My mom said it with a smile, and I knew she was partially right, but I added the other factor. “Jesus has a lot to do with it too. He brought them together and gave Jodi some other things she needed.”
I teared up as I spoke the words, something I rarely did, and unlike on Friday night when I had cried to release some emotional stress, I knew these tears were about seeing God do something so amazing and real. It wasn’t just nice, it was life-changing for Jodi, like this past year had been for me.
Mama glanced at her husband, and she appeared to ask him something silently. He answered her in the same way, and then she spoke.
“I’ve been waiting to say anything about this because I wanted to make sure you were doing okay and aren’t likely to quit school and move back home. I didn’t want you to feel like we’re kicking you out by giving your room to someone else.”
My room to someone else? The thought made me squirm, but I waited for my mom to go on.
“But, you know how you’ve talked about us turning our place into a Bed and Breakfast?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we thought about it seriously while you were away at school because the house seemed so big and empty most of the time without you there, but we decided to wait at least a year and make sure you weren’t planning to move back.”
“So, you’re going to do it?” I asked, not feeling opposed to that. Having my lighthouse room rented out when I was away had a strange feeling to it, but I knew there was no reason for them to leave it empty nine months out of the year, and with Jonathan and I talking about the possibility of going on a mission trip next summer, there was a good chance I wouldn’t be home even then.
“We were thinking that until a few weeks ago, but then we discussed another possibility. Instead of opening up for business and giving travelers a place to stay for a night or two, we would take in more permanent boarders, and not for money but to provide a place for those who can’t afford a place of their own.”
“Like homeless people, you mean?”
“Yes. We talked to Pastor Frank at the church, and he said there’s one family that comes to the church for meals who are currently living in their car. They have three small children, so that would take up two of the upstairs rooms, and then there’s a woman who has a baby who could take your room too, if you don’t mind.”
“No,” I responded immediately. “I don’t mind. Would you cook for them too?”
“Yes. Do you know how hard it is to cook for just two people?” She laughed. “It would keep me sane to have a houseful to cook for again.”
“And life-changing for them,” I said. “Jesus works in His own way through all of us, doesn’t He?”
“Yes, I believe He does,” my mother said, looking at her husband once again and leaning into him this time.
I knew exactly what she was thinking. Joshua had provided Uncle Stewart during her time of greatest need. He had done the same for me; then and now. And I believed He would for always.
Epilogue
During the six weeks of the summer that remained, Jonathan and I helped my mom and dad with getting the house ready for the families who would be moving in before the fall rains and colder weather came to the southern Oregon Coast. There was furniture that needed to be purchased or moved from one room to another; rooms to be decluttered; bedding, towels, rugs, and curtains to be put in place; a bathroom to be semi-remodeled; and garage sales to be managed.
I didn’t begin to pack up my room until the last two weeks. Most of the things I wasn’t taking to school with me could either be sold, left in the room for the young mother to use, or packed up and put into storage until I had my own place to move them to eventually. I felt a little sad about stripping the room down to its basic elements, but mostly I had a lot of joy in knowing someone else would be enjoying this room in the months to come. Someone who needed it far more than I did now.
Ben and Jodi had spent two weeks in Washington, D.C. while his brother slowly recovered from his injuries, then returned here for three weeks before going back once again to have a few days with him before heading off to college. I wasn’t surprised the family crisis had brought them closer together, and it was nice to see. Jodi seemed to be just what Ben needed, and I knew that was good for her own sense of self-worth. Over the years it had become almost nonexistent, more so than I had ever considered until Jodi opened up enough to me to see how desperate for love she had become.
I knew I had always loved her, but she didn’t know that, so I tried to tell her at least once a day until she was at a point where she could repeat the words back to me. I knew I didn’t need to hear them as much as she did, but I saw her ability to express her love to me as being directly connected to her ability to receive it.
The evening before we left, my mom made a special dinner for us, and I knew I was going to miss her cooking, but I would miss my parents and having this unique time with them this summer even more. Things were changing for me and for them, but it was a good change. And I knew coming home for a visit would be different next time around, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
After dinner, we all went down to the beach to build a fire, make s’mores, watch the sun go down, and talk about whatever topic of conversation came up. It was a memorable time I thought about often after we were back at school and into the familiar routine of college-life.
