Chapter Forty-Four
It was Sunday, the first of December, and the weather was chilling.
And it looked as though Hope Valley's cold spell was not letting up anytime soon.
Nathan had gone to the Livery early and hitched the team of horses to their new sleigh, and the three families had all piled in for a quick ride to Church.
Lee was even more convinced than ever that the sleigh had been one of their very best purchases!
But when Nathan, Elizabeth, Lee, Rosemary, and the children had gone inside the Church, it was so miserably cold inside, even with the woodstove going full blast, that the Pastor had given a very short talk, followed by a shorter benediction, urging everyone to go home and stay warm.
Even the Pastor's Scripture had been most appropriate, and perhaps more so than most knew:
"And the barbarous shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us everyone, because of the present rain, and because of the cold." Acts 28:2 (9*)
Rosemary had been excited to introduce Frederic to everyone, but there were so few people in attendance, that it would have to wait till the weather was better.
In fact, there was only one other family in attendance, and they were brand new to town. The Pastor had welcomed them as the Williams Family: the couple's names were Trevon and Taleisha and their beautiful children were Laila and Tyrone. Laila was twelve, just a little older than Allie and Tyrone was six, the same age as Frederic.
Nathan was the first to introduce himself and welcome them to the community.
"Welcome, I'm Nathan Grant, the town's Mountie. If there is anything you need at all you just let me know! Where are you living?"
"Out by the old Weston place, if I understand correctly,' answered Trevon as he shook Nathan's hand.
"That's a beautiful property. I go by there most days making my rounds. I like to make sure the entire town and countryside stay safe. Let me introduce our Headmistress. This is Elizabeth Thornton, and her son Little Jack. And this is my daughter, Allie."
Both Trevon and Taleisha looked confused.
"Oh, so sorry. I didn't explain that well at all!" which broke the ice and everyone started laughing.
"I'll start over. Mrs. Thornton and I are courting. And that being the most important thing, I should have mentioned first!"
Trevon chuckled, "You've got that right, the Lady always comes first!"
"See, I knew I was going to like you, Trevon. Finally, somebody on my side!" exclaimed Elizabeth.
In the meantime, Allie had introduced herself to Laila and Tyrone and was literally telling them everything about the Hope Valley kids and school, with little Frederic chiming in that he was new too.
He took Tyrone's hand and said, "We can be new together."
That's all it took for Tyrone to break out into a huge grin.
Elizabeth glanced over and could already tell Allie and Laila were going to be fast friends, and Frederic and Tyrone weren't far behind!
"Let me introduce our dear friends Lee and Rosemary Coulter and their son Frederic. Lee runs the Sawmill in town and Rosemary owns a dress shop."
"It's a pleasure," smiled Rosemary. "Welcome to Hope Valley!"
"Mrs. Coulter, if…"
"Oh, please, it's Rosemary!"
"Mrs. Coulter, I mean Rosemary, if you ever need a seamstress, just let me know. I've sewn all my life and just love doing it for other people."
"Well, if that beautiful dress you're wearing is any indication, you need to come by the shop! We sure could use a good seamstress!"
"Oh, Mrs….I mean Rosemary, that would mean the world to me. Trevon is starting a new business, and every little bit helps."
"Perfect, then you've got yourself a job. We'll have so much fun together! How about tomorrow at 10 AM? Just come by the shop. You can't miss it!"
"I'll see you there at ten till!"
'"What business are you starting, Trevon?" asked Lee.
"Well, I'm a mechanic by trade and my goal is to have a full-service gasoline station!"
"That's wonderful. We have equipment that breaks down all the time! And there's no one within fifty miles to fix anything. Trevon, why don't we get together tomorrow and see how we can help each other out."
"Would love to Lee," and Trevon started to get emotional.
"You two nice families are the first people we've met," and looking at his wife, "We never imagined being welcomed like this. I can't tell you how much it means to us."
"That's what Hope Valley is all about. We help each other!"
Trevon and Taleisha knew by the heartfelt way Nathan had said it, that he meant it.
"Normally, we go to the Cafe for Sunday lunch and we'd ask you to go with us, but with this terrible weather, I hate to keep my toddler out in the cold any longer than I have to. Could we take you all out to Dinner some evening after you get settled instead, that is hoping the weather gets better and we're not snowed in!" asked Elizabeth. "We'll get to give you a real welcome that way!"
