Don’t let my problems keep me from helping Cody. I understand what he’s going through, and I care about him. I want—I need—to help you get him ready for that meeting, Elise. Let me.
How could she say no? He did understand what Cody was going through. Both Jack and Cody had lost their entire families, and he truly needed to help Cody. But Elise now realized that Cody, even though he couldn’t realize it now, needed to help Jack too.
She closed the laptop and made up her mind. Somehow, she had to get Cody back to Jack’s place. That was the only way she’d help Cody get better.
And the only way she’d help Jack get better too.
Who else could bring God to the screen the way he had done...twice? And from what she read today, he could make an even bigger impact with the film set to release in a couple of months.
Christmas Day. It’d been one of her family’s traditions growing up to go to the theater and see a movie at the end of the celebrations. Since she was the sole female of the four siblings, her brothers typically let her pick the film. They gave her a hard time when she’d selected a princess one when she was younger, but still, they went. And even now that they were all grown, they still asked their “little sis” what she wanted to see on Christmas. Which was why two years ago, merely months after Anthony’s death, she’d selected The Journey.
And God had started healing her heart that night.
You meant for me to meet him here, didn’t You, Lord? You meant for Cody to find Jack in the woods and give him a purpose for living? And Jack does need to help Cody, doesn’t he? He needs to help Cody...to help himself. To heal his broken heart.
A whisper echoed through her mind, that Jack needed her too, but she shook the idea away. Surely God knew that she was merely the mediator here. He wouldn’t have expected Elise to play any bigger role than that, not after what happened with Anthony. He’d allow her to help Cody and Jack, but He’d also allow her to protect her heart from the potential of falling for another broken man. Surely.
A knock sounded at her cabin door, and Elise glanced at the clock on her computer to see that she’d been reading about Jack for over an hour and hadn’t made it to the dining cabin for breakfast. Was Cody at the door and upset because she’d missed their morning meet time? She hadn’t even dressed yet.
Clamoring off the bed, she pulled her robe around her shoulders to cover her pajamas, slid her feet into her favorite slippers, then padded toward the front door, where the knock sounded again. “On my way!” She had to yell because of the rain, pattering steadily against the tin roof.
Opening the door, she saw that Savvy, not Cody, stood on the other side, her blond hair soaked and flat against her face in spite of the bright red umbrella that she’d already dropped by her feet.
Elise gasped at the stream of rain dousing the porch in spite of its covering, the wind pushing the water to the point that it appeared to be raining sideways. She opened the door wide. “Come on in and get out of that mess.”
Even though droplets of water caused her to squint as she entered, Savvy laughed. “I can’t remember the last time it poured this hard. A lot of good that umbrella did, huh?”
Elise shut the door behind her friend and smiled. “You look like you just got out of the shower.”
“I guess I did.” Savvy pushed her wet bangs away, then used the back of her hand to swipe the droplets from her forehead. “I tried calling when you weren’t at the dining cabin, but you didn’t answer.”
“My phone was charging in the other room. I must not have heard it ringing over the rain.”
“I can believe that. It’s pretty intense on the tin roof. I figured the sound probably caused you to sleep through your alarm.”
“Nah, I’ve been up awhile. I’ve never been the type to sleep better when it rains, but I’ve known people who do.” Anthony had claimed he got his best sleep when it rained. To keep Savvy from seeing what a toll that thought took on her emotions, she said, “I’ll get you a towel,” and darted toward the bathroom.
Savvy looked thoughtful as she returned to the room and gave her the towel to dry her face. “Elise, are you okay?”
She hadn’t realized she was that transparent. And she didn’t want to discuss her deceased husband with Savvy. Or anyone else. So she pasted on a smile. “Yes, and I’m sorry I missed breakfast. I was surfing the web and lost track of time.”
“No problem. Happens to the best of us.” Savvy gently pulled her fingers through her wet hair to remove the tangles, used the towel to dry some of the water away, then shivered. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have some coffee ready, would you? That rain is pretty cold.”
Elise shook her head. “Not yet, but I could use a cup, as long as Cody isn’t waiting for me. I kind of expected to see him when I opened the door.”
“He’s not waiting,” Savvy said. “That’s partly why I’m here, to let you know that.”
“Is something wrong with him? Is he sick?”
Savvy shook her head. “I don’t think so. But he is refusing to leave the cabin. His cabin counselor let me know—that was why I was calling, to see if you wanted to try to persuade him to come out, or whether you wanted to give him a day off.”
“Do you think he needs a day off?” Elise asked anxiously.
“I just know he was upset last night at the football field. And I felt terrible. I shouldn’t have told you to tell him about the car. This is my fault.”
Elise’s throat pinched tight. She’d known he had digressed, as far as attempting to communicate in some manner, but she hadn’t expected him to retreat from the world.
Like Jack.
“I’ll get the coffee going.”
Ten minutes later, she and Savvy sat on the couch sipping strong, hot coffee and discussing the problems both currently faced in life.
