Jerusha sat at the table in her kitchen. The first rays of dawn were coming up over the eastern fields. A kiss of frost had formed on the windows and the beautiful crystalline patterns etched their magic on the glass. She lit a fire to take the chill off. Fall would soon be coming to an end and it would be time for the Thanksgiving feasts, for weddings and for the friendly fellowship that the Amish shared together during the long winter months. Once she would have felt great anticipation, but now her life seemed disconnected from everything but Jenny. It was hard for her to comprehend. She had lived in the simple way, she had been faithful to the ordnung, and she had shunned the world. But the world had crowded in on her life, for the second time now, and once again her daughter was at the center of the storm. She thought of the Rose of Sharon and how the quilt had been inextricably bound to the lives of both of her daughters. And then suddenly it occurred to her.
The quilt is bound to my life, too!
She remembered the days when she had cut the pieces for the rose pattern, over one hundred perfectly duplicated pieces of silk, overlaid and stitched together to make the beautiful rose in the center of the quilt. She thought about the way the rose has shone in the soft light of dawn, the morning of the big storm before she left for the fair. Not one stitch out of place, not one pucker, each piece perfectly placed and bound together…
You are the quilter of our lives. It is Your hand that places us perfectly into the pattern of your plan for us – a plan that You have always had in mind.
As Jerusha let the wonder of this revelation wash over her, the deep, peaceful voice that she had come to know again in these troubled days with Jenny spoke to her spirit.
I sent you the Rose of Sharon quilt to awaken you, to tell you that I was reaching for you. But you had forgotten. You thought that the peace you knew before Jenna came into this world was born from your faith, from your husband, from the land. But it was from me.
“…because you are the Prince of Peace?”
Yes. And Jenny has never known me in that way. So she has never known peace. Jenny is looking for something out there in the world to give her peace. But she will only find it in Me.
“Then tell me Lord, how I must pray for Jenny”
I have a plan for each of my children. But if My sheep cannot hear My voice they will not follow me into the sheepfold where I can guard them and protect them. Jenny needs to hear my voice for herself, not from you or from Reuben. And until she does, she is in great danger. I have no granddaughters, Jerusha – only daughters. That is how you must pray…
I am looking forward to Book Two in your Apple Creek series, Pat. I loved “A Quilt For Jenna. ” The comment God makes to Jerusha about having no granddaughters, only daughters, resonates. -Lynn Godwin
Thank you, Lynn. Book Two coming soon!!
Another beautiful excerpt from The Road Home, Patrick! You’re a master story teller!
Patrick,
I just wanted to let you know that I love A Quilt for Jenna. The story had me on the edge of my seat, praying Jerusha and Jenny would be found and that they would survive. I laughed and cried while reading the book. I am eagerly awaiting the next book The Road Home. Thank your for writing such a wonderful book and books.
Thank you, Nancee!
Thank you so much, Dawn!