Page 28 of Sing with Me

Many people nodded.

“Now let’s turn to 2 Timothy 1:3. Will someone please read it aloud?” Matt asked.

Ivan raised his hand. As he read it, Skye followed along, her head still down. She blinked away the emotions of many years, telling herself to pull it together. She was at church in public, not at home in private.

I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day.

“Did you catch that?” Matt tapped his Bible. “Night and day. Imagine praying for others night and day. Let’s go around the room and hear some suggestions on how we can do that. I admit that I forget to pray sometimes, just as I forget to eat.”

Pray for me now.

Skye prayed she wouldn’t lose it in class.

She wondered how long a person could grieve. Fifteen years? It seemed that she had been grieving the loss of her parents for so many years that it was part of her now.

Of course Matt couldn’t have known that his story about their kindergarten days would trigger a dark memory of her high school years.

Sitting next to her, Avery patted her knee.

Instantly, Skye knew that her friend was praying for her.

It might seem insignificant to some people, but to Skye, even where she sat this morning had been ordained. God knew that she needed prayer.

Avery, Brinley, and Skye prayed before their rehearsals, that their songs would touch many who heard them sing.

Songs of joy and encouragement.

Skye recalled their last rehearsal the night before at Brinley’s beach house. It only lasted forty-five minutes, but that was plenty of time to sing four songs. Diehl was a trooper and he sight-read the piano sheet music better than some of their past accompanists.

In fact, he played “His Eye is on the Sparrow” on the piano quite flawlessly. Skye might suggest they sing that hymn this summer when their turn came up again on the offertory roster.

Sparrows.

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

And just like that, God had comforted Skye with His Word from Matthew 10:31.

“We can tape reminders around the house,” someone said.

“Good idea. My mother tapes scripture to the inside of cabinet doors so that when she opens the cupboards, she sees a word of encouragement from God.” Matt pointed to another raised hand.

“Tie in prayer time to what goes on during the day,” Ivan said. “For example, when I get to the studio to teach, I pray each time before the student arrives.”

“Good one.”

Skye thought so too. She made plans to incorporate that idea into her daily routine. Maybe pray for the people her chefs cooked for according to their schedule. It wouldn’t take too long to pray if she was praying all day. It wasn’t like she had to pray for everyone in one sitting.

Had to?

No. Skye knew that wasn’t what she meant. She wanted to pray for everyone, including Diehl. A lot was going on in that man.

If Skye was still grieving for her parents who had been gone for almost twenty years, then how much more grief was Diehl experiencing within a year of his wife’s passing.

Unless what Brinley had told her was true. Even though Brinley felt sorry for Isobel who had to raise the children by herself while workaholic Diehl was at the office all the time, it turned out that the couple had mentally lived apart for a very long time.

Still, it was sad that Isobel had died when her children were still not quite in middle school.

Skye wondered how the kids were doing.

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