Page 36 of Candy Cane Dreams
"I need you to take over as head of the committee. I don't want the Christmas festival to suffer just because something happened to me."
"I will take over until you're able to do it again. But I'm not going to be the head of the committee if this is just a small issue."
"I think there might be something more seriously wrong with her. I know it will ease her mind if you'll just go ahead and run the committee until she's able to get back." Terry spoke low and seriously, but her affection for her mother was clear.
"I'll do whatever I need to do. But the position is always open for you to step back in, okay?" Kate said, lifting her brows at Marjorie.
Marjorie nodded, and then she looked at the medical professionals. "Now you can take me away. But be careful—I don't want to arrive at the hospital looking like I've been through a windstorm."
The crowd laughed as Marjorie patted her hair.
Kate stepped back as the EMTs wheeled Marjorie out, her children following in a large group.
Finally, the door was shut, with fewer people left than they'd begun with.
"All right, everyone, I think we were pretty much done anyway. If you have any questions or have any great ideas, please feel free to make sure you call or text me." She gave her phone number and noticed several people writing it down.
"I heard Marjorie putting you in charge. Should we check in with you until further notice?" Jack spoke from across the circle.
"Yes. Please. I think for now we shouldn't be bothering Marjorie, although once she's well enough, we definitely need to include her. Someone who's been as involved as she has will feel left out and perhaps a little lonely if she's suddenly dropped from the committee entirely." She couldn't imagine being Marjorie, who was used to immersing herself in everything, and now all of a sudden needed to take it easy. No wonder she was struggling.
"That's very considerate of you," Olivia said, and the others nodded approvingly. It was obvious that Marjorie was a well-loved member of the community.
"Before we go, I think it would be a good idea for us to pray for Marjorie," Kate said. She wasn't used to taking a stand and being a spiritual leader, but it seemed like the right thing to do. After all, everyone at the meeting attended church regularly, and it was good for Christians to pray together.
Her announcement was met with resounding approval, and she looked at Jack.
He gave a slightly perceptible nod, and she said, "If Jack would stand and pray for us and also dismiss the meeting, please?"
He nodded again and stood.
His prayer was short but heartfelt, and soon the meeting had adjourned.
Kate felt like it had been a whirlwind. She'd started the meeting thinking she was just going to give Marjorie a hand, and now she ended it with the weight of the town Christmas festival on her shoulders, which did not feel strong enough to handle it all. But she would have to, because there was no one else. She could step up and do it, and once more, despite her difficult financial situation, she was grateful that her job didn't start officially until after the holidays. It was perfect timing, because it gave her plenty of time to work on whatever she needed to work on.
God had known all along that she was going to need that time, and she loved the way He had worked things out.
She spoke with all the committee members and felt like everyone had a handle on what they needed to do. It had been a productive meeting, even if it had not gone quite the way she had anticipated.
"You did a wonderful job. And I know you're going to be fine as the head of the committee." She turned to see Jack standing behind her, as the last of the other committee members walked out the door.
"I don't know if I feel up to the task. In fact, I feel rather intimidated."
"If you felt confident, I might be a little concerned. It's always good to have a little bit of insecurity. That drives us to be better and keeps us from being overconfident and arrogant."
"I suppose you're right. But I would feel a little better if I had someone like Marjorie to learn under before I had to take it over myself."
"I'm sure you're going to be fine. It's probably better this way. This way you don't have preconceived notions about how you have to do it, but you can feel free to let your creativity loose, without unconsciously trying to stick to the way we've always done it." He paused for a minute and then gave her a little smile."Weren't we just talking about how it doesn't matter how things actually go—we can be happy and joyful no matter what?"
"You're right. This is not really what I was thinking when I was talking to you about that, but I guess God's timing is perfect. And you're looking on the bright side, seeing the most positive spin, and I appreciate that."
She appreciated the fact that he challenged her to live the way she said she believed, and not just allow her to talk the talk, but pushed her to walk the walk as well.
"You know, I had really been thinking about that since you and I talked a few days ago in the shop that night."
"Yeah?" she said, as Jack shifted on his feet.
"I had been allowing my thoughts to go in a negative direction, and it kept me from being content where I was. It's true that I'll always love farming, but it's also true that I really do enjoy making candy. I just... resented the fact that I didn't have a choice about it, instead of looking at all the positive benefits and keeping my mind focused on those."
