by Irene Brand
“We can’t go until we’ve had breakfast,” Summer said. “Come in and close the door.”
Skipper stomped the snow off his feet and came inside, followed by Mayo, Anita and several other students.
Anita sniffed appreciatively. “Those biscuits look good. Hallie didn’t make it off the mountain, so we had nothing but a slice of bread and jelly for breakfast.”
“I can take a hint,” Summer said. “I’ll make another batch.”
The boys yelled, “Way to go,” and they pulled off their heavy coats and piled them by the door.
“Sorry there aren’t enough chairs for everybody,” David said, as he took plates and cups from the cabinets.
“No problem!” Mayo said. “We’ll eat standing up.”
David scrambled a dozen eggs, and Summer was glad she’d laid in an extra supply of food the last time they’d gone into Asheville. Hopefully, they wouldn’t run out before the snow melted enough for them to get off the mountain. But she tried not to think about her limited supply of food or money when she saw how much the young people enjoyed the biscuits and eggs.
“Say, David,” Anita said, “can we take some food from the kitchen, have a bonfire and eat outdoors tonight? It would cost the same whether we ate inside or out.”
“I don’t know why not,” he said, “but I’m new at this. I’ll run it by Edna.”
“Where would we have the fire?” Summer asked.
“Down by the lake is the best place. Maybe Curtis could have a vesper service.”
“It’s going to be mighty cold, but I’ll go along if Edna approves it,” David said.
After getting a promise from David and Summer that they’d join them after they’d made the snowman David had promised the kids, the teenagers headed on toward the valley area. Their merrymaking had awakened Timmy and Nicole, and David and Summer made more biscuits and eggs for the kids because their unexpected guests had eaten everything in sight. Then they had to heat water and wash all the dishes.
“Whew!” Summer said when they finished and she collapsed on the couch. “I’m glad I don’t have to cook for that bunch every day.”
“But they did enjoy it,” David said.
“Surprising as it might seem, so did I. It’s the home atmosphere as much as the food. How much would it stretch our budget to entertain all the students once a month? You’re handy in the kitchen, and the two of us together should be able to come up with enough food to satisfy their big appetites. We could have soups, spaghetti or lasagna—that type of food, with salad and desserts.”
David sat beside her and kissed her on the forehead. “You’re sweet to even think of it! They love to come to the cabin. Do you think we can wedge thirty people in, besides the four who are already eating here?”
“We could try it one time, and if it’s too crowded, we can have half of them one week and half the next. I don’t want to do it more often than that for it wouldn’t be fair to Timmy and Nicole.”
His eyes were tender as he looked at her. “Summer, do you ever think about yourself?”
“Not anymore, it seems. I don’t have time.”
He reached out and ruffled her hair, what he’d been wanting to do for a long time, and she didn’t protest. “Get your heavy clothes on. Let’s go play in the snow. I intend to rub snow in your face.”
She made a face at him. “You won’t have to. I’m sure Mayo and Skipper will beat you to it. But at least you’ve warned me, so I’ll put a lot of lotion and cream on my face.”
The power was off for three days and The Crossroads students spent every daylight hour outdoors. Since there wasn’t anything else Summer could do, she went with them. She tried walking on snowshoes, which she found exhilarating. She attempted skiing and gave it up as a poor job. She slid down a small slope on rickety handmade sleds, the hood of an auto and a commercially made sled that was in shambles at the end of two days. None of those things she’d tried before, and she was surprised at how much she enjoyed herself.
Summer often noticed David watching her with a glint of wonder in his eyes. Once when he helped her up after she’d tumbled off a sled, he whispered, “I knew I’d find the woman I remembered if I waited long enough,” referring to the first time they’d met.
Once the power was restored and school was in session, everyone’s thoughts turned to Christmas. Curtis planned a program for the night before school was dismissed, because about half the student body would be going to spend the holiday with relatives.
Summer made an effort to enter into the Christmas plans, but as the holiday came closer, her spirits plummeted. This would be the first time she hadn’t spent Christmas at home, and she kept thinking about the years gone by when she hadn’t appreciated her home as much as she should have.
Guessing her problem, David said, “There’s no reason you can’t go home for a few days, Summer. My folks are coming, and they can help me look after Nicole and Timmy.”
“No, I won’t do that, but I appreciate your offer.”
Although she and David realized that the Christmas season would be easier for both their families if they were with them, they’d decided their responsibilities lay with the students who would also miss Spring and Bert.
Just having David understand that she was homesick soothed her, and when several cartons of gifts arrived from Summer’s family, she threw off her dismal mood and entered into the local plans with enthusiasm. Checking to see that every student had a gift suited especially for them, she and David made plans for a Christmas party.
“We need a tree for the cafeteria,” Summer said. “And a small one for the cabin.”
“There’s a grove of evergreens on the compound’s property at the upper end of the valley. I’m sure we can find what we need there. The boys can get one for the cafeteria, but let’s make it a family outing to get a tree for the cabin. Going after the Christmas tree used to be a highlight for our family.”