"Oh, I don't know…" Taleisha looked hesitant, Trevon gave her a look.
"We would love to have Dinner with you," he spoke up firmly.
"Then, let's say next Wednesday at 6 pm? That will give you a bit of time to get more settled and hopefully the weather will warm a bit, too. You'll love the Café. The food's excellent."
"That's perfect. We're looking forward to it. Come children," and the Williams family started to go down the steps with the rest of the tiny congregation.
Although Trevon was doing a good job of covering, Elizabeth noticed Taleisha seemed none too happy about the invitation. She hoped she wasn't overstepping.
But the children had overheard about Dinner and they were thrilled. They couldn't wait!
When Laila and Tyrone saw the sleigh, their eyes widened with excitement.
"Children, it's too cold to stand out here. We've got to get home!" prompted Taleisha.
"Trevon, if it's okay with you and Taleisha, I would be happy to take the children for a ride in the sleigh Wednesday evening, maybe before dinner, at about half-past five. We just finished taking all the Hope Valley kids for rides, so it's only fair Laila and Tyrone get a ride, too."
Trevon smiled and nodded his agreement, and the children were delirious with excitement.
But, Nathan noticed that once again, Taleisha seemed hesitant. He hoped and prayed that Hope Valley would be able to erase whatever that hesitation stemmed from. As he felt strongly, it was something rooted in pain, or perhaps a feeling of being less than. And that was something Nathan couldn't just let go. He would make it his mission to get to know Taleisha and try to help her feel that she belonged.
It troubled Nathan's heart, and he would most certainly pray for Taleisha.
Nathan had dropped everyone off at their rowhouses and taken the horses and the sleigh back to the Livery. For now, they were boarding the horses there and leaving the sleigh there in the back as well. Nathan was thankful to have a fully trained team of horses. It would have been hard to train two new horses in all this severely cold weather.
Walking back to Elizabeth's, the wind whipped around him, chilling him to the bone. The Pastor had been right. Everyone needed to stay in. He hoped Aaron was checking on the three elderly couples who lived on small farms just outside of town. It seemed they always needed something when they were snowed in, whether it was food or medicine from Carson.
Nathan missed his work. He was so ready to put on his uniform and get back to it. But it had been nice to have had the extra time with Elizabeth and the children.
Elizabeth, Allie, and Little Jack were waiting for him at Elizabeth's for the afternoon.
By the time he arrived, he felt frozen to the core.
"Nathan, you're frozen!" and Elizabeth helped him out of his coat and boots, then threw an afghan over his shoulders. He was shivering and he hated for her to see him like that.
"Elizabeth, I'm fine, just really cold. Don't worry. I'll warm up soon!"
"I'm making you some hot tea."
He could hear her putting the water on.
And he couldn't help but think of the four of them in their own house, coming home after Church, fixing lunch, playing with the children, spending time with each other alone, and doing all the things a normal young married couple did.
He could see a huge fire in their fireplace with the children in front of it. Allie would be stretched out on the floor, reading a book. Little Jack would be playing with his horses. He and Elizabeth would be sitting together on the settee, perhaps reading while they held each other close and watched over the children.
Oh, how he wanted that. A Sunday with Elizabeth and his family in their very own home.
It would be their sanctuary from the outside world, and it would be a place filled with joy, laughter, and support for each other. Oh, and lots of fun and teasing!
"Where are you, Darling?" her question was soft, but it abruptly interrupted his most happy place.
"Come sit with me, Elizabeth," and he took her hand to help her do so.
"I'm in our very own Living Room. It's Sunday and we've just gotten home from Church and I've built a huge fire. Lunch was fantastic, my Love. And now, we're sitting on the settee reading a couple of books, watching our children stretched out in front of the roaring fire. Allie's reading and Jack is playing with his horses, and Darling, we're so incredibly happy."
"Love, I can't wait till your dream is real. It's our dream together, you know."
And he took her face in his hands and gazed at her. They both could see it in each other's eyes, their home, their children's happiness, their future children, their life together.
"Nathan, you're still shivering…"
"I promise I'm fine. Elizabeth, the temperature has dropped even since we left Church. Literally no one is out."
"I'm getting your tea…"
"I'll come, too Darling."
