“A bend in the road?”
“Ya, that’s exactly it. It slows me down for a few minutes while I’m dealing with it. But once I’ve coped, I can move onto the next task. I’m not out of control.”
Joshua grinned. “That’s all I have ever worked for with you. I know you don’t seek or want recognition. But I have to say that you have been one of my hardest-working clients. You’ve been honest about everything. And it’s because of that that we’re able to discuss a termination of your therapy and taking you off your medication.”
AFTER FINISHING HIS session with Joshua, Abram went back to Peace Valley and completed the rest of his day’s appointments. At home, he and Hannah conversed about what he and Joshua had discussed. “So, it looks like I get to start taking smaller doses of this medication in about a month. Two months after that, I should be able to stop therapy sessions. But, he told me if something happens he wants me to call him.”
“Gut! Because we are human. We will make mistakes.” Hannah took Abram’s hand in her own small one. His wife was right. His battle with himself wasn’t over, but he would keep fighting for his marriage and the woman he loved. He wanted to be more, and with Hannah at his side, he knew he could be. Would be.
Abram gently squeezed his wife’s hand. She looked up at him and smiled, and in his heart, the sun rose.
Epilogue
Several months later, Abram came back into the house. He was grateful that spring was here, but he was also worried about the extended dry spell. Looking at the sky, he wiped his face with an old towel. He shook his head.
“Still no clouds?” Hannah dabbed at the perspiration dotting her face.
“Nee. It looks like a drought is coming.”
“Husband, we’ll deal with it.” Hannah’s face bore a beaming grin. “I have something to tell you.”
Seeing the look of joy on his wife’s face, Abram put the weather out of his mind. “What? You look like you got the best news in the world.”
Hannah wrapped her arms around Abram’s lean middle. “Ya. I did. Eleanor’s going to be a big sister!”
Picking Hannah up, Abram twirled her around the kitchen. There was nothing between them except for a joyous future together. “I can’t wait!”
The End
THANK YOU FOR READING!
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it! If so, and you missed the first three books of this series, then you can read Book 1, Amish Truth Be Told, on me here.
Or if you’ve read this entire series, and would like to become familiar with some of my other work, I’ve put a free sample of my book, Amish Seeds of Change in the next chapter.
IN ADDITION, THERE is information about how to get my FREE 5-BOOK STARTER LIBRARY in the chapter titled A WORD FROM RACHEL.
Lastly, in the chapter titled ENJOY THIS BOOK, there’s a bit more information about how you can help my writing by leaving this book a review. And if you find any problems with this book that make you think it deserves less than 5-Stars, please drop me a line at [email protected] and I’ll do my best to fix it.
Best and Blessings,
Rachel
AMISH SEEDS OF CHANGE
Struggle. Resentment. Love.
AMISH TEEN, EMMA LAPP has had a lifelong struggle with weight. Worse, Jacob, the man she wants desperately to court with only sees her as a friend. Caught between the loving excess of her mother's care and the desire to make a change, Emma feels overlooked and left behind. But when a terrible accident forces Emma to face hard truths about herself and her relationship with her sister, will this be enough for Emma to seize her dreams?
CHAPTER ONE
Emma Lapp struggled hard to pull her skirt around her waist so she could pin it securely closed. Exhaling and holding the skirt with one hand, she swiped at perspiration on her forehead with the other. Looking down, she made sure the skirt was still closed as she stabbed the straight pin into the fabric. Quickly, she directed the pin back out so it would hold her skirt closed, then she grabbed a second pin and put it in, facing the opposite direction. I really need to lose this fat! Getting dressed would be so much faster and easier. Better yet, maybe we should start using snaps. They don’t show on the outside of our clothes.
Again, Emma swiped at the perspiration shining on her round, gentle face. Combing her hair, she prayed the pins would hold. She held her breath as she styled her hair into a loose bun, and then set her prayer cap on her head. Nodding, she hurried downstairs. “Mam, what do you need help with?”
