The Hope Chest

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  She clasped his fingers, feeling the warmth and strength and reveling in the joy of knowing she was still loved. “I love you, too, Dad.”

  ***

  Anna wasn’t in the kitchen when Rachel returned, but Mom sat at the table with her head bowed. Not wishing to disturb her mother’s prayer, Rachel slipped quietly out the back door. She found Joseph and Pauline sitting side-by-side on the porch. They looked so good together. Rachel was happy Joseph had found someone to love.

  Joseph turned when Rachel closed the screen door. “Oh, it’s you, little sister. Nearly everyone’s gone home, and we didn’t know where you were. Anna was looking for you.”

  A sense of panic surged through Rachel. “Did Anna and Reuben leave already?”

  Joseph shook his head. “Naw. She said she wouldn’t go without talking to you first.”

  “Reuben’s still inside talking with his folks, but Anna said something about taking a walk down by the river.” Pauline removed her shawl and handed it to Rachel. “If you’re going after her, you’d better put this on. The snow’s let up now, but it’s still pretty cold.”

  Gratefully, Rachel took the offered shawl. “I think I will head down to the water and see if Anna’s still there. I’ve got something I want to give her.”

  Rachel started out walking and soon broke into a run. The wind stung her face, but she didn’t mind. Her only thought was of finding Anna.

  ***

  The rest of Silas’s family had already gone home, but he wasn’t ready to leave just yet. He wanted to hang around and see if he could offer comfort to Rachel. She hadn’t looked right when he’d seen her earlier, and after lunch he’d gone looking for her, but she seemed to have disappeared. He figured she must be taking Perry’s death pretty hard, and it had pained him when she hadn’t even responded to his hug. She’d felt small and fragile in his arms—like a broken toy he was unable to fix. It was as if Rachel were off in another world today—in a daze or some kind of a dream state.

  He remembered hearing his mother talk about her oldest sister and how she’d gone crazy when her little girl drowned in the lake. He didn’t think Rachel would actually go batty, but she was acting mighty strange. He couldn’t go home until he knew she was going to be okay.

  Silas decided to walk down to the river, knowing Rachel often went there to look for birds. Just as he reached the edge of the cornfield, mottled with snow, he spotted someone standing along the edge of the river. His heart gave a lurch when he saw the figure leaning over the water. Surely, she wasn’t thinking of—

  Silas took off in a run. When he neared the clearing, he skidded to a halt. The figure he’d seen was a woman all right, but it wasn’t Rachel. It was her sister Anna. He approached slowly, not wanting to spook her.

  She turned to face him just as he stepped to the water’s edge. “Silas, you about scared me to death. I thought I was all alone out here.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I was looking for—”

  “I used to love coming down here. It was a good place to think ... and to pray.” Anna dropped her gaze to the ground. “Sorry to say that since I left home I haven’t done as much praying as I should. I have started going to church with a friend, though, and I’ve come to realize that the only way to deal with life’s problems is to walk close to the Lord.”

  Silas nodded. “Praying is good. I think it goes hand in hand with thinking.”

  Anna smiled and pointed to the water. “Look, there’s a big old trout.”

  “Rachel likes to fish.” Silas couldn’t believe that even a silly trout made him think of Rachel.

  Anna grinned. “I think you and my sister have a lot in common. She likes to spend hours feeding and watching the birds that come into the yard.”

  “I know. I bought Rachel a bird book and a pair of binoculars for her birthday.”

  “I’m sure she liked that.”

  “I thought so at the time, but now I’m not sure.”

  Anna touched the sleeve of Silas’s jacket. “How come?”

  He stared out across the water. “She thinks I don’t like her. She thinks I’m still in love with you.”

  ***

  Rachel stood behind the trunk of a white birch tree, holding her breath and listening to the conversation going on just a few feet away. She’d almost shown herself, but when she’d heard her own name mentioned, fear of what Anna and Silas were saying kept her feet firmly in place. Was Silas declaring his love for her sister? Was he begging her to leave Reuben and return to the Amish faith? Surely Silas must know the stand their church took against divorce.

  “But you’re not in love with me now, are you, Silas?” Anna asked.

  Rachel pressed against the tree and waited for his response. She was doing it again—eavesdropping. It wasn’t right, but she could hardly show herself now, with Silas about to declare his love for Anna. Her thoughts went back to that day many months ago when she’d heard Silas say to Anna, “When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting.” Was he still waiting for her? Did he really think they had a chance to be together?