Elizabeth added a touch of lemon to his Earl Gray tea.
"I don't even know if you take sugar in your tea…"
"Two teaspoons in tea, none in coffee."
"I'll remember that!"
"What about you?"
"The same. So, it won't be hard to remember!"
They laughed together.
"Why are the children so quiet and where are the children?"
"Would you believe they're taking a nap on my bed?"
"And why did you not tell me that? We've lost valuable time."
"Because you were frozen!"
"I'm thawing fast. I think the stove's doing its job!" he laughed.
"I think you just want a kiss…"
"Actually, we were torn away from each other in the middle of one if I recall correctly."
"I may faintly remember that. But first, we may have a food dilemma."
She had planned for them to eat out today and wasn't at all sure what she had in her kitchen. But surely, they could rustle something up!
"If you've got eggs, I can make us omelets!" offered Nathan.
"You wouldn't mind? That actually sounds perfect. Let me cut some ham and fry that up while you manage the eggs. Would you like Biscuits?"
"My Darling, that's a question you never have to ask! I'm always ready for Biscuits."
"Mrs. Thornton, I think we need to get back to something else...where were we yesterday?"
"I don't know…maybe here?"
"No, silly. I think we were…here…" and he pulled her close to him, and for all practical purposes resumed the forceful kiss that took place as the train had left the Buxton station.
"I do sort of remember…"
"Sort of? Oh, that's like a dagger to my fragile heart!"
He clasped his chest in mock despair!
"You? A fragile heart?"
"Totally, where you're concerned. And I'm not through."
'Oh, my mistake, Constable. You do know those eggs are not going to turn into omelets on their own, right?"
"Omelets can wait…"
This kiss was tender, loving, and magical all at once.
"You know I don't stand a chance!"
"A chance at what?" he whispered.
"Resisting you and not being weak in the knees."
"Oh, my dear Elizabeth, I'd never let you fall, so cross off that worry. But you're probably right about the resisting part! In fact, I will personally make it my mission to make sure you'll never be able to resist me"
He picked her up and carried her to the closest kitchen chair, "Is this better?"
His voice was still a whisper.
She was sitting in his lap and all the while he was touching her neck softly with his free hand and breathing into her hair.
She couldn't even think.
So, she moved her lips to his, but he didn't immediately kiss her. He just moved his lips about a half-inch from hers, waiting to see who would give in first.
That lasted less than a minute because Elizabeth could wait no more, and she kissed him with total abandon.
Elizabeth had never been able to put it into words before, but no matter how Nathan kissed her, whether it was tenderly, lovingly, romantically, passionately, reverently, forcefully, teasingly or just comfortably, all of Nathan's kisses were authentically him. All of his kisses held the promise of authenticity and realness, the most primal desire of the heart. And all his kisses stirred her to the core.
Wherever and however his lips touched her, she could feel his love. His love was authentic, it was real, and it would last forever. No kiss of Nathan's was ever perfunctory, not even a kiss on the cheek. Nathan gave himself with each and every kiss. His kisses sent sparks through her body and his touch alone could make her tremble. And she knew his love would envelop her always.
She was so very blessed to love this man. She had never imagined a love like this. Yet, it was here, and it was hers. It was theirs together.
They sat in silence for some time, till they both realized the children would be waiting to eat when they woke!
She finally got up and reached to kiss him once more, whispering, "Are you ready to cook, Chef?"
"Oh, so now I'm promoted to Chef status. Is that just because you want me to do all the work?"
"That's exactly why you're promoted to Chef status, and you better hurry. Jack can be quite the terror when he's hungry! And he usually wakes up hungry."
"To say nothing of Allie," he groaned. "That girl can put away the food! I think that's why we never have any!"
"And I'm sure you don't eat much at all!" she teased.
"Well, I do have to keep my slim and trim physique, you know, fighting the criminals and all."
He glanced at her sideways, with a coy grin.
"Uhm hmm…" she finished slicing the ham as he cracked the eggs.
He was patiently waiting for her comment because he knew one was coming. With that coy grin, he had forced it to come. He knew it and so did she.
"Well," as she turned crimson. "A slim and trim physique is pretty important!"
But she had barely gotten the words out.
