Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Encouragement (among believers) (11/08/07)
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TITLE: Love In Motion | Previous Challenge Entry
By Angeline oppenheimer
11/15/07 -
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You can imagine the flurry of discussions that went back and forth to orchestrate this significant event:
Jan: I’ll bring the balloons. Mega-size, pumped with helium and lots of love.
Amy: Somebody’s got to bring a cake. Apple cheesecake. Any objections?
Angeline: Don’t like cheesecake much.
Amy: It’s not your birthday--you don’t get to choose.
Angeline: I tho’t you asked.
Jan: Alright ladies, flowers….who will bring those?
All eyes turned on me, the professed flower girl, reputed for giving away floral arrangements during Christmas instead of baked goods.
Amy and Jan: Angeline, of course. Right?
Angeline: You bet but somebody has to drive me to the wholesale market, since my car is down.
Amy: Don’t look at me. Get your husband to take you.
So all the nitty-gritty of celebration was meticulously thrashed out. Pastor Dan would be invited to bring his little communion set and Bible,. As for candles, we agreed that carrying sixty-one candles --well, who needs a reminder? One big candle will do with another to grow on.
Logistics. All to meet secretively (just how secret can be it?) outside her house. We would then launch ourselves into her house and shout, “Surprise!” I know, we’re not giggly school girls, but a bunch of stay-home-moms need some excitement once in a while. I know, desperate housewives, right?
The day was resplendent with sun-ripened sunshine when all four of us stood outside the house. We’re set for mischief. We’re the champions of encouragement.
We let ourselves in and yelled, “Surprise!” Roxanne was sitting there, with her peppery hair in a green scrungy, as if she had been expecting us for days. She smiled, revealing a new tooth in place of the one she lost last year.
We proceeded, suddenly conscious of how silly we looked. Jan looked like a little girl clutching the oversized balloons, Amy looked like she just escaped from Edelweiss with her favorite chocolate cake and I--- I was lost in the array of fauna and flora. We’ll not discuss Pastor Dan--he’s overshadowed by women’s power and definitely looked happy to see Roxanne’s husband at her side.
Roxanne: You remembered?
We beamed. It was enough to see the face cracked into a wide smile, lines radiating from her eyes. We moved ourselves closer and all of us exchanged hugs.
Jan: Of course we did. How are you?
Roxanne; I am doing good, especially today. You guys?
All four of us nodded, in unison.
Pastor Dan took over, “We know it’s your big day and we want to celebrate this day with you. Jan brought the balloons, Amy…” Pastors…they always have to explain stuff, even if it’s as obvious as right before you.
Then we took over. Only a bunch of ladies know how to run an small intimate party like this one and make it smooth.
Jan: We bought you a birthday card. Here, read out loud.
Roxanne: Do I have to?
Amy: Pleassee….pretty with a cherry on top?
Roxanne put on her glasses and read with quivering mouth, “Forget candles, forget calories…..After all, it’s my…. birthday and I can have… my cake and eat it too!”
Amidst laughter and casual chatter, the cake was set up with two glowing candles.
We sang the birthday song with gusto and then proceeded to eat the cake, sharing calories and jokes.
Pastor Dan took out his communion set and shared a little passage from the Bible and then we took the communion with some enforced solemnity.
We gathered around Roxanne, swathed with blankets, bed inclined in a sitting position, as Pastor Dan prayed for the birthday girl.
We opened our eyes to Roxanne’s tear-soaked face, “ You don’t know what this means to me…..it will take me four hours to try to get to church and Hal finds it hard to lift me up and down. Thank you… for coming.. to me” She lifted her faltering hands to wipe her face, fingers trembling in motion.
We looked at sweet Roxanne. So faithful one time but now, confined to bed as multiple sclerosis slowly but surely incapacitate her. Such an example of faithfulness, even in the face of a debilitating disease-- she exudes cheer and gratefulness to God.
We assured Roxanne that it was our pleasure to come. And indeed, it was. With cheerleaders naiveté, we thought we had come to bless Roxanne. Instead, we were humbly blessed in return.
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I wonder if it'd read just a bit "smoother" without the dialogue set up as a play, since the rest of it is in narrative form.
These people were wonderful to bless her so!