“Girl, what took you so long? I’m nearly done with breakfast preparations. Make sure the biscuits are done and pull them from the oven, please. Oh, and I have already packed your lunch. It’s in the refrigerator, ready to go.”
Emma’s heart fell. She had hoped to make it downstairs early enough that she could pack her own lunch for work. Knowing her mam, she had packed the fat and carbohydrate heavy but delicious meatloaf from the night before, along with other foods. “Denki, Mam.” She would just eat a portion of each of the foods. Maybe then she could lose a few ounces.
Emma had been a normal-sized baby at birth. But, even before she began to walk and run around, she was a plump child. The pounds didn’t melt off as she began walking and running—instead, they continued to creep onto her short frame. By the time she was ten, she was much larger than her friends and classmates. She took little comfort in the fact that her parents and siblings were also rounded. As she became a young woman, her doctor’s warnings to her and her parents mainly focused on her obesity. Mr. and Mrs. Lapp, Emma is obese. If she and you begin to do something about it now, she can lose that weight and be much healthier. But the doctor’s words fell on deaf ears. But Emma heard them, and she worried about her health.
By the time she was twenty, she noticed that her knees ached if she had been standing or walking for a long time. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with asthma. Her ear, nose and throat specialist told her parents that her condition was related to her excess weight. Still, her mam continued to cook heavy foods, and Emma couldn’t help that she loved the foods her mam made. She had finally hit on the strategy of eating only half of what her mam packed for her lunch. Tomorrow, I’ll get up extra-early so I can be dressed and downstairs before Mam makes my breakfast. I’ll pack vegetables, a salad and some fruit.
Barbara Anderson, Emma’s older sister, came bustling into the house. “Gut morning, everyone! Emma, I needed to let you know that I’ll need you to watch the kinder on Saturday. I’ll be at a frolic for most of the day.”
“Barbara, I’m sorry, but I’m scheduled to work at the bakery that day. And it’s too late for me to ask for that day off. Maybe, if you had told me last Saturday, I could have let my boss know.”
Barbara always forgot about Emma’s scheduling requirements. Letting out a huff of exasperation, she spoke. “Well, I suppose I’ll have to ask Abby then.”
Emma closed her eyes as her practiced hands quickly removed the hot biscuits from the baking sheet to the paper towel-lined bowl. She inhaled three times, forcing back the words she really wanted to say. “Well, I would love to watch them. But I do have to respect what my boss tells me. She needs to know when we need to have time off so she has adequate coverage for the bakery.” Feeling the familiar tightness in her airways, she pulled her inhaler out of her skirt pocket and took two quick puffs. She set the bowl onto the table and gave fast kisses to her beloved niece and two nephews. “Aren’t you about to be late for school? Give grandma hugs and get going!”
“It’s up to me to give them that direction,” Barbara nearly growled as she spoke to Emma. Grabbing her children’s shoulders, she directed them to her mam, then out the door.
Emma sighed, relieved that her touchy older sister was gone. Then, she tensed up as Barbara popped her head back in. “Well, do you think you can watch them the Saturday after, then?”
“Barbara! I have already asked for that day off so I can go to that frolic. Nee.”
&nbs
p; The door closed with a sharp snap, fairly communicating Barbara’s irritation.
EMMA WALKED AS QUICKLY as she could, swinging her laden lunch bucket at her side. She made sure to breathe evenly and slowly so she wouldn’t have another asthma attack. By the time she had walked the half-mile to the Amish Sweets Shop, she was once again perspiring and breathing hard. She kept her mouth closed so she wouldn’t breathe in dust. “Gut morning!” She hurried to the kitchen, where she set her lunch into the refrigerator, then, in the small bathroom, she tore off two strips of paper towel so she could pat her face clean. In the bakery’s kitchen, she put her apron on and washed her hands. Looking at the day’s orders, she started with the snickerdoodles.
“Did you walk again?” Elizabeth Marler looked sympathetically at Emma.
“Ja. I have to lose some of this weight. Mam packed last night’s meal for my lunch. Meatloaf. Would you like to share with me? Please?”