"Oh, so you've noticed…"
"Nathan Alexander Grant, cook!" and she furiously beat the biscuit dough, although that probably wasn't the best of ideas to get a fluffy biscuit!
Nathan loved that he could fluster her so easily. This was going to be one of his favorite things to do in their own big house after they married. And he would make sure there was plenty of time for it, too!
They teased each other the entire time they cooked, and finally in spite of the teasing, somehow, they had a meal on the table.
By that time, Allie and Little Jack had woken from their nap, and Allie had brought him downstairs.
"Allie, lunch is served if you want to bring Little Jack in," she quickly straightened her apron, and then remembered to straighten her hair.
"You are constantly making me a mess!" she whispered.
"Oh, but you're such a beautiful mess…" he whispered back.
But there was no answer. They poked their heads through the door, with Nathan towering over Elizabeth. They couldn't help but melt.
Allie had curled up on the settee with her arms around Little Jack. They had made it downstairs, but apparently naptime wasn't over!
"Look how sweet they look, Nathan!" she whispered. "Jack has never before gone back to sleep after waking from a nap. How does she do that?"
He smiled back at her, "Haven't a clue. But I do think Jack pretty much will do anything Allie will do. And I'm sure they're worn out from their trip yesterday. I'll keep the omelets warm on the stove."
Since they didn't want to wake the children, they decided to go on and eat their lunch while the children slept.
"Darling, will you pray?"
"Dear Father we thank You for those two beautiful children in the Living Room that you have entrusted into our care. May we never fail them. We thank you that we were able to attend Service this morning and meet the Williams Family. We pray that you will bless them in their new life here in Hope Valley. And we pray that Hope Valley will welcome them with open arms, loving them, supporting them. Thank you a million thank you's for my beautiful Elizabeth and thank you for the food we are about to receive. In your name, we pray, Amen!"
Elizabeth whispered, "And a million thanks for my wonderful, handsome Nathan! Amen."
She passed the biscuits, butter, and fresh boysenberry jam that had been made and stored from last season.
"The biscuits are perfect, Elizabeth."
"Just so you know you're in charge of omelets from now on. They're delicious! How do you get them so fluffy?"
"Chef's secret," and he reached to give her a quick kiss.
"Nathan, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, Darling!"
"Do you really think this thing with Lucas will turn out okay?"
"I do. You know, sometimes it takes a crisis of sorts before things can really get better. Lucas and I both agreed to friendship, but Darling, I can't say that I've really felt friendship from him. It's almost like there's something still there, and I can't put my finger on it. But, no matter. What I'm trying to say, is if I'm going to be friends with someone, I want it to be real, not just words spoken. So, maybe we were all going along thinking we had a friendship when in reality, it was just a spoken thing to be polite. Who knows, maybe all this will change that."
"Nathan, you amaze me that you can be so magnanimous with him. But, I'm thankful for it, not just for his sake, but more for our family's sake. It shows me that's how you'll be with us. You know your Daughter's just like you."
"How so?"
"Yesterday, in the Toy Store, I offered to get Allie something to remember the day by, but she didn't want anything for herself. She only wanted a book on trains that she had seen Frederic look at. He liked it very much, and she wanted him to have it. She put Frederic before her own self, just like you're doing now with Lucas."
"That makes me even more proud of her. You know, I didn't tell you the night of our Dinner Party, when I carried their bag, it was so heavy, I thought 'What in the world do they have in this thing?' Well, it turned out, your son and my daughter had packed quite a few of their toys to give to Frederic. They were worried because he had no toys, and they wanted to give him theirs."
"Oh, Darling, that's the sweetest thing ever. I'm so proud that they would think to do that!"
Then Elizabeth blushed remembering something else from yesterday at the Toy Store.
"Nathan, I did try to get a little of my Christmas shopping done for the children without Allie seeing me."
"That was nice."
"But wait till you hear what happened. I won't tell you what I got her, because I want you to be surprised, too. But when I went to ask the Sales Clerk for help so that Allie wouldn't see what I was getting, I asked her if she could quickly help me get a few things for my Daughter. I said it without even realizing it, and I didn't correct it, because it felt right, it was right. Darling, Allie's already my daughter in my heart."
"That, my dearest Darling Elizabeth is the very best thing you could ever give Allie. Even without you saying it to her, Allie's going to feel what's in your heart, and that's the best Christmas present you could ever give her!"