“Sounds good to me. Let’s wait until the Saturday before Christmas. A tree is going to crowd the cabin even more than it is now, and once we get the tree decorated, I know the kids won’t want to take it down very soon.”
“Do we have any decorations?”
“There’s a box of lights and ornaments in the cabin, and I’ll find out from Edna if any are available for the cafeteria. If not, we’ll make some. I should be creative enough to come up with an idea for decorations from all the plastic bottles we have around here.”
“The students usually have good ideas, too.”
“David, let’s plan something special for those who have to stay here during the holidays. Mother and Daddy sent me a check for five hundred dollars, so let’s use that to take the students to see the Vanderbilt mansion in Asheville.”
“It would be a treat for them to see Biltmore, but isn’t that money your Christmas gift?”
Leaning back in her chair and lightly drumming her fingers on the desk, she said, “Yes. So that means I can do what I want to with it. Mother suggested that I buy clothes, but I won’t spend that money on myself when these kids don’t have anything new. I considered using it to buy clothes for the female students, but it wouldn’t go very far. Besides, I’d rather include everyone if possible.”
“I don’t see why we couldn’t. We can probably get a school rate to tour the estate. We could take our van and the bus from the elementary school.”
“There would be twenty, counting the two of us, Nicole and Timmy. If we go while your parents are here, that would be two more.”
“Summer, when we came here you had so little understanding of what it meant to be a Christian, but I’ve seen a tremendous change in you. Have you had a change of heart?”
“I’ve been talking with Curtis about my spiritual needs, and he’s been helpful. I’m reading Spring’s Bible, especially the passages she’s underlined, but I don’t seem to be learning very fast. I’ve had such a long way to go.”
“I wonder if we aren’t trying to do all of this by ourselve
s rather than depending on God for help. When we accept Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, and He guides us in our decisions. It makes our way so much easier when we turn our whole lives over to God.”
“You’re probably right,” Summer agreed. “But when you grow up with a mother like mine who taught her daughters to be self-sufficient, it’s hard to put your trust elsewhere. I know now that Mother wasn’t always right, but it’s hard to break a lifetime habit.”
“You’ve been terrific in taking over your duties here. I know Bert and Spring would be pleased with what we’re doing. I came here because I thought I owed it to them, but as the days go by, I’m learning what I’m doing isn’t so much for Bert and Spring, as for Jesus. He said once that ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ We might be putting the cart before the horse in serving God before we’ve totally submitted our lives to Him, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
The excitement among the elementary school children and the teenagers at The Crossroads grew with each day, and Summer was inspired by their enthusiasm. Christmas had always been an important day at the Weaver home. Clara had decorated the house lavishly, and the food was abundant, but it had all been for their close-knit family. Occasionally, Clara would invite her sister and family for Christmas dinner, but usually there were only the five Weavers. And there was never any emphasis on the real meaning of Christmas. No Bible stories were read, although Summer had heard the other traditional Christmas stories.
At The Crossroads, all the holiday preparations revolved around the Biblical concept of Christmas. Scriptures about Christ’s birth were read over the intercom every morning with a traditional carol following. Summer couldn’t have avoided the emphasis on Christ’s birth if she’d wanted to, and she found she didn’t want to anymore.
The night before school was dismissed for a couple of weeks, the celebration started with a traditional dinner of turkey, dressing, hot rolls, vegetables, salad and cherry pie. Although Hallie was generally a dour person, even she loosened up and actually seemed to enjoy preparing the big meal.
One whole side of the cafeteria had been set aside for the Christmas tree. Summer had squeezed enough from The Crossroads budget to buy a gift for each student, the staff and volunteers, and with the gifts her mother and sister had sent, packages dominated one corner of the cafeteria. A well-wisher had sent several crates of apples and forty pounds of candy, so those items were distributed equally. Some of the teenagers had received packages from home, but they had been dispensed individually in the dorms at the discretion of the house parents. Mayo’s father had sent him a banjo, which he brought to the party and accompanied the group in a series of Christmas carols.
“Mayo is sad,” Anita whispered in Summer’s ear. “His father had promised to take him for the holidays, but he isn’t coming. He likes the banjo, but he’d rather have his dad.”
No one wanted the party to end, but an inspirational service was planned at the chapel, so the party had to stop by ten o’clock.
As they went to the chapel, Summer held Nicole’s hand, and David walked behind them, timing his steps to Timmy’s. They’d gradually become like a family, and Summer often wondered if Timmy and Nicole even remembered their parents. Timmy sometimes called David, Daddy, and he hadn’t corrected him. She supposed that in appearance and temperament she and David were enough like their parents that the children couldn’t see much difference. David often came for breakfast, and he was there every evening, so the children saw as much of him as they had of Bert. It was a strange arrangement, Summer thought, and she wished she knew where it was leading.
As the service opened, Mayo used his new banjo to accompany Anita as she sang a Christmas hymn. David looked at Summer in the dim light and lifted his eyebrows. She’d had no idea that Anita had such a beautiful voice. Anita was a part of the school chorus, and the group sang at chapel each week, but this was the first time she’d heard Anita sing a solo.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Anita could pursue a career in music! If she took her to New York, she could arrange for her education. It had been a long time since Summer had contemplated returning to New York.
