![\"006\"](\"http:\/\/heidiannie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/0065.jpg\" "\\"006\\"")
<\/a> <\/p>\nWe went into the farmland and bought flour and noodles and lettuce, etc<\/p>\n from the bulk stores. The Mennonite women in their caps and long dresses<\/p>\n smiled at us with our happy little boy and laughing baby.<\/p>\n The baby is leaving tomorrow.<\/p>\n Going with our prayers and blessings and tears.<\/p>\n It was a beautiful day.<\/p>\n And this early evening, the skies are even bluer-<\/p>\n the shadows coming over the landscape in hues of indigo.<\/p>\n I believe in happy endings, but also in contained sorrow.<\/p>\n What I really believe is that this is not the end.<\/p>\n When we first moved to our location, here in Copley, the house was a little<\/p>\n old 1 1\/2 bedroom building with yellow paint peeling off the wooden siding.<\/p>\n I was pregnant with our oldest son and it was our first home.<\/p>\n In the house the rooms were light and bright and renovated- but worn and<\/p>\n lived in. The kitchen was small and had room for a small table to eat at- and <\/p>\n the cabinets were pine and few. Inside one of my cabinets a child had written<\/p>\n his name with permanent black marker, BRIAN.<\/strong><\/p>\n The first time I saw his name, I was annoyed. <\/p>\n I tried to scrub it out with Lysol.<\/p>\n I tried several other products, but the name remained.<\/p>\n And so, I decided to pray for Brian, everytime I opened the cupboard door<\/p>\n I prayed for Brian. I prayed for him every day for 7 years. And then –<\/p>\n we tore down that little house and built a new one with new cabinets and big<\/p>\n bedrooms and bathrooms and a huge kitchen.<\/p>\n But by that time I was used to praying for Brian and so I kept it up.<\/p>\n By then it had become,\u201dLord, please protect Brian from the evil in the world,<\/p>\n and bring him safely through the storms in his life.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, one day, a young man in his thirties knocked on our door.<\/p>\n He was selling Omaha Steaks- frozen foods, individually packed. He said that<\/p>\n he had a couple of orders he couldn\u2019t deliver and was wondering if we would<\/p>\n like to look at the quality of the meats and get them at a good price.<\/p>\n I was just about to say no thanks and shut the door, when he said, \u201cYou know, I<\/p>\n used to live here, in this neighborhood, but the house isn\u2019t here anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at him, and said, \u201cBrian?\u201d<\/p>\n He was shocked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, how did you know my name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you wrote it on the cabinet door in permanent marker.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been praying for you for years.\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cSeriously, you\u2019ve been praying for me?\u201d<\/p>\n We talked for a good while after that. No further mention of steaks.<\/p>\n He said he\u2019d had some troubles as he grew up- ended up in jail a couple of times-<\/p>\n but he\u2019d always been given an opportunity to get right- to do things better- and that<\/p>\n he was finally doing well .<\/p>\n He left after thanking me for praying for him.<\/p>\n I still pray for him, sometimes.<\/p>\n And I\u2019m going to be praying for that laughing baby.<\/p>\n Always.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It has been a bright and shining day. The sky blue, the clouds white and high- like castles above our heads. We went into the farmland and bought flour and noodles and lettuce, etc from the bulk stores. The Mennonite … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n