When Megan
lived in LA, her life seemed like one stress after another: appointments to keep, deadlines to meet, guilt
over not being a stay-at-home mom for Emily, and then her divorce. Leaving southern California, she was determined to bring more
easy flow into their lives. Megan stayed
busy as the Book ‘n Brew owner and manager, which she liked, but she didn’t
feel the constant pressure here in Maple
Village. After her confrontation with Roland Fisher, that
old feeling of heaviness in her chest and a headache on the verge of overtaking
her felt all too familiar. Damn!
I’ve got to get a grip! I will
not allow a religious zealot ruin my tranquility!
The ringing of
her cell phone made her jump. Another intrusion? She didn’t need that!
Diane’s cheerful
voice contrasting with her own tenseness made Megan start laughing. But within seconds the dam broke and Megan
started to sob. Diane, knowing of her
earlier appointment with Roland Fisher, let her cry for several seconds and
then said, “Megan, call Lauren to babysit.
We’re going to Eugene
tonight to see a ridiculously funny, though probably stupid, movie. You need to laugh!”
Megan agreed
heartily with the evening’s plans. After
she hung up she sat for a minute trying to figure out what had happened in the
last ten minutes. Mr. Fisher, then that
pastor—she groaned at the thought—then
Diane and now a night out. OK, so it
ended well.
Megan wiped her face,
freshened her lipstick and put on a smile as the shop door opened. Louise, the waitress from Granny’s Cooked
Goose walked in. “Hi, Louise, what are
you up to today?” Megan really liked
this woman—in fact Louise made such an impression on Megan and Emily when they
drove through town that day 2 ½ years ago, that she continued to credit Louise
for their living in Maple
Village.
Louise’s waitressing gave her extra
spending money for her youngest son, Danny, who was born with Down’s
syndrome. Danny, at 25 was the joy of Louise
and Herb’s life.
“Danny is down
with a cold so I thought I’d get a book for him. What new ones do you have that he’d
like?” Louise loved reading to Danny
and, although he couldn’t read himself, he enjoyed telling the stories in great
detail after hearing them a couple of times.
“I just got some
new ones in, and the illustrations are amazing!” For sometime, Megan had been thinking about
having a program for children. An idea
suddenly fell into place. “Louise, I have a thought. Let’s talk and I’ll give you time to think
about it.”
“Sure, spit it
out,” Louise smiled and sat down on one of the upholstered chairs near Megan.
“Louise, you’ve
told me how Danny loves to retell stories you’ve read to him, and how detailed
he is in the retelling. What if I
organize a children’s story hour a couple times a month? Danny could tell the stories? You or I could show the illustrations from
the book as he narrates.” Megan realized
she was out of breath when she finished.
She’d forgotten to breathe—something she did as a child when she ran
into her mother excited about some new plan.
Unfortunately her mother rarely shared her enthusiasm. More often her criticism popped Megan’s
bubbles.
“Megan, that’s a
wonderful idea! You know, there are many
things Danny isn’t capable of doing, and Herb and I have accepted that and
allow him to do all he can. But the
other day, Danny looked at me with such sadness it almost broke my heart. He said, ‘Momma, I wish I had a purpose.’ He’s taught us so much about life and
love. He’s given our lives meaning, but
we had no idea he understood anything about purpose. I love your idea—but could you ask him
yourself? I mean, he likes you, and I’m
sure he’d love to know he’s helping you.”
“Bring him by
when he’s feeling better and I’ll ask him.”
Megan felt calmer now. She should
call Diane and tell her she didn’t need an evening out after all, but she’d
hate to give up a movie night.
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