed him that he'd be drying dishes as she washed them. So, they worked on this task over the next few minutes and then, together, put away the dishes that they had just washed.

The two of them dried their hands and then went to the door to leave. Elizabeth and Little Jack walked to the preschool together. On their way there, they met up with Laura on her walk into work. The three walked together, chatting about the past few days and the things that Little Jack had already learned that week. As they walked, Elizabeth looked over at her former student and then back at her son. She was so proud of the young woman that Laura was becoming. Her studies were going well, and this preschool position gave her the opportunity to put her skills to use with the town's upcoming school-age children. When they arrived at the preschool, Elizabeth knelt down and gave Little Jack an extra big hug, reminding him to do his best and mind Ms. Laura while at school.

As Elizabeth walked towards the schoolhouse for her weekly appointment with Joseph, she reflected on where she was mentally just 6 months prior to where she was now. Meeting weekly with Joseph, journaling, and praying had definitely gotten her back into a better mental spot than she had been prior. But today, she wanted to address something with Joseph. She wanted to try and understand what it was that she experienced the other day at the summer celebration.

When she approached the schoolhouse, Elizabeth thought to herself that it was such a beautiful morning and it was so quiet at this time of day that maybe her session could take place outside on the swing. So, she sat down and started absentmindedly swinging back and forth, letting her thoughts drift away as she took in the quiet surroundings of Hope Valley. From a distance, she saw Judge Bleakney step out of the cafe's boarding house and walk towards his offices.

But Elizabeth didn't expect the next thing to happen, and she jumped nearly out of her seat when it did. As she sat there surveying her surroundings, Elizabeth had not heard Nathan come up behind her on the swing. Therefore, she had not expected to hear his voice coming from behind her.

"Good morning, Lizbeth," Nathan greeted her warmly. He continued asking, "What brings you out here so early this morning on a summer day?"

Elizabeth jumped and clutched her chest, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself after hearing the unexpected voice. At that point, Nathan had come around the swing and was standing in front of her wearing a confused smile on his face. Elizabeth blushed at her reaction and smiled shyly back.

Elizabeth looked at Nathan and said, "Nathan, I didn't see you there and you caught me by surprise." Good morning to you as well. I am here to meet with Joseph and just thought it was too beautiful of a day to be cooped up inside. "

Nathan nodded and smiled, "That it is! Sorry to have scared you. I hope you have a good session. I'm off to go do my rounds. I just saw you sitting here, so I figured I would say hello before beginning. " Nathan walked away towards the livery to collect Newton and go on his rounds. Elizabeth watched him walk away, wearing a thoughtful expression on her face. One of which Joseph caught as he came up beside her and greeted her.

Elizabeth turned towards Joseph, smiled and greeted him back, inviting him to sit next to her on the swing. He smiled at Elizabeth and asked, "So Elizabeth, how are you doing on this fine day?"

Elizabeth smiled back at Joseph and then once again took in the Hope Valley surroundings of that quiet June morning. She inhaled the fresh morning air and the heavenly aromas that wafted from the cafe. Elizabeth closed her eyes as she listened to the morning sounds around her. Without thinking, she started moving the swing back and forth, causing a slight breeze to blow on her face, and without opening her eyes, she looked towards the sun and smiled. Joseph sat looking at Elizabeth before he said anything else. He could see that Elizabeth looked different than she had at past meetings. Peace radiated from her face and even in her body language.

Joseph was reminded at that moment of the seasons of life. Elizabeth had persevered through the winter season of her life; the loss of Lucas and re-examining the feelings of loss of Jack. The last few months, like springtime does, have brought a season of renewal, fresh perspective, and explosive growth. But in the summertime, it is a time of warmth and light and slow, steady growth—a time to sit back and enjoy life. He could see this in Elizabeth now, in the unspoken moments of this summer day. He closed his eyes and looked up to the sky, silently praying a prayer of thanks for this newfound peace.

