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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Start (01/16/06)
The young woman stepped out of the car and raced up the walkway. Waving enthusiastically she yelled, "Hello my friend!"

Embracing the younger woman, the friend smiled, "I am so happy to see you. I heave really missed you. Come inside so that we can sit and talk."

Arm in arm the two women went inside the house. The two friends had not seen each other in nearly a year, not since the younger woman had moved to another state. Home for a few days, the younger woman had felt a need to spend the afternoon with her friend.

"So tell me, what's new with you?" the friend asked the younger woman.

"Well, we're still trying to find our way. It's been a tough adjustment being so far from everyone. The kids have made a few friends, and I've tried. I think it's been more difficult for me. I put so much energy into taking care of all our needs, I'm exhausted by the end of the day. I'm sure that I worked just as hard when we lived here, but for some reason I just never felt this tired."

The friend listened quietly. After a few moments she said, "Maybe you feel this way because you're not sharing your life with others. When you lived here it was easy to share. You had grown up here; we weren't strangers. You felt no fear of unburdening your thoughts, sorrows, and joys. Now you're starting a new life, in a new place, with new people. It's hard to start over, but it can be exciting too. Just be open to whatever God has planned. Remember that He is always with you."

"I know. Enough about me, though. What about you? How are you doing?" The young woman looked at her friend. She still had no hair and looked as if she had lost even more weight.

"Oh, I have good days and bad. Like I tell everyone, I'm better than I was yesterday but not as good as tomorrow."

"That's a good philosophy. I just might have to borrow it sometime," the young woman smiled. "Seriously, what do the doctors say?"

"Not much of anything and too much of nothing. The tumor seems to be growing; the cancer is spreading."

"Do you ever get angry or afraid?"

"Yes to both questions. I'm only human. I think those emotions are normal. I get incredibly sad at times when I think about all that I am going to miss. My daughter will get married one day, and I won't be here to see it. Your boys will grow up and graduate from school, and I'll miss that too. But when I think about where I'm going I'm filled with a peace that I just can't describe. My life here might be coming to a close, but my eternal life is just getting ready to start."

The young woman thought about this for a minute. The friend continued, "The way I see it, God prepares us for this by filling our lives with starts and stops. We start life when we're born. We start school, and we start jobs. If we're lucky, we start families. Each day comes to an end only to start again tomorrow. At some point during all of this we begin our journey with God. Some start sooner than others. Some people think that this journey ends when we die, but it's really just the start of something even more fantastic. So, in a way, God has been preparing me for this moment my entire life. I've had a lot of starts and stops through the years. This time, though, what the world sees as an end, God sees as the ultimate start. It's a start that never ends. I guess in a way, I've come full circle, from start to start."
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This article has been read 948 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Jan Ackerson
01/24/06
A valuable lesson here. You use the phrases "the young woman" and "her friend" quite frequently; perhaps giving them names would provide some variety. Work on realistic-sounding dialog. Thank you for the wisdom and hope of the cancer patient.
Tammy McConnell
01/24/06
I was startled when I first began reading this. It sounds just like me and my friend. Moving to a different state, her coming out the door to greet me, just visiting, having that alone time together. Who are you? :O)Grin:0)

Anyway...nice story. Tammy
Karen Heslink
01/24/06
Lovely story. It has nice continuity and flow.
terri tiffany
01/25/06
I liked the analogy you drew at the end about starting each day... I, too, thought about myself as I moved and started all over and came back to visit my friend...and then I was startled by the friends words and life but blessed by the reminder that we get to start our eternal life someday. Nice writing.
Virginia Gorg
01/27/06
Touching story. I like the line: 'but not as good as tomorrow', for I see that as a picture of our life with Jesus. Spellcheck catches misspelled words, but you still need to read it through (heave instead of have). Nice ending filled with hope and peace.
Lynda Schultz 
01/28/06
I especially loved your last line: "I've come full circle, from start to start".
Christine Rhee
01/29/06
You chose a good title, and imparted wisdom in this conversation.

When you have a lot of dialogue, if you want to help the reader picture the scene, a good thing to do is to include small descriptions of what the characters are doing, as well (eg. "She took in a long sip of her tea, then looked intently into her friend's eyes).

Good job!!