Jenny's Choice (Apple Creek Dreams #3) (40 page)

“
Ja
, he did struggle with that, especially on the days when he got confused.”

“Confused?”

“Jonathan sustained a serious injury when the boat exploded. Then he drifted on a piece of wreckage for almost two days, and after he
washed ashore, he wandered the streets of Sandbridge for a whole day in the storm before anyone found him and realized he needed help. A few days before I came to New York for the announcement party, he was injured in an attack by a mugger. It all had a lasting effect on his health. Some days he thought he was Richard Sandbridge. Those were the hard days. But in spite of that, thank the Lord, we had thirty wonderful years after I found him.”

“Had?”

“Yes, Jonathan passed two years ago. His injuries finally took their toll. He had a hemorrhagic stroke one afternoon while he was cutting hay. He was in the field behind the house, and I heard him call me.”

The writer looked at Jenny. She was looking somewhere far away.

“He died in my arms.”

“What about Rachel?” the writer asked.

“It was hard for Rachel when her papa came home. She was fourteen, becoming a young woman, and Jonathan had missed such a big part of her formative years. They were at odds for a long time. I think Rachel had finally reconciled herself to Jonathan being dead—she had moved on. And then when he came home, she had to learn that relationship all over again. I think she felt like he came between her and me. Eventually they found what they once had when Rachel was little, but it took a long time.”

“And Bobby Halverson?

“Bobby is still here with me. He lives up there in the bungalow on the knoll.”

She pointed past the barn. The writer could see the small house through the trees. An old pickup was parked in front of it.

“He’s ninety-four now, but he’s as fit as a fiddle and a great comfort. He’s been family to me since I was four years old. He’s helped me through some very hard times.”

“And what about your books? Jeremy King told me you had written some wonderful books.”

Jenny looked at the writer, and a strange look passed over her face.

“
Ja
, the books. Well, Jeremy would be interested in those. After all, he helped me write the first one, and he is a publisher.”

Jenny paused again as though she were hearing something the writer could not. And then she stood and motioned to him.

“Come with me.”

They went into the house and up the stairs to the second floor. Jenny opened the door to one of the rooms. Books and papers were piled on the floor, and shelves on every wall were stuffed full. Under a long window on the front wall stood a beautiful desk made of pale wood. The top of the desk was strewn with papers and notebooks with an old Underwood typewriter in the middle.

Jenny ran her hand over the wood. “My papa made this for me when I first became serious about writing.”

In the corner of the room stood an old cedar chest. Jenny knelt in front of it and opened the lid. The scent of cedar and lilacs filled the room. Jenny reached into the chest and pulled out several bundles tied with string. She laid them on the floor, and then she reached into the chest and took out a larger bundle that was at the bottom. She stood up.

“Could you pick those up for me?” she asked.

The writer stooped and picked up the bundles. There were six of them. Jenny cleared a space on a low couch and motioned to him.

“Put them here.”

Then she opened the first bundle. It was a manuscript, typed in old-style courier font.

“This is the story of the quilt and how my mama made it so she could run away from God.”

She pointed to the others, one by one.

“This is the story about how Jonathan and I met and married and came to live on this farm, and this is the story of Jonathan’s…his death and resurrection, so to speak, and how I came to be a writer.”

“What are these others?” the writer asked.

“These stories are about the women of my family, going back to the beginnings of the Amish faith in Switzerland. And one of these is the story of my Rachel and her husband, Daniel, and the great trial they faced before…well, you read it.”

“You’re letting me read these?”

Jenny ran her hands over the books. “When I came back to Paradise with Jonathan, the Lord made it very clear that this was my home and my life. I am Amish, my ancestors were Amish, and here is where I belong. But He allowed me to write these books. I did not know why until you came today. I am giving them to you.”

“
Giving
them?”

“
Ja
. I read your book. It was well written and honest. I believe the Lord wants these stories told, but not by me. Jeremy tells me you are trustworthy, so I’m giving them to you. I want you to take these books and rewrite them, your way. I want you to tell the stories in your own words. I believe the books will bring healing to many people as they have to me.”

The writer stood with the first manuscript in his hands. He knew he had been given a great gift.

“I’ll tell the stories as you have written them.”

Jenny patted him on the shoulder. “I know you will.”

Then Jenny laid the large bundle on the couch and unwrapped it. She took out what was inside and unfolded it. It was a beautiful quilt, unlike any other Amish quilt the writer had ever seen. The cream-colored backing was stitched to a stunning blue silk piece. In the center of the blue section was an incredible red rose. The hundreds of petals
were cut perfectly, and the whole quilt was a masterpiece. The soft afternoon light coming through the window made the rose shine with a wonderful luminescence.