As they sat there on the swing, moving back and forth with their eyes still closed, Joseph started singing the song, "Wonderful Peace." As he continued on into the chorus, Elizabeth joined him.

Peace, peace, wonderful peace.

Coming down from the Father above, sweep

over my spirit forever, I pray in

fathomless billows of love. "

As the song ended, Elizabeth opened her eyes and smiled at Joseph and answered his question from earlier, "I'm doing really well, Joseph." Joseph patted Elizabeth's hand and smiled at his friend. They chatted about Elizabeth's plans for the rest of summer, including her visit to her family in Hamilton.

"Joseph, there was one thing that I wanted to speak with you about that concerned me the other day." Elizabeth looked at Joseph with a worried glance.

She continued by sharing with him what had occurred at the summer celebration on Sunday and her reactions to some of the incidents. Joseph sat thoughtfully for a few moments before responding. He felt like it was time to address his prior concern about Elizabeth's feelings and fears about Nathan, but he wanted to proceed cautiously too. She had made such progress, and he didn't want her to lose that. He inwardly prayed for God's wisdom and guidance on the right words to speak. Elizabeth looked intently at Joseph and spoke, "Elizabeth, let me ask you something." We discussed something a couple of months ago, and I want to revisit it today. How do you feel about Nathan? "

Elizabeth pondered his question for awhile as she gazed towards the Mountie office. She took a deep breath before answering, "I care about Nathan a lot." He is a dear friend. One I can't imagine having in my life. He is one of the few people that I feel like I can truly communicate freely about things and can go to in a time of need. I am grateful for his friendship and the constant that he is in mine and Little Jack's lives. "

"Elizabeth, do you think that you have feelings for Nathan? You mentioned an odd feeling in some of the interactions that you had with him the other day. You described it as an inexplicable emotional catch. Do you think that you never resolved your feelings for Nathan when you decided on Lucas? Maybe you decided out of fear or the "safe" choice. No disrespect to what you felt for Lucas. " Joseph asked Elizabeth frankly.

Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up and her eyes got big as her mouth dropped. She didn't know how to answer Joseph. She replayed in her head all of the interactions from a couple years prior between her and Nathan, prior to her decision. And she asked herself if she had made a decision out of fear. Elizabeth wanted to answer Joseph, but she didn't know what to say. All that she could do was shrug and put her hands up in confusion.

In response, Joseph took her hands and spoke softly to her in a reassuring voice, "So, this would be the next thing we tackle and find out during our time together." Don't fret about it, Elizabeth. We know that you've come to terms with both Jack's and Lucas's deaths. Now, together, we discover what it is that you feel about Nathan and how to address that as it needs to be. In the meantime, continue to journal, meet with me, and simply pray. You'll get through this, my friend! "

Elizabeth looked at Joseph, smiled, and nodded. She knew he was right. She was on the right track towards healing and simply needed to rest on that. The answers would come in time. The two ended their session in prayer and asked God for the outcome. Joseph got up and went on his way, leaving Elizabeth on the swing for awhile longer.

As the morning progressed and Hope Valley came more to life, Elizabeth got up from the swing and made her way to the Valley Voice office to see if Rosemary wanted to join her for a late breakfast at the cafe. It just so happened that Rosemary had some free time thanks to the help of Hattie and Harper in the office, so the two friends found themselves a quiet table outside on the porch of the cafe. They enjoyed one another's company and caught up on the happenings in each other's lives. After awhile, Rosemary excused herself from their table and made her way back to the Valley Voice office.

Elizabeth remained at the table, drinking her tea. She smiled to herself as she once again surveyed the now bustling town. She loved Hope Valley and what it had to offer. As she looked at her watch and saw it was nearly time to pick up Little Jack from the preschool, she quietly whispered a prayer of thanks. She didn't know what would happen next in her life, but she knew without a doubt that God was in control.

Cooper, William G. & Cornell, Warren D. "Wonderful Peace". 1889.