A Flicker of Hope Read online

  Present Day

  LOOKS LIKE THE MEN HAVE THE CHAINS IN POSITION,” Noreen announced to the women. She, along with the other women and children, had been waiting patiently in the bishop’s warm kitchen as the men prepared the daadihaus for the move. Noreen slipped on her cloak and went outside, anxious to see the six-horse draft team in action.

  Puffs of white fog billowed out from the horses’ nostrils as they tossed their heads and snorted.

  “I think they chose the coldest day,” Patty said, sidling up to Noreen.

  Alice joined them, hugging herself, teeth chattering.

  “Jonathan said the more packed the snow, the better the sleigh will glide.” Patty burrowed her neck and half her face under her wool cloak.

  Noreen tapped the ground with the heel of her boot. “It’s frozen gut.” So were her fingers and toes since she ran out of the house without grabbing her mittens. But she wouldn’t be outside long. Once the horses pulled the house off the property, she and the other women would go back inside and begin preparing the meal.

  January wasn’t an ideal time for this type of work. Her husband was bundled in heavy clothing, a scarf around his neck. Still, the brutal weather had turned the tip of his nose red in a short time. Thomas glanced Noreen’s direction and smiled. He would certainly be cold and hungry by the time the house was moved and positioned over the foundation.

  Noreen touched her cheeks. Numb. “Maybe we should send some jars of kaffi with the men. I’m sure they’ll want something hot to drink before long.”

  “Too late.” Patty pointed at Jonathan and Thomas climbing aboard the makeshift sleigh.

  Noreen sucked in a sharp breath as Jonathan snapped the reins and called out for the team to pull.

  Despite having detached the front porch, back stoop, and bedroom, the structure didn’t move.

  Thomas jumped down from the sleigh and walked beside the team.

  Jonathan signaled the horses once more and this time they jerked forward.

  “Kumm on Turbo, pull,” Jonathan called in a frustrated tone.

  The front two horses went first to the left, then to the right, digging their hooves into the snow to find traction. The steel runners sank down. Another lunge and the house inched forward. The men, women, and children cheered.

  Noreen studied her husband’s determined expression. The tip of his nose looked raw. No doubt the wool socks and insulated boots weren’t enough to keep his toes from going stiff.

  After a difficult start, the horses found their rhythm. Her new house moved down the driveway. Such a glorious sight.

  Alice nudged Noreen’s arm. “We better get the chicken and dumplings on the stove.”

  Noreen trailed the women back into the house, but Patty stopped her from going into the kitchen with the others.

  Her sister-in-law crossed her arms. “Have you told Thomas about the boppli?”

  Noreen raised her brows. “How did you—?”

  “I’m the mother of six.” Patty studied Noreen head to toe. “Four months?”

  Noreen placed her hand on her midsection. “Three.”

  “And you never breathed a word.” Patty shook her head.

  “I wanted to tell Thomas first but he’s been preoccupied with preparing the haus.” She shrugged. “I’m trying nett to get mei hopes too high. I might miscarry again.”

  “There’s a season for all things,” Patty said, reaching for Noreen’s hand. “You’ve waited a long time and I believe God will bless you with a healthy kinner. You’re going to make a gut mother.”

  “I wish I had your faith,” Noreen said softly.

  “It’s easy for me to tell you nett to fret, but please don’t.” Patty squeezed her hand. “And tell Thomas.”

  Alice came around the corner holding a small box. “I forgot to give this to you yesterday when it arrived.”

  Noreen noticed her sister’s address and tore open the box. She lifted the hammer from the brown paper wrapping, admiring the new wooden handle. “I was hoping Carol Diane’s husband would be able to finish the handle in time.” She batted a tear from her lashes. “Thomas had used this when he built our first haus.”

  Alice smiled. “I think it’d only be fitting for him to use it nau.”

  Noreen ran her finger over the hammer’s smooth wooden handle. “Jah, I agree.”

