Philip Dampier's Blog

Maxine tried to talk, but only tears and pitiful cries escaped her face. Maize walked to the head of the bed and leaned down until her face was next to her daughter’s.

“Thank God you’re alive. I couldn’t stand losing you twice.”

“Momma…”

“It’s okay Maxine. God has forgiven you and answered my prayers at the same time.”

Maize kissed Maxine’s forehead gently as she had done many times in the past. Then she quietly whispered, “Thank you, Jesus.”

Maxine healed. She went home with her mother and through her mother’s love and tender care her soul grew stronger, and she saw good come from the bad. She found two cans of paint in the shed behind their house. She only needed two colors; those she found were red and gold. They would do just fine. With Hannah’s help, she went to the wall and wrote her message behind the shrine.

In Toby’s room, the bed looked clean and neat as it always did. There was a new bedspread on the bed, however, and different curtains over the windows. On the bed, its head resting on the pillow was a small dark brown teddy bear. Pictures of Toby at different ages adorned the walls. The one made at Christmas of Toby and Hannah and their new bicycles, now enlarged, stood on the nightstand. A restaurant’s brown apron with a star on it hung on the back of the door.

Maxine looked in the mirror at the scar on her cheek. The wound had healed wonderfully, but the line of the razor-cut was still noticeable. It was a definite reminder of the past. It was also a sign of the present. The scar on the outside was the result of bad decisions, but the healing on the inside was the result of a mother’s love and God’s forgiving power. Toby’s only basket, a recent gift from Hannah sat on the edge of the vanity. Maxine reached down and retrieved her hairbrush. She touched the basket’s edge, for reassurance, and a long-missing smile spread across her face.

THE END