  “I used to love you, Anna,” Silas said. “At least I thought I did.” There was a long pause, and Rachel held her breath. “Guess maybe we’d been friends so long I never thought I’d fall in love with anyone but you.”

  “Have you fallen in love with someone, Silas?” Anna asked.

  Rachel chanced a peek around the tree. Silas stood so close to Anna he could have leaned down and kissed her. He didn’t, though. Instead, he stood tall, shoulders back and head erect. “You were right when you told me once that Rachel is good for me. I love her more than anything, but I doubt we’ll ever be together, because I don’t know what I can do to prove my love to her.”

  Feeling as if her heart would burst wide open, Rachel jumped out from behind the tree. “You don’t have to do anything to prove your love. What you said to Anna is proof enough for me!”

  Silas jumped back. His foot slipped on a patch of snow, and he nearly landed in the water. Rachel raced forward and caught hold of his hand. “Be careful now. You’ll get what I have for Anna all wet,” she said, as he pulled her close to his side.

  Anna stepped forward. “What have you got for me, Rachel?”

  She lifted the sampler and their great-grandmother’s Bible. “I found these at the bottom of your hope chest, and I thought maybe you’d like to have them.”

  Anna’s eyes flooded with tears. “Great-Aunt Mim’s sampler and Great-Grandma’s Bible. Mom gave them to me for my hope chest several years ago, but I’d forgotten all about them.”

  Rachel handed the items to her sister. “I read some passages I found in this old Bible and was reminded that I need to put my hope in the Lord and keep trusting Him, not hope for the things I’ve wanted or try to do everything in my own strength.” She looked over at Silas. “I thought I’d have to learn to live without your love, but now—”

  Silas placed two cold fingers against her lips. “Now you’ll have to learn to live as my wife. If you’ll have me, that is.”

  She nodded. “Jah, I’ll have you, Silas.”

  He leaned down to kiss her, and Rachel felt as if she were a bird—floating, soaring high above the clouds—reveling in God’s glory and hoping continuously in Him.

  EPILOGUE

  One year later

  Rachel stood on the lawn, her groom on one side, her brother and new sister-in-law on the other. Two weeks ago, Joseph had married Pauline, and today the young couple were offering their congratulations to Rachel and Silas. Both couples had received double-ring wedding quilts from their mothers, and today Rachel’s heart held a double portion of happiness. The only thing that could have made her day more complete would have been to share it with her older sister. But apparently Anna and Reuben hadn’t been able to come, for Rachel hadn’t seen any sign of them during the wedding ceremony.

  On an impulse, Rachel glanced across the yard and was surprised to see Anna and Reuben walking toward her.

&nbs
p; “Excuse me a minute,” she whispered to Silas. “I need to speak with my sister.”

  Silas nodded and squeezed her hand. “Hurry back, fraa.”

  Rachel smiled and slipped quickly away. She drew Anna off to one side, and they exchanged a hug. “It’s so good to see you. I was hoping you had received my invitation to the wedding and that you would be able to be here today.”

  “I’m sorry Reuben and I didn’t get here in time for the ceremony. He had a little trouble with his truck this morning, so we were late getting started. I did want to wish you well and give you this, though.” Anna handed Rachel a brown paper sack.

  “What is it?”

  “Take a look.”

  Rachel opened the bag, reached inside, and withdrew a sampler. At first she thought it was the same one she’d given to Anna a year ago, but when she read the embroidered words, she knew it wasn’t:

  “For thou art my hope, O Lord God:

  thou art my trust from my youth.”

  —Psalm 71:5

  “I thought it would be something you could hand down to your children and grandchildren.” Anna placed her hand against her stomach. “That’s what I plan to do with the Merry Heart sampler Great-Aunt Mim made all those years ago.”

  Rachel’s eyes widened. “You’re in a family way?”

  Anna nodded. “The baby will come in the spring.”

  “Do Mom and Dad know that they are going to be grandparents?”

  “I told them a few minutes before you came outside.” Anna smiled, and her eyes filled with tears. “Dad and Mom want me and Reuben to come visit more often after the baby is born.” She glanced around the yard as though someone might be listening. “I’m sure a few in our community still might exclude us from some things, but as long as we feel welcome within our own families, that’s what counts.”

