Page 111 of The Roads We Follow

“As Raegan wrote about in her chapters, this is the church where I first heard the Gospel. I met Lynn at the firepit down the path, and only a week later we were singing up here together on this stage.Back then, the only legacy I ever desired to pass down to my future children was the hope we’d found inside these walls. It consumed us back then, this idea that God had plans to use us despite our faults and broken childhoods. But as I’ve grown older and my life became more and more cluttered with the debris of fame, I’ve questioned the real legacy I’m leaving behind to my children.” She turns to face us again. “I hope what I give you today can be something that lasts for generations to come.”

She continues weaving through the rows of pews, her sparkly shirt and boots glinting in the sunlight through the window panes.

“After I reconciled with Lynn last April and we said our final good-byes, I drove through this town for the first time in decades and ended up right back here. I walked through this abandoned campground alone, stood at the waters I was baptized in, and sat outside these chapel doors and repented. I prayed and wept for the sister I lost and for the sister I found again only days before she went to meet her Savior. I asked God to show me how I could honor her life, and immediately, my thoughts went to you, my darling daughters three. The idea for this road trip came as a way to reconnect us again, as my memories of that first road trip with Lynn are some of my most precious. But I was wrong in thinking I could force you to choose each other. That choice is yours alone to make.”

The three of us are openly wiping tears from our cheeks now, and once again, Mama approaches the platform.

“Jana helped me with the logistics of the road trip—but I’d always planned for us to end right here, at Camp Selkirk.” Mama shifts her focus to the back of the chapel. “Micah, can you join us down here, please?”

“Yes, ma’am.” It’s only when he starts toward the stage that I can see how glassy his eyes are. He joins our half circle at my side, and I can’t help but reach for his hand. He squeezes it lightly.

Mama stands before us now. “I purchased this campground the week after your mama passed away, Micah. I couldn’t stand the idea of such an important piece of our shared histories remaining closedto those who need it most, the way we once did.” Our collective gasps ring throughout the chapel, but Mama continues, undeterred. “And I recently altered the deed to include five names—all equal shares in a living inheritance. My three daughters: Adele, Harriet, and Raegan. And Lynn’s two sons: Micah and Garrett Davenport.”

Micah’s jaw hinges open as his gaze searches Mama’s. “Luella, that’s ... we couldn’t possibly—”

“You can. It’s what’s right, and I won’t be convinced otherwise. I missed out on so much when it came to your mother’s life and family. And the truth is, I wish I could have known you as a boy so that I could have witnessed your transformation into the incredible man you are today. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for us these last two weeks, so I hope you and your brother will accept this gift and continue to be a part of our lives and family for generations to come. In addition, I’m also hoping you’ll accept the undefined job description of camp director. Seems fitting after what we discussed in the car today, doesn’t it? I could barely keep the words in when you shared your heart about bringing therapy to the outdoors.” She winks.

Micah clears his throat twice but still can’t seem to get any words out. By the shocked looks around our circle, none of us can.

“I figure we can do a bit of vision casting on our drive back to Nashville. Ideally, my hope would be to have this place up and running by this time next summer. Think that could be possible?”

Clearly flustered, he rubs at the back of his neck. “I truly don’t even know what to say to all this, Luella—”

“Say yes!” Hattie beams. “You’re perfect for this.”

“I’m not sure I have the qualifications or credentials to manage something—”

“Nonsense,” Mama laughs. “Nobody is ever fully qualified for anything. It’s why we need Jesus.”

“She’s right,” Adele adds. “You’re the one for such a job, Micah.”

“Thank you. All of you.” He clears his throat. “This means a great deal to me, and I know it will mean so much to Garrett, too.The hospital he works at is always looking for nonprofits to support inside our community. I’m willing to bet Camp Selkirk will be a top contender, considering how well-loved it is.”

“I’m excited to bring my kids here,” Hattie says. “We’ll help however we can, especially if s’mores are a reward.”

“Cheap labor.” Micah chuckles.

“Michael will be all over this project,” Adele adds. “And as long as you can assure Cheyenne she won’t have to deal with snakes, I’m sure she’d be up for a family work trip.”

Micah chuckles. “Not many snakes around here, but there is some wildlife we’ll need to prepare her for.”

“Fair enough.”

I move to thread my fingers through his, though I can’t yet think about how far this camp is from home. “I’ll help too, of course, however I can.”

His soft gaze roams my face as a divine peace sweeps over me.

It’s then I hear Mama hum the first note of a hymn we’ve sung together a hundred times over, one fitting for a moment like this. By the fourth note of the melody, every sister has joined in, and by the chorus, Micah has, too. As our voices blend into one, I lift my eyes to the cross at the far end of the stage and thank God for the way He intervened in my mama’s life right here so many years ago.

And then I thank Him that He never, ever stopped.

33

Micah

The last hour has been one of the most surreal of my life, and I’ve had several to choose from as of late. Though we’d moved our conversation outside the chapel to the picnic tables above the river trail, I’m still operating under a cloud of disbelief.

Luella named me and my brother partial owners of a campground only ten miles from where we grew up. That scale of generosity and kindness didn’t seem plausible, and yet, so much about these last two weeks has defied logic.

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