He got up and knelt by Elizabeth, looking up into her eyes, "And it's the best gift you could ever give me, too. I can't tell you how alone I've felt at times, not knowing if I was doing everything I needed to be doing for her. And now, I know you're going to be by my side, loving her, helping her understand things I couldn't begin to understand. You are incredibly wonderful. You have the most beautiful wide-open heart and I think its that heart I love the most!"
She took his head in her hands.
"My love, I could say the same about you and it would all be true."
He put his hands over hers and kissed her ever so gently, reverently.
And suddenly the children were standing there finally ready for breakfast.
Nathan held out his arms and gathered Allie and Little Jack to them, and they showered the children and each other with kisses.
He got up from the floor to get their warm omelets, and Elizabeth got the children situated at the table.
"Allie, your Father and I have already prayed and started our meal since we didn't want to wake you. Would you like to pray for your and Little Jack's meal?"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Everybody joined hands and when she took Nathan's strong hand into hers, Elizabeth was close to tears feeling both his strength and his love from just that touch. She was no longer alone, and she would never be alone with this man by her side. And here she was, melting all over again.
"Dear Father in Heaven, we thank You for Sunday Service and meeting the Williams Family. We thank you for our new sleigh and the fun time we had in Buxton yesterday. And Dear God, we thank you for bringing us our cousin Frederic this week. We love him already. Oh, and we also thank you for our Lake and Mr. Helmsley and Uncle Bill and Uncle Lee and Aunt Rosie and Mrs. Thornton and Little Jack and Dad. Oh, I almost forgot, and our food. Amen!"
"'Men," shouted Jack.
"That was lovely, Allie. Thank you! Who's hungry as a bear?"
"Me!" "Me!"
And everyone laughed.
Nathan had finished his lunch by now, and he sat back watching Elizabeth and the children eat theirs. He glanced at Elizabeth who also was finishing up.
"Elizabeth, I was wondering…" it was a silly private joke they had. Now all he had to do was get her to look at him. 'One, two, three…' he counted down without counting out loud.
Bingo, that had done it, she had given him a full-on eye to eye stare, without realizing it, and as soon as she had, she tried to take it back but burst out laughing instead.
"Mrs. Thornton, are you alright?" asked Allie.
She couldn't even answer.
Finally, she was able to get out, "I'll let your Dad answer that."
"Uhm, yes…yes, Allie she's fine." and then he started laughing.
"Are you two always going to laugh?"
"We hope so," Elizabeth said flirtatiously, giving up their game and looking straight at Nathan.
"Allie Bean, do you know what day this is?" asked Nathan, to change the subject more than anything else.
"It's Sunday, Dad. Duh, we did go to Church this morning," and there came the eye roll, a huge one!
"I do know that. I was there, you know! And I'm not yet senile, yet. But what is the date?"
"The date? It's…oh, it's December! It's the first day of December. Little Jack, that means Christmas is coming soon! Oh, Dad, that's the best!"
"You two hurry and eat your lunch. Mrs. Thornton has dessert, and after that, we'll talk about what this day means."
"Hurry, Little Jack, finish your omelet. They're very good, Dad!"
"Thank you, Allie. I'm not sure everybody appreciates my culinary skill…" and he looked straight at Elizabeth, with his eyes sparkling, when he said that.
Which prompted her to take her napkin and swat his arm!
He gave her a most puzzled, but totally innocent look.
"You, Nathan Grant, know exactly what that's for!"
But he ignored her and reached to kiss her, instead and all of a sudden she wasn't even sure she knew her name.
"I just give up!" she said, as she felt more flustered than ever before.
"It's much easier that way," he teased.
"Children, are we ready for Dessert? I've got Cookies!"
Elizabeth was staring at Nathan while she said that, especially the 'Children' part!
"Yay!" said Allie, and of course, Jack did, too!
She returned with a tray of sugar cookies and milk.
"What, no Cherry Icing?" exclaimed an appalled Nathan.
"No, there wasn't time, but for your information, if you look closely, the Cherries were cut up and added to the dough."
"That makes me so happy. I can't tell you how disappointed I would have been without them. I've grown quite accustomed to having Cherries with all my Desserts, you know."
"You are skating on very thin ice, Constable, just so you know!"