I didn’t remember so much what we talked about, but the feeling of being together on the beach as a chapter of my life came to a close. I was taking necessary steps into the adult world to embrace my future with Jonathan and wherever Joshua led us, and they were happy to give me that freedom.
I still think about that time even though many years have passed. Jonathan and I spent the following summer in Haiti, helping with the recovery efforts from the big earthquake of 2010. It was difficult to leave in August, but we both had a sense we would be returning to the severely impoverished nation in desperate need of so much, including good medical care.
Jonathan proposed to me at the lighthouse when we returned to Bandon, and we were married the following summer. It was the sweetest day of my life. We both finished medical school and completed our years of residency, taking various trips during the summers to provide help to the people of Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, and volunteering our time locally as well. We’re busy now with our mission work in Haiti, tending to the medical needs of children, families, and anyone who cannot afford the medical care they need.
We have three beautiful children. Allié, Peter, and Louis were orphaned at the ages of four, two, and seven months due to a cholera outbreak that took their parents. We adopted them as our own to care for and bring up in the light of God’s love. At the time we were considering starting our family, but we didn’t know if we had the time and energy to devote to children, so we were praying about it. Allié, Peter, and Louis coming to us was His answer to that.
Not long ago Allié, who is nine now, asked me why her mother and father died, beyond the medical reason she already knew, and I told her I didn’t know but that someday she would. I told her about my father dying when I was her age and how I didn’t understand at the time, nor fully even now, but that I knew Jesus made it okay and had a path of blessing waiting for me on the other side of tragedy.
I decided to write this story for her so she can read about the strong and generous heart of her grandmother, the love Mama found with Grandpa Stewart, and the love I found with the wonderful man Allié now knows as her daddy. I am hoping for a similar young man for her to meet at the right time, and I want her to know that Joshua will be faithful to her in whatever ways she needs Him to be.
My mom and dad are still running their boarding house for the less fortunate in Bandon, and a few years ago Jodi and Ben began overseeing the meal program at the church when the full-time cook who had been doing it for thirty years had to retire. They have four kids. Jodi is a part-time nurse and Ben is an assistant manager at The Lighthouse restaurant. They come to help us for
a few weeks each summer, and I smile whenever I think about them. We get back to Bandon once a year to see them and my family, but I’m never sad about returning to our home here.
The work is never-ending, and we rely constantly on the financial support of others, donations of supplies, volunteer help from individuals and mission teams, and God’s love, peace, and protection, but there isn’t anything either of us would rather do. Some call us brave heroes, but I prefer the term, lighthouse keepers: regular people who do what we can to shine the light of God’s love.
The real reward of being lighthouse keepers is we never have to leave the lighthouse. It’s our home. It’s where Jesus lives. And nothing about Him ever grows dim.
Dear Reader,
I once read a book where the author wrote a short note at the end to her readers, and she said when she finished the manuscript, she hugged it. And when I finished writing this story, I felt the same way.
I’m not sure why. I’ve written many novels that are much longer with more plot twists and complex characters. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of the story that brings such joy and satisfaction to my soul. Maybe it’s how the Big Picture is the focus more than the day-in and day-out things of life that bog us down so much. I’m sure Jennifer and Jonathan experienced those times too. Times of uncertainty and discouragement and difficulty. But in telling her story, those aren’t the things Jennifer remembers. She remembers the joy. She remembers the significant moments when she chose to believe. She remembers the paths of peace, blessing, and love her trust in God put her on. She remembers the opportunities to share the truth with others and be the hands and feet of Jesus by following the God who made Himself known to her and never let her down.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” That’s not inspirational sentiment. It’s a basic spiritual truth. It’s a promise! How often are we walking in darkness when we could have the light of life? How often are we shrouded in sin, despair, discouragement, guilt, depression, anxiety, fear, bitterness, and hopelessness when we could be infused with peace, joy, love, goodness, faith, and hope? How often do we shine the light of His truth simply by how we live in that light ourselves?
God is light. He is love. He is good. He is faithful. He is worth following. Without Him this story is meaningless. And real life is meaningless. But with Him, with His light, with His love, with His faithfulness, embraceable beauty is the ultimate destination.
If you would like to know more about God and His Love, I’m happy to hear from you and answer any questions you have.
Write me at:
[email protected]
The Lighthouse Page 17