  Rachel hugged her sister. “I’m glad things are better between you and Dad.”

  Anna nodded. “Reuben and I had a long talk awhile back. We decided that we both want to stay English, but we’re attending church together now, and we’re reading our Bibles and praying every day.”

  “I’m happy to hear that, and I thank you for coming today.” Rachel held the sampler close to her heart. “I’ll always cherish this, and every time I look at it, I’ll not only be reminded to put my hope in Jesus but I’ll think of my English sister, who is also trusting in God.”

  Anna pulled her fingers through the ends of her hair, which she had let grow long again. “That’s so true.”

  “Well, I’d best be getting back to my groom, or he’s likely to come looking for me,” Rachel said with a giggle.

  Anna nodded. “Tell him I said to be happy and that he’d better treat my little sister right, or I’ll come looking for him.”

  “Rachel hugged Anna one last time; then she hurried toward Silas. She was glad she had opened her sister’s hope chest last year, for if she hadn’t, she might never have found Great-Aunt Mim’s special sampler and Great-Grandma’s Bible, so full of hope found only in God’s Word.”

  When Rachel reached her groom, he pulled her to his side. “I love you, Rachel, and I pray we’ll always be this happy together.”

  Rachel leaned her head against his shoulder. “If we keep God at the center of our lives and put our hope and trust in Him, the love and happiness we feel today will only grow stronger.” She smiled and looked up. “The Lord is truly my hope, and I pray that all of our future children and grandchildren will put their hope and trust in Him, too.”

  RACHEL’S RIBBON SALAD

  Ingredients:

  3-ounce box of lime gelatin

  3 cups boiling water, divided

  3 cups cold water, divided

  1 small can crushed pineapple

  1/2 cup chopped walnuts

  3-ounce box of lemon gelatin

  8-ounce package cream cheese

  3/4 cup whipped cream

  3-ounce box of raspberry gelatin

  Dissolve lime gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. Add 1 cup cold water, crushed pineapple, and nuts to the gelatin, then pour into an 8x8 pan to make the first layer. Chill in the refrigerator until set. Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup boiling water, then add 1 cup cold water. When the mixture becomes cool, add the cream cheese and whipped cream. Pour this mixture over the first layer of gelatin that has already set. Return to refrigerator and let set again. Dissolve raspberry gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. Add 1 cup cold water and mix well. Pour over the top of the first two layers, return to the refrigerator, and chill until set.

  Brides of Lancaster County

  by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  A Merry Heart (Book 1)

  Figure I

  Miriam Stoltzfus is a young Pennsylvania Amish woman once filled with dreams for a future with a man ... who jilted her. Now she is known as the “old maid” schoolteacher with a “heart of stone.”

  Looking for a Miracle (Book 2)

  Figure II

  As a child, Rebekah Stoltzfus suffered a freak accident that left her legs paralyzed. Now, confined to a wheelchair, she feels she’ll never measure up to the expectations of her Pennsylvania Amish community that a woman should marry and raise a family.

  Plain and Fancy (Book 3)

  Figure III

  Is it good for two people—one plain, the other fancy—to fall in love? Laura Meade loves her modern life, yet she is fascinated by the Amish culture in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

  Reissued from the best-selling Lancaster Brides collection.

  Also Available from

  BARBOUR PUBLISHING, INC.

  BACK COVER MATERIAL

  Is It Wrong to Hope for the Impossible?

  Rachel Beachy desires and hopes for something she can’t have—her sister Anna's boyfriend.

  Silas Swartley has been in love with the spirited Anna since they were children, and Rachel, the tomboy, has loved Silas for nearly as long. Like Job from the Bible, Rachel feels that her swiftly moving days are spent without hope-hope of ever making Silas take notice of her.

  But when Anna unexpectedly leaves the Amish faith, Rachel's hope is rekindled. She initiates a campaign to win Silas's heart and begins to fill her hope chest when she discovers how much she and Silas have in common.

  Can Silas set the pain of Anna's rejection aside and see Rachel as anything more than a tomboy who is little more than a child? Will Rachel be disappointed in Silas and in God, or will she learn the true meaning of hope?

  Wanda E. Brunstetter LIVES IN WASHINGTON STATE, WHERE HER HUSBAND PASTORS, BUT TAKES EVERY OPPERTUNITY TO VISIT AMISH SETTLEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.