  “I’ll hitch the buggy.” Patty headed to the door.

  “And I’ll get a few jars of kaffi ready.” Alice disappeared into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a basket of canning jars filled with coffee.

  Noreen could hardly wait to see her husband’s expression when she gave him the hammer. She scooted outside and down the porch steps. “Danki, I won’t be too long,” she told Patty, taking the reins.

  A short time later, she veered the horse down Leer Road. Trees had been taken down to widen the driveway in order for the house to fit. Thomas glanced up as she entered the yard and began walking her direction.

  “It isn’t ready,” he said.

  “I have something for you.” Climbing out of the buggy, Noreen presented him with the box.

  “What’s this?” He glanced over his shoulder at the men, whose arms were waving at Jonathan who was directing the team.

  “I’m sorry. I should have waited.” She started to climb into the buggy, but stopped when his hand caught her arm.

  “Stay. Please.” He waited until she nodded before he turned and jogged back to the men.

  Noreen watched as the men worked together to get the house lined up with the foundation. Then Thomas unlatched the horses from the structure, led them to the other side, and reattached the chains. The building wasn’t much bigger than the woodshed and washhaus combined, but the tedious task of lining it up just right took precision. Noreen watched as the men leveled first one side, then the others.

  Thomas wiped his gloved hands on the sides of his pants and approached her. “Sorry. That took longer than I thought.”

  “Understandably so. That was impressive to watch.”

  “Jonathan deserves the credit,” he said.

  “You all did a fine job.” She handed him the box.

  “What’s this?”

  “Open it,” she said, excitement bubbling up within her.

  Thomas pulled back the box flaps, then lifted his gaze to meet hers.

  “It’s your hammer,” she said. “I had it fixed. That’s why I . . .” She stopped talking. He didn’t need to know that was why she’d asked for money. Alice had paid the shipping to send it to her sister’s place in Mio.

  Thomas was studying the hammer in silence, turning it over and running his hand over the wooden handle. When he looked up, his eyes were watery. “This is a nice surprise, fraa. Danki.”

  “I couldn’t throw it away.”

  He smiled. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

  “I have another surprise for you,” she said.

  “Jah, I see you brought us kaffi.” Thomas motioned to the men to come over. “This hot kaffi will hit the spot.”

  She couldn’t tell him she was pregnant now. Not with the men walking toward them. “How soon will you be ready to eat?”

  He glanced upward. “It must be close to two nau.”

  “Jah.”

  Jonathan handed out jars to the men.

  “What time do you want to stop to eat?” Thomas asked his brother.

  “Depends if you want that back bedroom attached before dark.”

  Thomas chuckled. “We don’t want to sleep under the stars, that’s for certain.”

  Noreen’s face heated. She and Thomas had been married over fifteen years and she still blushed over personal things like discussions about their bedroom. “I’ll leave you alone so you can get back to work.” She turned to climb into the buggy when she caught sight of the swing hanging from the maple tree. “Thomas.” She pointed to the swing. “When did you put that up?”

  Thomas frowned. “You weren’t supposed to see that until tonight.”

/>   “I’m sorry I spoiled your surprise.” She covered her eyes and turned toward the buggy. “I’ll pretend I didn’t see it.”

  He helped her into the buggy. “Danki again for the hammer.”

  “You’re welkum.”

  “I have another surprise for you, but I’ll have to give that one to you later.” He winked.

  Noreen smiled. Her surprise would have to wait too.

  The temperature plummeted along with the sunlight. Any minute the sun’s pink hues reflecting off the snow would fade completely and make it impossible to work any longer. Thomas scaled the ladder, taking position on the top rung. “Can you see the level?”

  “It’s gut.” Jonathan signaled to Levi who set the anchoring nail in place.

  Hammers soon echoed as Bishop Zook and Jonathan’s eldest son secured the opposite wall.

