Page 41 of Love's Harvest
Several people waved to her as she and the girls ate.A couple of people walked over to their table to talk to her.
Sarah left the store feeling as if she’d been hugged by the entire town.It prompted her to go home and start cleaning out the garage while the girls lay down for a post-holiday rest.
At home, after getting the girls settled on their beds reading, she went out to the garage.It was filled with several pieces of furniture she couldn’t use in the rental cabin.As she hauled them out to the driveway, she realized she never wanted to use them again.
Sarah made another pile of things next to the furniture to be given to charity.The garage had come with built in shelves along the back wall, and she used this to place the things she wanted to keep.Tools sat in another section.Brooms, rakes, and other gardening items she’d kept were stored appropriately.
Sweating from the exercise, Sarah stood back filled with satisfaction.Now, in addition to getting rid of things she no longer needed or wanted, her car could sit inside the garage during the winter months.
She realized she’d wallowed in self-pity in the past but was now moving ahead in a positive way.The house truly was becoming hers without the items from her years with Jesse keeping her bound to them.
Mia came out of the house and trotted over to her.“Emily and I are done resting.”
“Okay,” said Sarah, checking her watch.“It’s late.Let me make a phone call, and then I’ll play a game of Candyland with you like I promised.”
Inside, Sarah called Goodwill to arrange a pickup and then resolutely sat on the living room floor with the girls to play one of their favorite games.Luke lay beside them content to watch.
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That night, Sarah lay in bed thinking of everything that had happened over the past few days.As hectic as it was, she’d come a long way in becoming the person she wanted to be.Seeing Aaron, and spending time with him remembering their high school years together, had reminded her of the girl she’d once been and the woman she wanted to become.
She looked down at the girls, one on each side.They’d snuck into bed for cuddles and had fallen asleep.With Luke lying on the rug beside her bed, all seemed peaceful.
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Sarah walked into the grief counseling session determined to be more open so that she could heal faster.
She was delighted to see Blake standing and talking with someone by the table holding the coffee machine.She went over to them.
“Hello, gentlemen,” she said.“How are you this evening?”
The older man, whose white hair circled his bald head, looked at her with eyes that showed pain.
“This is Bob,” said Blake.“I recently bought a car from him.A car for April.”
“It was my wife’s,” Bob explained.
“How nice,” Sarah said and turned away when Ellen called the meeting to order.
Once everyone was settled in their chairs and it grew quiet, Ellen began by reading some poetry.When she finished, she said, “Let’s go around the room and let each person say whatever they’d like.”
When it was Sarah’s turn, she said, “I feel as if I’ve made some healthy changes.”She went on to talk about making things as she wanted inside the house and giving away other things she’d never really liked.“I didn’t realize how torn I was about keeping things because my husband liked them.Now that I’ve cleaned house, so to speak, I feel much freer to face a future that doesn’t include him except in my memories.And I’ve begun to write down some things my young daughters might want to know about their father later on.Especially nice times together.”
“Excellent idea,” said Ellen.“It’s interesting that when we are able to move toward a different future, we can do a better job of keeping pleasant memories among others that might not be so.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m trying to do,” said Sarah, proud of herself for being so open.
She listened with the others as Blake told of buying a property to help out a friend and beginning a new life in Lilac Lake.
At the end of the meeting, Ellen came over to Sarah.“I’m pleased to hear you’re making wise decisions on your own.I know your parents must be thrilled to have you in town.”
“The move here has been a good one.They’ve been so supportive of me and my girls.”
“I’m glad,” said Ellen, moving on to another woman.
Sarah left the building, delighted to see stars sparkling in the dark sky.She breathed out a sigh of contentment.Things seemed to be going so well.
She walked, moving briskly in the cool air until she reached Main Street, where her pace slowed as she looked into shop windows to see what was new.
