Leave a Candle Burning (51 page)

Sunday brought a very special service. Douglas and Alison were celebrating 35 years of marriage and 25 years with the Tucker Mills church family. Joshua Muldoon, who worked with his father, took the service, and memories were shared at every turn.

Tears, some of grief and some of joy, filled eyes in all corners of the room as folks stood and shared what this church family had meant to them. By the time Douglas went to the platform in front, taking Alison with him, his eyes were red and a bit swollen.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “There isn’t much I can add to all the wonderful praise you’ve given today. We do have a God of salvation, mercy, and forgiveness. I have needed those so greatly over the years, and He has never failed me.

“I won’t start a sermon, but you must allow me to tell you that I could not have accomplished a thing without this woman standing next to me.”

Alison’s fingers came to her lips, but she could not stem the tears.

“I praise God for her and for my children, my in-law children, and my grandchildren. And before I step down so we can eat and fellowship more, will you please allow me to share some news with you?

“It’s no secret that our son Martin has been seen in the company of a certain young woman. It is official.” Douglas’ smile nearly stretched off his face. “Martin has asked, and Miss Corina MacKay has accepted.”

Cheers and clapping threatened to raise the roof, even as the young couple seated in the front row holding hands laughed in delight. When it grew quiet, Douglas simply thanked everyone yet again before Joshua came forward, thanked God for the food, and dismissed everyone to eat.

With their meetinghouse filled just seating each family, they had no choice but to use the green for their celebration. The next few hours were spent in good eating and fine fellowship. All who attended said it was a day of remembrance, not a day to remember only the past, but a day to serve as a memory stone to God’s goodness to them and His work on their behalf in the future.

The weary MacKay family, short of Corina, who had gone with the Muldoons for the evening, finally found their way home. There were dishes to wash and food to put away, and even some children who were told to ready for an early bedtime.

Dannan and Scottie had not been relaxing in the parlor for an hour when someone came looking for the doctor’s services. Scottie walked him through the kitchen to see him off.

“I hope I won’t be long,” he said, shrugging into his coat.

“It’s not as late as it feels, but it’s sure getting dark early.”

“Leave a candle burning?” Dannan asked, an arm going around her waist to pull her close.

Scottie went on tiptoe to kiss him just before saying, “Always.”

Glossary

      
  
bells:
New England towns had their own system for announcing when someone died. Nine bells for a man, six for a woman, and three for a child. Then a bell was rung for each year the person had lived.

      
  
bonnet:
this word needs no explanation in form, but I found it interesting as to why women wore them. It was simply for practical purposes, not out of propriety or coming of age. After marriage, most women didn’t have time to do much with their hair and found it simpler to wear a bonnet.

      
  
broomcorn:
a tall, cultivated sorghum with stiff branches used to make brooms or brushes.

      
  
buttery:
pronounced but’ry, it’s a room where dairy goods were worked, cheese and butter, for example.

      
  
dinner:
the noon meal, always a full-blown affair.

      
  
green:
also called the center or common, it’s the middle of town, a grass area where homes and shops sit in a rectangle or on a square. I know of one in Connecticut that’s a mile long.

      
  
kitchen garden fence:
marauding animals were not the main problem with a kitchen garden—people were. A kitchen garden was a lifeline for many families. The fence was usually high enough to keep thieves out.

      
  
laying out:
preparing a body for burial, usually done by family or neighbors.