  Thomas fastened the wall header. As it turned out, detaching the building went much faster this morning. Without the extra footage, moving the house was easier for the horses, but rejoining the two sections had proved challenging as, in the move, the walls jimmied off-kilter. On top of that, everyone was tired. Daylight was fading quickly, and they were all ready to call it a day. Thomas moved down a rung on the ladder. Having to lean awkwardly in order to drive the nail, he stretched his achy muscles to the point of them cramping.

  “Done,” Levi announced.

  “Us too,” Bishop Zook said.

  Thomas sank the last nail, then shimmied down the ladder filled with a satisfied sense of accomplishment. He placed his hammer into the loop of his tool belt. “I can’t see anything but shadows or I’d thank you individually. I couldn’t have done this without all your help. Danki.” His eyes moistened unexpectedly. Thankfully the men wouldn’t notice in the dim light.

  “We’re happy to help,” Jonathan said, and the others agreed.

  “I’d say we finished just in time.” Levi touched a match to the lantern wick, illuminating the area. Shortly after, other lanterns were lit so that the men could gather the tools.

  In all the barn raisings Thomas had taken part in, they never worked this late. Of course during the summertime the days were longer. It couldn’t be much past six o’clock, yet it felt like midnight.

  Thomas began collecting tools, placing them in a large wooden crate. He wasn’t going to mention the missing shingles that still needed to be replaced. He planned to wait until the others left before mending the roof. Thomas picked up a handsaw, but paused when the jangling sound of a horse’s harness drew closer. A buggy rambled up the drive.

  “Whoa,” Noreen said.

  Thomas set the saw in the crate and went to meet his wife. “We just finished.”

  “I was beginning to worry something might have happened.”

  He should have thought to send one of his nephews back to the house to update the women. Usually the women attended the barn raisings or other building events and could see for themselves when the building was finished. But with the weather so cold, it only made sense for them to stay inside.

  “I brought fresh kaffi,” she said.

  “Sounds gut.” He turned toward the lantern lights. “Anyone want kaffi?”

  Not surprisingly there were no takers. The men still had barn chores waiting for them at home. Thomas too. Only his livestock were at Jonathan’s.

  Jonathan came up beside them, lantern in hand. “You two are welkum to kumm for supper.”

  “I packed sandwiches,” Noreen was quick to say.

  Thomas reached for her hand.

  “Unless you’d rather have something hot,” she added.

  He was cold from being outdoors all day. But something had prompted her fast response. Did it have something to do with why her hand was shaky? Thomas studied her a moment, but her face was too shadowy to see her expression. He’d eaten a hardy dish of chicken and dumplings earlier, so he wasn’t too hungry. “A sandwich sounds gut to me.”

  “Nett me. Mei stomach’s been growling for a hot meal.” Jonathan lifted the lantern higher, aiming it toward the house. “Nau, if I could just round up the boys.”

  Jacob and Peter lumbered out of the house toting equipment, tired expressions on their faces.

  Thomas handed Noreen the lantern. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He joined Jonathan as he headed to his buggy. “I’ll be over later to help with chores.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” His brother placed his tool belt inside the buggy. “The boys and I can handle it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Jah, I’ll see you in the morning.” Jonathan boarded his buggy.

  “Danki again.” Thomas shot a quick wave, then turned. Catching a glimmer of lantern light under the maple tree, he smiled. Noreen was waiting for him on the swing.

  He sat down next to her and placed his arm around her shoulders. “What do you think?”

  “Definitely worth waiting for,” she said, lowering her head to his shoulder.

  He twined his gloved fingers with hers. If the weather weren’t so cold, the gentle gliding motion of the swing would lull him to sleep. “You kalt?” he asked when the wind picked up.

  “A little.”

  He stood and reached for her hand. “You ready to see your other surprise?” Without giving her time to answer, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the house. “As you can see by the missing boards, the porch steps need repair.” He entered the house. “Welkum home, fraa.”

  “It feels like we’ve never left.”

  “Other than the furniture being all pushed to one end of the room.”

  “That’s simple to fix.”