“Oooh, ja! I only had time to pack a sandwich. I can eat that tomorrow or on the way home. I thought you were going to start packing your lunches.”
“Ja, that’s the plan. But it always takes me so long to dress because I have such a hard time getting my dress around me and pinned on. I’m getting up extra-early tomorrow so I can be downstairs before Mam packs my lunch.”
“Gut idea. It sounds like she still doesn’t understand there’s a medical reason for your need to lose weight.”
“Ja, she and Dat just don’t understand. Mam has always thought that a plump baby meant a healthy baby. And she didn’t stop feeding us all those fatty foods as we grew. Of course, I could have gotten into the habit of eating only a little of what she served, but she makes such a fuss about waste! Anyway, I’m going to make a salad, and pack fruit and vegetables from tonight’s supper. I’ll definitely lose a few pounds that way.”
“Oooh, look who’s coming in. Jacob!”
Emma’s heart sped up and she dropped the measuring spoons. “Shh! Gut morning, Jacob! How can I help you?” Wiping her hands clean, Emma moved to the customer service counter.
“Gut mariye, Emma! I would love to have some baked items for my lunch...but I wanted to ask how things are going for you.”
“Well, you know...sometimes gut, sometimes, not so gut.”
“Aww, I’m sorry! Your sister?”
“Ja. She wanted me to watch her kinder this Saturday so she could go to the frolic. I’m working that day, and I’ve told her several times that if she needs me to care for them, I need to know at least a week before. She ignores me until she needs me.”
Jacob knew about the one-sided competition between Emma and Barbara. He had long liked Emma and, in fact, had wanted to ask her out. But, as he saw her weight ballooning, he hesitated, knowing she was risking serious health issues. So, he continued his friendship with her, refusing to think of a potential relationship with her—or anyone else.
“I hope you were firm with her.”
“Ja, I was. She was out the door so the kinder could be at school on time. She came back in to ask me about next Saturday. I told her I had already gotten the time off so I could go to that frolic.”
“I don’t want to cause any more trouble between the two of you. But it sounds like she wants you at her beck and call, unable to enjoy any free time for yourself.”
Emma gazed at her childhood friend. “Ja! I have always gotten that impression. But I am pushing back at her. She has no...what do the English call them? boundaries with me. She would never dare assume that Abby didn’t have plans of her own.”
“What are you doing tonight, after work?” Jacob’s smile was inviting.
Emma took a deep breath and gazed off over Jacob’s left shoulder. “Nothing, actually. I was just going to look through the fabric Mam has. I think I need bigger dresses.”
“No! That settles it then. I am taking you to that salad place in Lancaster. It’s new, only been open about six weeks. We are going to talk.”
“About?” Emma was curious and her hands twisted the dishtowel she was holding.
“A strategy. You need to get healthy again. How are your knees?”
“I walked this morning. They ache already.”
“Walk home slowly. The exercise does you gut. I will pick you up before your mam has supper ready.”
“Denki. I’ll be ready.” Emma’s smile beamed.
As Jacob saw Emma smiling at him, his heart stuttered. Man, she is beautiful, even with the extra weight! But I just can’t risk falling in love with her only to lose her. Jacob swore he would protect his heart from that possibility. “Sweetness, I’m just happy to see you committed to losing weight and getting healthy again. I’d better go. I have a shoeing appointment in twenty minutes.” Outside, Jacob whooshed out a long, shaky breath. He had resisted asking her to date him for so long. He had a slight hope, knowing that she was serious about losing the extra pounds. But she had been trying for so long. She would lose a few pounds—sometimes as many as twenty-five at a time—then the pounds would slide right back on her short frame. I never thought of this before, but I wonder if it’s not just her mam that defeats her weight-loss efforts. That’s something I should ask her, because she does need a strategy. Arriving at his customer’s home, Jacob knocked at the barn door.
“Jacob! Come on in! You’re right on time. Betsy is ready for you—apples in the bucket and all.”
