Chapter One
“Go on,
Darling, and see about the colt,” I said.
He stirred a cup of
steaming coffee, and then handed it to me. When my hands wrapped around the
warm ceramic mug, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to my forehead. I
closed my eyes, grateful for his touch.
“I love you,” he
said, while taking me by the shoulders and gently pulling me into the circle of
his arms. I laid my head against his chest and felt its rise and fall.
“Go,” I whispered.
“I’m going to take a walk and look at the gardens.”
He rubbed my back
in wide slow circles.
“I’m grateful she
died in the spring,” I said.
“I know,” he said.
“I won’t be long. I imagine I’ll find you sitting under the magnolia when I
return.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’ll join you
there,” he said.
I followed him out
onto the porch and watched him walk to the truck, stop, and turn. He fixed his
gaze on me, and I knew he didn’t want to leave. I smiled then, and he nodded
before getting in and backing down the driveway. He waved, and something about
his smile and the gentle blue of the sky strengthened my heart. I watched him
disappear down the street before I turned and walked back inside.
Yesterday we buried
the woman who raised me, tethering my heartstrings to both heaven and earth.
Full of simple goodness, her love never let me go. She wanted to be buried next
to her husband, and so she is, and before we lowered her body into the red
Georgia clay, we read the 23rd Psalm. The words flowed like a
soothing balm.
Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever.
This morning the
words are whispering to my soul, and I can’t help remembering.
*~*~*~*~*
You can connect with Rose Chandler Johnson on Facebook at
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Twitter: @rechanjo
Rose Chandler Johnson's award-winning devotional journal, God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea: Experiencing God in the Midst of Everyday Moments released in July 2013 from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Her devotions, poems, short stories and articles have appeared in numerous publications over the years. My Father' House is Rose's first novel. Rose has lived near Augusta, GA for the last twenty-nine years. For the last twenty plus years, Rose has been a French and English teacher. Currently she is an adjunct English instructor at a technical college. Rose enjoys baking, gardening, and spending time with her six children and their families. Another devotional is in the works and another Southern lit novel.