  Without putting her down, he continued toward the bedroom.

  Noreen giggled. “I thought you were hungry.”

  “We can eat later.” He lowered her to the edge of the bed, then went to the closet where he had stashed the present he’d been waiting to give her. He handed her the box wrapped with brown paper and tied with twine.

  “What’s this?”

  “Open it and see.”

  She pulled the twine off and ripped open the paper. “Oh, Thomas.” Her voice squeaked. Tears brimming her eyes, she lifted their wedding quilt out of the box.

  Thomas gasped. It wasn’t any bigger than a baby quilt. Oh, Lord, now she was crying. Thomas dropped to his knees at the side of the bed. “I’m sorry, Noreen. I thought Patty understood I wanted her to add to the blanket.”

  “You saved it.”

  “Jah, but . . .” He didn’t want it to remind her of a painful topic. He should have opened the box and looked at it before giving it to her. Thomas reached for the quilt. “Let me put it away.”

  “Nay.” She dried her eyes with the ball of her hand.

  “Do you want to make it into a pillow? I think if you sew the sides together and with a little stuffing . . .”

  “It’s perfect just the way it is.” She gazed at the quilt. “I can’t believe you saved it from the trash pile.”

  “Are you sure this won’t . . . upset you?”

  “Because it’s the size for a boppli—it won’t fit our bed.” Her eyes welled with tears again.

  “Noreen, I’m sorry.”

  “I have a surprise for you as well,” she said, smiling. “We’re going to have a boppli—Lord willing.”

  “What?”

  She nodded. “July.”

  His jaw went slack. “July,” he repeated.

  “Are you happy?”

  “Of course I am.” He bound to his feet and whisked her into his arms. “I love you, Noreen.”

  “I love you too.”

  He kissed her lightly on the lips, then pulled back. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  She shook her head.

  “We’re going to have to add another bedroom.”

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1.Thomas questioned why God would allow their house to be destroyed when he and Noreen had already gone through multiple trials. Do you think God uses a negative experience or trials in li
fe to bring you to a new level of faith? Have you gone through a trial where you didn’t understand God’s plan and were tempted to ask why? Did you understand later?

  2.Noreen considered going to visit her relatives after the fire. Do you think she had a strong reason to go?

  3.After the fire destroyed their house, the Amish members in the district pooled their resources to help Thomas and Noreen. Do the members’ actions remind you of anyone in the Bible? Can you think of Scripture verses that encourage believers to share?

  4.The bishop gave Thomas some advice that changed his entire perspective on his relationship with Noreen. What did the bishop tell him?

  5.Noreen and Thomas each blamed themselves for being the one who caused the fire. How do you think this affected the way they interacted with each other?

  6.Was Thomas wrong to leave Noreen when she was in labor?

  7.What do you think was the major cause of Thomas and Noreen’s rocky marriage?

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  THIS BOOK WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT GOD WALKING me through the pages. God, You are my source of inspiration, and the reason I write. You have shown me over and over that all things are possible with You!

  Thank you to my family for your love and support. My husband, Dan, for your expertise in construction. To my children, Lexie, Danny, and Sarah, who are always so supportive. I love you all.

  Thank you to my awesome editors, Becky Philpott, Becky Monds, and Natalie Hanemann. Your insight and knowledge have helped me tremendously. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to work with each of you. It’s an honor to have the ability to write for HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Daisy Hutton, you’re wonderful! Kristen Golden, Jodi Hughes, Karli Jackson, and Kayleigh Hines, thank you all so much. I am so grateful God has placed you all in my life.

  Thank you to my agent, Natasha Kern, for your advice and godly wisdom. Thank you for believing in me. I am so blessed that God led me to you!

  RECIPES FROM A FLICKER OF HOPE

  EASY-TO-MAKE STRAWBERRY DELIGHT

  2 quarts of fresh strawberries, sliced

  1 large container of Cool Whip

  ½ package of single serving Raspberry Ice Crystal Light