Jacob chuckled. His customers knew his favorite way of gentling the horses before he checked their hooves and re-shoed them. “Denki, Albie. Ja, giving them a sweet snack makes my work that much faster. Here, Betsy, sweets for my sweetest horse?” After the horse lipped the cored apple from his palm, Jacob bent over and pulled the first hoof onto his thigh. Peering through the headset magnified glasses he wore, he closely inspected each hoof. Where he saw lodged pebbles, he removed them, and then he checked the fit and tightness of each shoe. “Ja, she needs new shoes. These are wearing away and, before long, she would have gotten uncomfortable or thrown a shoe. I have several with me, so I’ll check for a gut fit.” Before he checked the new horseshoes, Jacob removed the old ones so he could get the best fit. One hour later, Betsy eagerly munched a carrot out of Jacob’s hand, seeming to say “thank you” with her deep-brown eyes. Jacob checked the remainder of Albie’s horses. Knowing their shoes had been replaced only a few months ago, he was sure he wouldn’t need to replace theirs. “I’ll see you in six months, Albie. How does...April fifth, Saturday morning, sound?”
Albie worked his mouth back and forth as he thought. “Six months... Saturday...Ja, that’s gut. See you then.”
“Put it in your calendar so you’re here that day.” Leaving, Jacob went to five other customers, where he checked horses’ shoes and re-shoed when necessary. At his last farm of the day, he sighed. Straightening, he looked directly at Ben Anderson. “Ben, I’ve told you ten times if I’ve told you one, call me before Blue begins to limp. His shoes don’t fit and they are very worn down. You risk him developing an infection in his hooves when you wait this long. Then you’re facing an expensive vet bill. Do you want Blue or any of your other horses to pull up lame when you need to plant or harvest?”
“Nee...I’ve been planning to call and set an appointment. But my wife sets up our weekends—”
“Weekends? Who said I only work on Saturdays? I work six days a week, Ben. You can call me Monday through Saturday, when your wife isn’t trying to schedule your day. You know that!” Jacob tried to keep his irritation from coming through his voice, but it burned when he saw a horse needlessly hurting. Bending back over, he gave Blue an apple, spoke softly to him and got to work. Removing the old, worn-down shoes, he carefully filed the horse’s hooves down so the new shoes would fit better. Hammering them on, he spoke once again to Blue. “Yeah, I bet you’ll feel much better trotting around now, won’t you, boy?” Pulling a carrot out of the bucket, he gave it to patient Blue as a reward. “Ben, I’m charging you my usual rate for today. I’m setting up our next appointment for four months from now.�
�
“Four? Are you trying to get extra money from me? I thought you made ‘em for six months apart.”
“Normally, ja, I do. But, Ben, I want to see how Blue and your other horses are in four months. If they are okay at that time, then I’ll set our next appointment for six months out.” Pulling a small sheet of notebook paper from his bag, Jacob checked his calendar and nodded. “Okay, it’s October now. I’ll come see you February tenth, a Monday. Do you want an early or late appointment?” When Ben asked for an early time, Jacob penciled him in for eight in the morning. Handing the slip of paper to Ben, he sighed. “Your horses are all fine. I saw no signs of injury, but I did need to file all their hooves down and give them all new shoes. I’m putting our appointment into my own calendar so I will see you then. Call me if anything happens between now and then—as soon as you notice it.” Jacob was dimly aware that Barbara, Ben’s wife had slipped into the barn.
“Ben! We’re late to go to my parents’ house!”
“Ja, I’m sorry, wife. Jacob had to re-shoe all the horses.”
Barbara huffed. “I don’t see how that’s my fault.”
THANK YOU FOR READING!
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it! If so, click here to start reading Amish Seeds of Change now.
IN ADDITION, THERE is information about how to get my FREE 5-BOOK STARTER LIBRARY in the chapter titled A WORD FROM RACHEL.
Lastly, in the chapter titled ENJOY THIS BOOK, there’s a bit more information about how you can help my writing by leaving this book a review. And if you find any problems with this book that make you think it deserves less than 5-Stars, please drop me a line at [email protected] and I’ll do my best to fix it.
Best and Blessings,
Amish Love Be Kind 3-Book Boxed Set Page 24