"Oh, I love to skate!"
"Really?" she had completely forgotten their banter again. Surely, he wasn't being serious! He could skate?
"Really!" he responded indignantly.
"Yes, and he's good at that, too, Mrs. Thornton," verified Allie. "He taught me how to skate when I was four. We go skating whenever we can find a frozen pond. It's so much fun!"
"Thank you, Allie Bean!"
"What do you not do?"
"Not much," was the concise answer, and he chuckled.
"Okay, you're on, The first time the pond freezes, consider yourself challenged!"
"Oh, it's a date!" and his eyes were sparkling. "I should have known you were a skater!"
They moved into the living area and Nathan excused himself to bring in an Advent Wreath he had hidden by the porch earlier.
A chill whipped through the house as soon as Nathan opened the door, so he moved quickly to retrieve the Wreath.
"Yeah! It's Christmas!" exclaimed Allie as he came back in with the Wreath.
Nathan sat down by Elizabeth on the settee and he placed the Advent Wreath on the low table in front of it. Allie and Little Jack immediately came to see what was going on.
"Would you all like a Christmas story, since it's the first day of December?" asked Nathan.
The children scooted down on the floor in front of the table, across from Nathan and Elizabeth, anxiously awaiting their story.
They nodded expectantly.
"Do you know what this is, Allie?"
"I think it's called…a…an Avent Wreath."
"Very close. It's called an Advent Wreath. Advent is a term that marks the Church's annual calendar and it includes the four Sundays and all of the Weekdays in December that lead up to us celebrating Christmas together.
The purpose of Advent is to give us time to get our hearts and minds ready for the celebration of our Lord's birth on Christmas Day.
The wreath is made of evergreen and it's shaped in a circle. That's to remind us that life is continuous. That means there's no beginning or end because our souls live on forever and when we follow Christ.
There are four candles that go with the wreath and each candle represents one of the four weeks of Advent or the four weeks of December. So, to remember that, we light one candle each Sunday of December.
Three of the candles are purple because that color represents the Church.
The first purple candle means Hope, the Hope that the world had when they were waiting for the Baby Jesus to come. It's called the Prophecy Candle because the Prophets told the story of the coming Baby.
The second purple candle means Faith, and it reminds us of the Faith Mary and Joseph had when they traveled to Bethlehem. It's called the Bethlehem Candle."
"Like Miss Faith?" asked Allie.
"Yes, like Miss Faith," smiled Elizabeth
"The third candle is pink, and as you can see, it's different from the purple ones, because it reminds us of Joy. The Joy of Christmas. It's called the Shepherd's Candle.
The fourth and last candle is also purple, like the first two candles, and it reminds us to celebrate Christmas with 'Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.' It's called the Angel's Candle because an Angel gave us the message of 'Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.'"
"Mrs. Thornton, do you think this candle means my Mom and Little Jack's Dad can see us? Since they're Angels now, I mean."
"I do, Allie, I do. I think that in many ways, your Mom and Little Jack's Dad are here with us today, and I think they're very happy that we can do this together just like the family we're going to be soon."
Nathan watched Elizabeth as she spoke and his voice cracked the tiniest bit, but he continued on, "And then on Christmas Eve, we put a white candle right in the center of the wreath, and that candle reminds us of Purity or the Life of Christ. And that's why it's called the Christ Candle.
As we light a different candle each week, it gets our hearts and minds ready to understand the true meaning of Christmas.
And now, Allie and Jack, you know the Advent Story. And hopefully, maybe someday soon, you can tell Elizabeth and me the story on a future December first, instead of us telling it to you."
The children had been attentively listening to the entire Story.
"Do you have questions?"
"I wish everyone could hear this Story. I think it helps us know what Christmas really means. Not just gifts and Santa and stuff."
"That's exactly what this story does, Allie. We'll light a candle each Sunday, and go back over the Story each time, till you can tell it back to us."
"And, Allie, you might want to share the Story with your classmates at School," suggested Elizabeth.
"That would be great, Mrs. Thornton!"
"Are you ready to light the first candle?" asked Nathan. "I'm going to light an extra candle, so you and Jack can help light our Advent Candle. Would you two like that?" Their faces nodded up and down.
