“I don’t want to take this for granted, like I took my parents for granted, and the happiness of my childhood. I don’t want to lose the wonder of this place, and I don’t want to lose the closeness with the people I hold dear, or the sweetness of this new peace inside me. But how can I keep it all from getting lost in the day to day living of life?”

Miss Harriet drew in a long breath as she considered the question. “Well, Dearie, I suppose that’s a question people have been trying to answer for many a long year now. And yet, I think perhaps the answer is much simpler than we might guess.”

“What do you mean?”

“Only that, if we want peace, and joy, sweetness and wonder, closeness and gratefulness, we need to stay close to the One who created them.” Miss Harriet took Katherine’s shoulders and turned her towards the harbor.

“You see this view with fresh eyes today, because you are no longer distracted by the longings you’ve been clinging to. I read an old preacher once, who said that we will only be grateful to God for what He has given us when we have let go of the things He hasn’t. You have given up the bitterness that was keeping you from being close to your parents and close to God. That is why everything seems so fresh and new. It only stands to reason that the way to keep things from becoming stale is to stay in that place of closeness.”

Katherine nodded. “That makes sense. But… I feel like I should know this already: how do I keep myself close to God?”

“The same way you keep close to anyone, Dearie, by spending time with Him, and communicating with Him.”

“You mean praying?”

“Yes, and reading the Bible with a heart ready to listen. As you do, God will show you how you can do the things that please Him, and as you obey, that closeness will not only remain, it will deepen.”

Katherine looked back over the water and was soon lost in thought. Finally, a shiver jolted her out of her reverie, and she turned to her friend. “I’m getting cold, and I’m sure you are too. Do you want to go back now?”

Miss Harriet smiled. “Sunday dinner at my place? I made twice as much as I need, hoping you’d come.”

“That sounds perfect!”

As they walked back to the car, Katherine turned to take one last look over the harbor. She smiled, and looking upward, silently prayed again.

Thank you, Lord. Please, help me to stay close to You.”

* * * *

Soon, they had arrived at Miss Harriet’s and were bustling around the cozy kitchen, putting the final touches on one of Miss Harriet’s excellent “Sunday dinners.” This week, it was a beef roast.

“Just big enough for two, with a bit to spare,” Miss Harriet exclaimed happily as she pulled it from the crock pot. There were carrots and onions and rutabagas, which were fished out and piled into a china serving dish, onto which Miss Harriet popped the lid before whisking it away to the table. Meanwhile, Katherine peeled potatoes while she waited for the water to boil.

When all was said and done, Katherine thought it looked like Thanksgiving all over again. The small table loomed resplendent on one end of the long sitting room, covered with a dark green tablecloth and adorned with Miss Harriet’s best china. Serving dishes covered much of the table’s surface, and the smell of the feast they were about to enjoy mingled in with the scent of the evergreen garlands which Miss Harriet had draped over the long expanse of windows that looked out over her garden and the ocean far below.

They sat down to eat, and Miss Harriet prayed, asking God’s blessing over the food. Then the two busied themselves with passing dishes and filling their plates.

“If there’s one thing I enjoy, it’s a good meal.” said Miss Harriet, taking a delicate spoonful of mustard from a tiny glass bowl.

Katherine glanced up at her graceful companion, wondering how such a good cook could stay so slim.

“What’s the mustard for?” she asked, eying Miss Harriet’s plate.

“For the roast beef, of course! Sunday dinner just wouldn’t be complete without it.” Miss Harriet grinned and passed the little dish to Katherine. “Try it and see what you think.”

Katherine gingerly spooned a little mustard onto a small bite of roast and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes widened as she chewed. “It is delicious! I see why it’s a tradition.”

They both laughed, and went on with their meal, chatting about the food and the dishes and anything else that came to mind, until the cloud-induced gloom outside began to fade into darkness, and the small frilly lamps scattered around the long room filled the space with a cozy light. As the two sat over the remains of the meal, Katherine became suddenly pensive.

“What are you thinking about?” asked Miss Harriet.

“Just that, since my time with my parents, I’ve been so happy, and life has seemed so full of good things, but…” she paused, drawing her eyebrows together in a puzzled frown. “I wonder what it’s all for. I mean,” she continued hurriedly, “I don’t wonder why God put me here. I know very well that I would have stayed miserable if it hadn’t been for you and for all the things I’ve learned since I came. But…I can’t help but wonder what’s next.”

“Next?”

“Yes. I can’t quite explain it… but even though I still feel just as free and happy as ever, I have this sort of tugging in my heart, a sense that there’s something more, something I can’t quite put my finger on yet.”

Miss Harriet smiled. “I know that feeling. Just pray about it, and ask God to show you what it is. I know He will.”

20 The Christmas Trunk

As Katherine opened the door of the Harborside, Captain Braddock popped his head around the doorway.

“Ah, Katherine, just in time. Come back here and give me a hand.”

Katherine quickly hung her jacket, hat, and scarf on the coat rack and followed Captain Braddock down into the storeroom.

He led the way past the piles of unpacked boxes waiting to be thrown out and towards the line of shadowy shapes along the far wall, which Katherine had been longing to explore since her first day at the Harborside. Her heart gave a little thrill as he stopped in front of several large trunks.

“Here they are. The Christmas things should be in one of these. Let me see…” He bent down and examined each, squinting in the dim light thrown from the bulb over the stairs. “I think it’s this one. Let’s have a look.” He bent down with a groan and began to lift the lid.

Katherine held her breath in excitement as the lid creaked open. “Yes, this is it. Here, take these two boxes, for now, we can bring the rest in a bit.” Katherine eagerly took the two large, old-fashioned hatboxes and followed the Captain up the stairs.

Katherine gingerly set the boxes on the counter. “Which do we open first?” she asked, her eyes wide and sparkling with anticipation.

Captain Braddock chuckled, “Whichever one you want, Missy. They’re decorations, not Christmas presents!” Then, he added with a bit of his old seriousness, “we just have to make sure we don’t get carried away. It’s only an hour till we open.”

Katherine nodded, then eagerly took the lid off the smaller box. “Oh, what beautiful bows! Where do these go?” She asked, untangling a large bow from the jumble of velvet ribbon.

“They hang from the gaslights. I’ll get started on them; you open the other box.”

Katherine opened the larger hatbox and found it was full of glass ornaments nestled together in a bed of ancient tissue paper, crumpled up around them.

“Will there be a Christmas tree?” she asked.

“Just a small one. It’ll be here later today. I figured we could set it up tonight.”

“I’m glad. I love Christmas trees.” She was about to put the lid on the box when she noticed the corner of a fabric pouch sticking out from between the crumpled papers. Inside were some large but delicate silver hooks, with tiny sprigs of holly worked all over them.

“Those are to hang the garlands with.”

“What garlands?”