“So you’re saying you have thirteen days to get Cody to communicate and interact with others the way he did when his family was alive?” Savvy took another sip of her coffee as she tried to understand the realm of an IEP meeting.
“Basically, yes.” Elise also sipped her coffee, the warm liquid soothing her worries, but not nearly as much as having a friend to confide in.
It’d been a long time since she’d felt this kind of kinship with another female. When she’d been married to Anthony, he’d felt threatened by anyone who seemed to claim Elise’s attention. She never discussed her work colleagues, because he assumed they meant more to her than he did. And she never went out with the other ladies at the office when they had their regular Tuesday night dinners, because that would leave him home, eating alone, and she’d been afraid of what his disposition would be afterward.
For a large portion of her marriage, she’d walked on eggshells. And she hadn’t minded. She’d merely hoped and prayed that he would get better.
“So, since he’s refusing to leave the cabin, what will you do? I mean, should I tell his counselor to try to make him leave?” Savvy frowned as she held the mug between her palms. “I don’t even know how we would do that, since he’s refusing to communicate, even with his flash cards. He did eat breakfast, but the counselor had to take his tray to the cabin.”
“I don’t think we should try to force him to leave.” Elise indicated the ceiling, where she clearly heard the rain wreaking havoc against the tin. “It’s not as if we’ll be doing anything outdoors today. And while I suppose the dining hall is an option, if he wouldn’t go there to eat, do you really think he’ll want to be there for reading or schoolwork?”
“I see your point. But how are you going to get him to progress and be ready for that meeting if you don’t get him to come out?” Savvy sipped her coffee and then added, “Mark, his counselor, did say that Cody had been reading every time he went to his room to check on him.”
That sparked Elise’s interest. “Did he happen to say
what he had been reading?”
“Car books, the ones he brought with him from his home.”
Car books. Not furniture books. Which meant he might have moved on from his infatuation with Jack and returned to his previous fascination. “I still think Jack can help him.” Elise barely spoke the words and wasn’t necessarily saying them to Savvy, but naturally the other woman heard and responded.
“I’ve tried to find out more about that guy, asked around town when we went to the square to shop, but no one even knew that anyone had moved into the cabin. Mitch Gillespie did say that he and some of the guys he’d hung around with in school used to stay there when they went hiking as teenagers. He said the place is huge. I didn’t realize it was that large.”
Elise nodded. “It’s a two-story cabin, but he hasn’t done a lot with it yet. Just minimal furnishings for now.” She didn’t add that Savvy need not try to get information about the stranger in the cabin, since Elise now knew everything she needed to know about who he was. And why he’d left his former life. She still felt a bit guilty about researching him online, but she was also glad she understood more about him and now knew that he was the perfect person to help her with Cody.
“Kind of odd that a guy would want a big cabin like that on his own.” Savvy glanced upward as though trying to sort through the reasoning, and then she looked at Elise and said, “Maybe he’s getting it ready for his family to move in?”
The photographs of Jack’s family lingering on Elise’s mind, she swallowed hard. “Or he could’ve just needed a place to be alone for a while.”
Savvy nodded. “If that’s the case, I guess he was surprised when you and Cody showed up.”
“No doubt.” Elise smiled over the top of her coffee mug and then sipped some more. She recalled her first impression of the rugged mountain man, when he’d had a thick beard covering that incredibly handsome face, and then every impression since. She’d discovered so many layers of the man in appearance, and this morning she’d also unearthed the depth of his suffering and reason for his retreating from society. And most likely, from God.
Both women jumped as a loud crack of thunder shook the cabin.
“Whoa, I think that must have hit a tree nearby.” Savvy moved to the window and peeked through the blinds. “At least we’ve still got power. We’ve got one generator, but it’d only produce enough electricity for one cabin. Our cabins are plenty big enough with everyone divided, but if we all had to cram into one, it’d be pretty miserable.”
“Willow’s Haven is pretty packed now, isn’t it?”
“Forty-eight kids and fourteen staff members and counselors, the maximum amount we can have.” Savvy dropped the blinds back into place and turned around, pushing her damp hair behind her ears. “I got a call yesterday asking if we could take three brothers who were placed in the system due to neglect, and I had to tell them we were maxed out. I can’t tell you how much that bothers me.”
Elise had been with Savvy twice to visit churches nearby and discuss the need of adoptive families and foster parents to care for the children at Willow’s Haven. If they could place the current children at Willow’s Haven in homes, then they could help more children, which was Brodie and Savvy’s goal. “What can we do, other than talking to the churches the way you’re already doing?”
Savvy shivered, and Elise grabbed a brown-and-red afghan off the back of a rocking chair near the window and handed it to her. Savvy gave her a soft smile as she wrapped the afghan around her shoulders and returned to the couch. “As far as what else we can do, I did talk to one of the larger Christian children’s homes in Atlanta yesterday to ask how they go about finding families for placement or adoption.”
