Forever by Your Side (Willamette Brides #3) - Tracie Peterson Page 0,31
the meal, then began to discuss Psalm 27. “This passage is one of my favorites,” he said. “‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’” He continued to read, although Connie found it hard to focus. She couldn’t help but wonder what Tom was thinking. Did the words make any sense to him? Could he relate even in part?
“‘When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.’”
Connie wondered why her father had chosen this particular passage. The chapter was actually one of her favorites, but she didn’t see it as one to teach someone about the reality of God.
When Papa finished reading, he closed the Bible and smiled at his family. “I’ve always loved that chapter. We have many fears in life, but we needn’t be afraid, for the Lord is our light and salvation—He is the strength of my life. I was especially thinking of the last part.” He began to quote it from memory. “‘Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’ You know, with all those who are plotting against us, I find great comfort in this verse. I am determined to wait on the Lord and be of good courage. I wanted to share this so that you might be of good courage as well. No matter what happens to come our way—accusations or suspicions—I will wait on the Lord. Let’s pray.”
As her father began to pray, Connie was disappointed. He’d said nothing to Tom about his unbelief. Perhaps he planned to talk to him privately. Maybe he felt it would be too embarrassing to point out Tom’s flawed thinking in the company of all.
After breakfast, Tom volunteered to help Mama with the dishes, so Connie decided to go see her old friend Rosy. She knew it probably wasn’t the best of ideas to go off alone, but Rosy lived fairly close by.
Rosy had been born with a Shasta Indian name that translated to Flower Blooming in the Summer Sun. When English names had been imposed, Connie’s mother had told her that roses typically bloomed in the summer. Because of that, Rosy had taken on the name Rose Johnson, but everyone called her Rosy.
Life for Rosy had never been easy. She had endured the long march from the southern border of Oregon to Grand Ronde in the north with her husband and three children back in the ’50s. She had been expecting another baby at the time but lost him on the hard and difficult trail. Two children had also died on the trip. Rosy had been heartbroken, her husband too, but the soldiers wouldn’t give them time to perform decent funerals or to grieve. The bodies were hastily buried, and the Indians were moved on ever closer to the reservation.
Rosy had told Connie of how her husband died only a month after reaching Grand Ronde and how her only surviving child—a son—had been shot by soldiers when he attempted to leave the reservation with a group of his friends. They had hoped to reach Canada and a new life without imprisonment. Instead, the five young men had been killed, and Rosy’s heartbreak was complete.
Connie couldn’t imagine the pain the old woman had suffered. She had often talked with Mama about looking forward to heaven, where she was certain she would see her loved ones again. Life on earth was nothing more than a reminder of loss and pain.
Rosy lived inside the reservation’s boundaries but not far from Connie’s parents. She had a tiny one-room house with two windows. Both were covered with oilcloth, but once there had been glass. Outside, Connie saw a well-tended garden. She knew Rosy used to sell vegetables to the store, which in turn gave her credit to buy things she couldn’t grow. Hopefully that arrangement was still in place.