"Jack, my Big Guy, I'll pass the Advent Candle to you first, and then you pass it to Allie. Allie Bean, you hold the candle upright and put it in my flame. Hold it very tightly, and then Mrs. Thornton will take it and place it in the wreath's holder. That way, we've all had a part."
"Okay, Dad!"
"Let's all pray first," and Nathan led the prayer.
"Dear Father, the four of us today want to honor the Hope You gave us when you gave us your Son, Baby Jesus. Thank you for that Hope and the blessed gift of Your Son. Help us to remember that we celebrate Christmas because it's the birthday of Jesus. Amen!"
And they all said "Amen," even Little Jack.
Nathan then lit his candle and handed the unlit Advent Candle to Jack.
Jack took it and ran his little fingers all along the length of the candle and turned it upside down, but then he turned it right end up again, and almost reverently handed it to Allie. The smile on Jack's face told everyone how proud he was of the job he had just done.
Allie gave Little Jack a kiss, took the candle, and placed the tip in the flame of the candle her Dad was holding.
She held it very tightly and very straight till it was burning brightly. Then Elizabeth solemnly reached for it and placed it upright in the wreath holder on the table.
"And what is our first candle of Advent called?" asked Nathan.
"Hope," answered Allie and Elizabeth together. and Little Jack added, "Ope."
Both Nathan and Elizabeth kissed each of the children.
Everyone knew they were loved and because of what they were doing, they were starting to feel the hope and love of Christmas.
"Okay, we've just completed the first week of our Advent Wreath. Shall we continue each week?"
"Yes, please, I want us to light all the candles," begged Allie and Little Jack clapped his hands in agreement!
"Now everyone, we have a surprise for you. Close your eyes and keep them closed. And this one's all fun! No peeking…are they still closed? Can you count to a hundred?"
Allie started the count, and Nathan went back outside into yet another gust of wind, to carry the hidden Advent House inside.
As Allie counted, Elizabeth moved the Advent Wreath to her desk, to prevent any possible accident with the flame, and Nathan positioned the surprise on the low table, directly in front of the children, who were still sitting on the floor.
"I'm done, Dad! Can we open our eyes?"
"One, two, three, open!"
"What is it, Dad?"
"It's an Advent House, Allie for you and Jack and Mrs. Thornton. It's going to help us count down the days till Christmas!"
"But it's the schoolhouse!"
"Yes, it is! And our Church. It's a very special place for all of us and Jack's Father actually built it. Okay, you said it was the first of December, right Allie?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"And how many days till Christmas?"
"Twenty-five counting today."
"Good girl! That's why there are twenty-five drawers with little latches on both sides of the Schoolhouse. Every single day in December, Mrs. Thornton, you and Jack get to open the drawer marked with that day's date. And you have a countdown to Christmas. You can look at the Schoolhouse anytime and know exactly how many days remain till Christmas!"
"But why would we open the drawer, we can already see the numbers for the dates."
"Oh no, did I forget the most important part? Surely not!" teased Nathan.
"I don't know Dad, I mean we can see it without opening it."
"But you can't see what's inside, without opening each little drawer. One drawer each day, and there just might be something inside for each of you!"
"No way!" exclaimed Allie.
"Yes, way! Scoot over Allie! Let's open our first day! I want to know what's inside!" Elizabeth was just as excited as the children.
"Let's let Little Jack do the Honors for our first day, Mrs. Thornton, okay?"
"That's perfect, Allie. But, you may need to help him."
Allie helped Little Jack unhook the latch.
"Little Jack pull the drawer open!' urged Allie.
Little Jack did as he was told and all of the sudden there was a great big grin on his face.
"Horsey!" he screamed and started dancing around the floor.
"You go next, Allie!' urged Elizabeth.
Allie pulled out a colorful fishing lure that had cardboard wrapped around the hooks so no one would get stuck, "Yay! I love it! I'll use it for fishing at our new Lake!"
Elizabeth reached in last and pulled out the most beautiful wooden thimble that had little lavender roses and an intertwined E and N carved on the front side.
She ran to kiss Nathan, "This is the most beautiful thimble I've ever seen. You made this, didn't you?"
He nodded his head and bent to kiss her again.
"Happy December, my Darling Elizabeth!"
"Happiest December Ever, my Darling Nathan!"
(9*) King James Bible, Acts 28:2 (Public Domain)