Summer listened to the lyrics of the hymns being sung by the group, and certain words leaped out at her until she could almost see the advent of Christ unfold as if she had been in Bethlehem on the night of his birth.
Curtis’s short sermon was based on the Scripture, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Summer listened intently to the message, particularly when he closed with the words, “Jesus came into the world many years ago, but unless you’ve opened your heart to receive Him, Jesus hasn’t come for you. The shepherds and the Wise Men knelt and worshiped Jesus. Let me repeat, if Jesus doesn’t rule in your heart, He hasn’t come for you, and you haven’t experienced the full meaning of Christmas. Come and kneel at His feet tonight.
“As Mayo plays a closing hymn, if you really want to know the peace that Christ offers, come forward and acknowledge that you’ve accepted the gift God has for you. ‘The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”’
Staring straight ahead, with her heart pounding furiously, Summer saw several students go forward. Impulsively, she stepped past the children and David and walked automatically along the short aisle. Curtis was talking with one of the students, so Summer knelt at the small altar, eyes closed, head bowed in her hands. She sensed a presence at her side, and when a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder, even without looking, she knew that David knelt beside her.
When Mayo stopped the music, Summer and David stood with three students who’d come forward.
Curtis put his arms around their shoulders, and asked quietly, “Would you prefer that I talk with you privately about your experience, rather than before the students? I don’t believe they’re aware of the spiritual doubts you’ve had.”
Summer nodded, and David said, “That would be best. Do you have time to come to the cabin tonight?”
“Of course.”
“Whenever it’s convenient,” David said. “Go ahead and talk to the students first. It will take us a while to get Timmy and Nicole to bed.”
Summer had hot chocolate made when Curtis breezed into the cabin, his smooth features more animated than usual.
“There must be rejoicing in Heaven—three more souls added to the kingdom tonight. Or perhaps five! Depending on what you have to tell me.”
When they gathered around the kitchen table, cups of hot chocolate in their hands, David said, “As for me, I was born into the kingdom when I was a boy, but I haven’t been living a Christian life as I should have. Tonight, I made a full commitment to live the rest of my life following the path Jesus laid out for me. I’ve known for a long time how I should live— I just haven’t done it.”
“Some Christians approach all decisions by asking, ‘What would Jesus do?”’
“Yes, and that’s the way I intend to live from now on.”
“Summer?” Curtis turned toward her.
Her voice broke slightly when she answered. “I can’t explain what happened exactly, but when you were speaking, I had the overwhelming certainty that Jesus had come into the world for me. The spiritual doubts I’ve had were suddenly gone, and I felt at peace. I don’t understand much more than that, but many of the Scriptures I’ve been reading in the Bible the past few months took on new meaning.”
“Such as?” Curtis prompted.
“‘If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed,’ and ‘Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”’ A bemused expression crossed her face. “And it’s odd that I should feel free because in accepting Jesus as my Savior, I’m really making Him Lord of my life, so I’ll never be free to do what I want to again.” Casting questioning eyes at Curtis, she said, “At least that’s the way I interpret it.”
Curtis laughed joyously. “You’ve summarized the meaning of the new life in Jesus Christ in a few words, S
ummer. From now on, you’re under the Lordship of Christ.”
The three of them knelt, holding hands, and Curtis prayed for them.
“Lord,” Curtis prayed, “this is the beginning of a new life for David and Summer, and although it takes only a short time to become a Christian, it takes a lifetime to become the kind of follower You’d have us to be. Help them to understand that doubts and problems will still come, but from now on, You’ll be in control, and they can follow Your leading. Thank You for their commitment to The Crossroads and the difference they’re making in the lives of the students they minister to. Amen.”
When he put on his coat to leave, Curtis said, “You’ll never forget this Christmas! When the way gets rough and the answers hard to find, remember what you’ve experienced tonight.”
“If you’re all right, Summer,” David said, “I’ll walk back to the dorm with Curtis. You may want to be alone now.”
She smiled at his understanding, and the cabin seemed unusually quiet after they left, but Summer didn’t mind the stillness. It gave her time to mull over the miracle of Christmas that had changed her life tonight.
Chapter Fourteen
Summer had a week to get ready for Christmas Day after school was dismissed. The house parents were staying with those students left in the dorms, but Anita spent a lot of the time at the cabin and Summer was glad to have her help. She took care of cleaning the house while Summer baked, and it was pleasant to have Anita for company. In spite of the difference in their ages, they’d become good friends.
“The Blackburns asked me to spend Christmas with them,” Anita said one day.
“I overheard Hallie telling your housemother that she intended to ask you.”
“Do you think I should go?”
“I don’t have an opinion. I know very little about the Blackburns. Have you asked Edna? She’s been here a long time, and she’d know whether it’s a suitable place for you. Hallie can be cantankerous, but basically, I believe she’s a good person.”