Mom Over Miami - By Annie Jones Page 0,9

never intended to…” Or had she? For weeks now she’d dodged the two women that everyone called the DIY sisters and their repeated attempts to enlist her help. “But I just don’t see how I could take on any more responsibilities.”

“Not even for God?”

“It isn’t exactly for God, Sam. It’s for the nursery.”

He folded his arms, his head bobbling with eight-year-old attitude. “At church.”

Oh, he was go…o…o…d.

Sighing, Hannah ruffled her fingers through her hair until a stray red strand fell over her forehead. She gritted her teeth and forced out a sigh. “Fine. If God asks, then okay. I’m Mrs. Available.”

Not too risky of a promise seeing as they were ensconced safely at home this morning.

“In the meantime, let’s take Squirrel outside and let her air out a bit.”

“Yeah. Let’s get out of here.” He dashed toward the back door.

“No, Sam! Better take her out front—if we let her out back, she’ll just roll in the scent again.”

“She’s not very smart, is she?” He made a quick detour and launched himself ahead of Hannah and the dog.

“Well, as my Daddy used to say, ‘If brains were baking powder, that poor thing wouldn’t have enough to bake herself a biscuit.’”

“I like your daddy. He makes me laugh.” Sam yanked the door inward.

“Oh, yeah, my daddy is more fun than a barrel of—”

“Church ladies!” Sam grinned up at the two women standing framed in Hannah’s front door.

“Oh, Hannah! You’re home!” Cydney Snowden, the more…retiring—if you could call wearing handmade clothing covered with your own artwork and plastic jewels retiring—of the pair of sisters threw her hands up.

“We saw your car leaving as we turned the corner and thought you’d be gone.” Jacqui Lafferty, definitely the dominant diva, cocked her head and narrowed just one eye, sizing Hannah up.

Cydney pushed forward, a sour-apple-green piece of paper in her hand. “So we’ve been sitting in your drive trying to fit everything we have to say onto one of our business cards!”

Hannah took the card and glanced at the front of it. “The DIY-Namic Duo. Isn’t that…cute?”

She did not flip the card over to read the message telling her what they had wanted. Hannah knew what they wanted.

And she had just promised Sam that she’d give it to them.

4

Subject: What have I done?

To: ItsmeSadie

Hi, Sadie—

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Simple, huh? The Golden Rule. Something we should all aspire to, right?

I thought so myself until it happened to me. Yes, I’ve been done unto—by a pair of first-class do-it-yourselfers. Literally. They call themselves the DIY sisters and they are a handful. Two handfuls? I don’t know. What I do know is that Jacqui Lafferty and Cydney Snowden have enough energy to tackle anything—and anyone! And there I was Saturday morning, standing in the proverbial end zone, with nothing more substantial to protect me than my fuzzy slippers and my desire to set a good example for Sam.

“Oh, no,” they said, rushing into my house—did I tell you we still don’t have any furniture and the house smells like we’re stewing skunk in tomato soup? Anyway, they worm their way into my house, assuring me they only want me to pitch in as I can. “We wouldn’t dream of asking you to take on the whole nursery program yourself. We haven’t had an official program director in over a year and we’ve done all right.”

Picture, if you will, a sad, big-eyed puppy saying this—one with flecks of paint in her perky blond hair standing next to an even bigger-eyed puppy wearing a slightly askew vest that she quilted with her own two hands.

They were so sweet. So earnest. So undemanding.

That’s how they get you.

Confused? Welcome to my world!

The upshot of it all is that I have stepped forward—pushed, actually, but in such a nice way I couldn’t decline—and volunteered to take on running the church nursery program.

There are a few little “issues” of concern. Jacqui made little quote marks in the air as she told me this to clue me in that these “issues” are neither little nor are there only a few. Apparently the Sunday school teachers and those who help out during the services have been, um, pulling rank on the lowly nursery workers. So in hopes of reminding everyone that we are all doing the Lord’s work, I made us this sign to post.

In many ways we feed the flock,

They also serve who sit and rock.

Cute? Too cute? Cowardly? Maybe I should adapt it and do a