“What do they do?” Elise curled her feet beneath her on the couch. She prayed that the other place had an idea of what they could do to help the kids at Willow’s Haven, like Cody, find a new “forever home.”
“They use something visual. I hadn’t really thought of it before, but when Brodie and I are talking to churches about needing families to follow Christ’s example of loving others by loving the children in our home, we’re only giving them words. We’re telling them what they should feel, what they should do, but we aren’t showing them. There’s a big difference in how it affects the heart, don’t you think? Whether you can actually see the ones affected by your actions.”
“They need to see the children.” Elise picked up their mugs. “You want another cup?”
“Sure.” Savvy tightened the afghan around her shoulders. “And yes, that’s it exactly. And I got to thinking about the children we’ve placed so far. All of the families who have chosen to either foster or adopt kids from Willow’s Haven have belonged to the Claremont Community Church.”
“The church that Willow’s Haven children and staff members attend on Sundays and Wednesdays.” Elise poured the coffee and then returned with the mugs.
“Right.” Savvy accepted the cup and blew against the steamy liquid before taking a sip.
“So the people at churches where you’ve merely talked about the kids haven’t come forward to sign up for fostering or adoption.” Elise again thought of Cody. If Brodie and Savvy couldn’t place nondisabled children, how would they place an autistic child?
“No, not a single family.”
But Elise thought Savvy’s presentation was amazing. She’d talked about her best friend, Willow, explained how she passed away, leaving three children, and how Savvy and Brodie adopted Dylan, Rose and Daisy. And she’d had photos of their family as well as pictures of children from Willow’s Haven who’d been adopted with their new families. She’d also had photos of the children currently at Willow’s Haven and needing placement. “But I remember the pictures you used with your speech at the churches. You did have something visual for them to see.”
“I know. But the woman who runs the children’s home in Atlanta said that people are touched more when they get to actually meet the children, hear them talk, laugh, play. See them interact.”
Just hearing the word interact with reference to placement in a home stung. Cody wasn’t interacting at all now. “So you need to take children with you when you travel to the other churches?”
“I would,” Savvy replied, “but that isn’t the best scenario. The kids here have already been removed from their homes or lost their families. They see their regular church as something of a home too, at least until they are placed. It isn’t good for them to miss their classes at Claremont Community Church.”
Elise drank a long sip of coffee. “So what does the Atlanta home do when they visit other churches?”
“Videos.” Savvy lifted her eyebrows and bobbed her head as though this was the perfect solution. “They take videos of the children that need placement. She said it’s important to show them in all aspects of life, playing together, going to school, eating, laughing, enjoying life. She said if they are sad, that should be portrayed, as well. The people that view the video need to know what these kids are feeling.”
“A video lets them meet the child by seeing him or her on-screen.”
“And videos pull at the heart, you know? They make you realize that this is a real person, a child who needs love. The children’s home in Atlanta has a Thanksgiving appeal each year that is composed of an emotional video that displays the children at the home that have no families.”
“Wow,” Elise whispered, imagining sitting in church and viewing children who simply need a loving home, someone who cares. “That would strike a chord in me too.”
“I know. And I think we should do it, have a video made that really showcases not only what we offer children at Willow’s Haven for potential donors, but also what families can offer these kids who truly need a home.”
Elise knew that could work, and that it might be a better way of finding Cody a home. “You’re wanting to show a video at churches o
n Thanksgiving?”
“I would, but Thanksgiving is a month away. I don’t think we’d have time to find anyone to film the kids and actually produce a decent video by then. And I really don’t want it to be rushed and compromise quality. This will potentially be our best means of finding families for these kids, so it needs to be top-notch. And I don’t even know of any professional videographers near Claremont.”
Elise knew someone who could produce the absolute best video about the children. Maybe not by Thanksgiving, but definitely by Christmas. And he’d know how to portray Cody, as well. “It’d be important to show how special each child is, so families would understand how every kid needs love.”
Savvy sighed. “You’re worried about Cody being placed, aren’t you?”
The fear that no one would ever step up to give him a chance scared Elise more than she wanted to admit. She nodded.
“But he was getting better, until last night, right?”
“He was,” Elise admitted. “And I haven’t given up. I just have to help him beyond the barriers he put up when he lost his parents.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to get Cody where he needs to be before that meeting at the school?”
“I don’t know, but based on the past week, I’m certain I can’t do it on my own.”
“You’re talking about Jack, right? The guy in the cabin who’s been helping with Cody?”
“Yeah. I may stimulate Cody’s progress, but I haven’t achieved satisfying results on my own. Every bit of forward progress he’s made has occurred because of his interactions with Jack.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to get them together again, now that Cody’s shut down?”
Elise thought about that IEP meeting. The team would want to meet Cody, talk to him and see how well he could interact with them in order to determine how well he’d function in a mainstream classroom. “I have to.”
“How are you planning to do that?” Savvy asked loudly, due to the rain increasing and beating a strong staccato rhythm that made her cringe.
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