“This is the Rose of Sharon quilt—the most beautiful quilt my mama ever made. But it is more than a quilt. It’s as though God wrote the story of my family here with His own hand. All of these stories I’m giving you were written because my mama made this quilt. Remember that when you tell them.”

The writer stared at the beautiful quilt. The deep red was indeed like a rose…or—and the words sprang unbidden to his mind—the blood of Christ.

Jenny pointed to the rose. “That is Jenna’s story. Mama named the quilt after Jenna, her little Rose of Sharon.”

She turned the quilt over and showed him the exquisitely repaired corner and the faint stains.

“The quilt got stained and ruined when my mama was carrying me through the great storm. This corner was torn when she pulled the lining out to start the fire that saved my life. When I was searching for Mama Rachel and in great danger, the Lord told my mama to repair the quilt. As Mama restored it, He showed her how to pray for me. This part is my story.”

Then Jenny turned the quilt back over and pointed to something in the very center of the rose. The writer had to take his glasses off to see the tiny key-shaped piece of red silk stitched almost invisibly there.

“My mama didn’t know it when she sewed this on, but this is Rachel’s story. You’ll find that among the manuscripts.”

Jenny spread the quilt out on the floor. It was beautiful—the Rose of Sharon quilt.

“And the whole quilt…it is my mama Jerusha’s life, it is who she was, so creative, so beautiful, so warm, and so caring. I was blessed to have her. She was
ein Geschenk vom Gott…
a gift from God.”

The writer glanced at Jenny. Again he had the feeling that she was looking somewhere far away.

“And what will you do now, Jenny? Will you write any more books?”

“No. That part of my life is over now. I will stay here in Paradise and grow old and pass and go to be with Jonathan and my mama and papa and my sister, Jenna, and all who have gone before. And my legacy will go on in these books, in this quilt, in my grandchildren, and in this farm. God has restored me to the garden, and I am content to live here among the trees of Eden.”

Later, after they said their goodbyes, the writer drove away. He was going west, and the sun was setting. He stopped partway down the driveway and looked back. Jenny stood on the porch, watching. Her
kappe
was slightly askew, and the rebellious curls, now gray, fought to escape. And then the evening breeze picked up, and the golden light of the setting sun touched the leaves of the trees, and they began to dance and then flamed into fire. And he knew that all was well in Paradise.

Discussion Guide

Dealing with the Death of a Loved One

In chapter 1, Jenny is dealing with the death of her husband, Jonathan. Lives are often transformed by such loss, but these changes do not necessarily need to be for the worse in the long run. Jenny is grieving. You may have had the same experience.

1. What are the initial effects of Jonathan’s death on Jenny? If you have suffered the death of a loved one, did similar things happen to you?

2. Grief is about more than your feelings—it also shows up in the way you think. How did grief change Jenny’s thinking? How did it change the way she felt about things around her? Did you relate to her? Why?

3. Jenny had to decide how to talk with Rachel about death and dying. How did she handle it? How would you handle it?

4. Does knowing Jesus Christ change your perspective about death and dying? Have you ever shared that perspective with unsaved loved ones and friends? If so, how did you do it?

Scripture reference: Hebrews 2:14-15

The Importance of Family in Troubled Times

When Jenny returns to Apple Creek, she is an emotional and physical wreck. A loving family is critically important in times of trial or suffering.

1. If you have endured a devastating loss, did you seek solace among your family, or did you isolate yourself and try to make it on your own?

2. Jenny discovered she had to develop an identity that did not include Jonathan. How important was that to her healing? Why?

3. Jenny involved herself in everyday, mundane things until she found her center again. Was that important? Is that something you would try to do if you were grieving? Why?

4. Jenny discovered the gift of writing, and it became the focus of her life. Have you ever experienced a new beginning after a time of loss?

Scripture reference: Joel 2:25; Isaiah 58:12

Choices

Toward the end of the book, Jenny must make a decision. Her choice will be dictated by her head or by her heart.

1. Have you ever had to choose between something you felt was the leading of the Lord and something that was practical and safe?

2. How did you choose?

3. Did it affect the direction of your life profoundly or minimally?

4. Was the outcome positive or negative?

Scripture reference: Acts 21:13-14

A
BOUT
P
ATRICK
E. C
RAIG

Patrick E. Craig
is a lifelong writer and musician who left a successful songwriting and performance career to follow Christ in 1984. He spent the next 26 years as a worship leader, seminar speaker, and pastor in churches and at retreats, seminars, and conferences all across the western United States. After ministering for a number of years in music and worship to a circuit of small churches, he is now concentrating on writing and publishing both fiction and nonfiction books. Patrick and his wife, Judy, make their home in Northern California and are the parents of two adult children and have five grandchildren.

Praise for the first two books in Patrick Craig’s Apple Creek Dreams Series

A Quilt for Jenna
and
The Road Home