Page 72 of Truly, Madly, Deeply
In a heartbeat, the moment grew intimate again. Dawson took her hand once more and held up the ring. The diamond glistened in the sun. He smiled. “I’ve asked your parents and my dad… and I’ve asked our God above. Now… the only one left to ask is you.” He hesitated. “Maddie West… will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Maddie danced in place again as Dawson rose to his feet. He took hold of her face and she settled down. Fresh tears spilled from her eyes. “Yes, Dawson Gage. A million times yes.”
He kissed her. A kiss that made Annalee catch her breath.
The small crowd seemed lost in the moment as the couple kissed again. As if the sheer beauty of the passion and romance between Dawson and Maddie was something that made time stand still. And after a few seconds they all burst into applause.
“Way to go, Maddie,” Tommy shouted.
And the rest of the family added their congratulations, too. The next half hour was full of hugs and pictures, and eventually all the parents took a photo together. When finally it was time for Tommy to take her home, Annalee could only hope that someday—if the Lord allowed—the moment that had just played out wouldn’t belong to someone else.
It would belong to her and Tommy.
26
The five o’clock Christmas Eve candlelight service was exactly what Tommy needed. After their beautiful day at the zoo watching Dawson propose to Maddie, Annalee had gone in for another round of chemo. Now she was struggling with a low blood count, so she was back in the hospital tonight with her parents.
And Tommy was here at church with his family. Believing God. Trusting Him with every heartbeat.
This night was one of his favorite moments of the holidays. Sitting next to his parents and Malin and Johnny, soaking in the wonder of that first long-ago Christmas Eve.
Typically Pastor Dell Johnson would read from the Bible about Mary and Joseph and Bethlehem and they would sing “Hark the Herald” and “Angels We Have Heard on High,” and Tommy’s heart would fill with gratitude. That God had allowed him to be in this family, and that he had his health and his friends and his team. And Annalee. For the last three years she’d also been part of the reason he was thankful on this night.
But tonight after Pastor Dell read the Christmasstory, the man closed his Bible and looked long at the congregation. The place was packed—like usual on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday. All generations gathered together, each person holding an unlit candle.
The pastor came a few steps closer to the edge of the stage. He was a fit man probably in his forties, born in Vietnam. He and his family had been at this church for twenty years. He took a deep breath. “Tonight… I want you to really think about Mary and Joseph. What it must’ve been like that Bethlehem night so long ago.”
His voice grew soft and a hush fell over the room. “Just a couple kids following orders, showing up for a population count.” He hesitated. “Mary’s in labor. Joseph, scrambling for a place where the baby could be born.”
Tommy noticed people sitting taller in their pews. Listening more intently. Even the children quieted down.
“You think they weren’t scared to death?” He sauntered toward the far end of the stage. “Never mind that God had placed a baby in Mary… or the fact that they’d both been visited by angels. They were young and unmarried, about to have a child in a city with no room.” He paused and looked the other direction. “They were scared to death.”
Never had Tommy thought about the story like this. Mary and Joseph might’ve been the same age as Annalee and him. Just a couple of kids, young and in love and so afraid they could barely think straight.
Pastor Dell was walking closer again. “Here’s what I want you to take away from this story tonight.” Hesmiled. “Yes, Mary and Joseph were scared. They didn’t know what was coming next. But…” He spread his arms out. “They trusted God. In their weakest moment, they trusted Him. And so they kept walking. Kept seeking God’s plan. Kept believing. And by nightfall they weren’t afraid any longer.” He paused. “They were parents.”
A chill ran down Tommy’s arms. He looked at his mom and dad and saw their eyes glistening, their attention glued to the pastor.
Then the man went on to say something Tommy would remember forever.
“We’re all afraid of something. We’re human. But tonight God wants us to lay our fears at the foot of the manger. The way Mary and Joseph did. And do this…” He moved to the center of the stage and peered across the dark room. “Keep walking. Keep seeking His plan. And keep believing.” He grinned. “The miracle you’re waiting for might be closer than you think.”
Tommy closed his eyes and let Pastor Dell’s words fill him one more time.The miracle you’re waiting for might be closer than you think.He could hardly wait to share that with Annalee later tonight.
Ushers came down the aisles then and lit the candle at the end of each row. Each small white candle had a plastic receptacle at the base so the melted wax wouldn’t drip. Tommy watched his dad light his mother’s candle. Then she lit Tommy’s and he passed the flame on to Malin, who lit Johnny’s.
In the time it took them to do that, a warm glow pierced the room and rose from the congregation.The way we’re supposed to shine in this world,Tommy thought. Then—the way they did every year—Pastor Dell led them in an a cappella round of “Silent Night.” This time, as they began to sing, the words hit Tommy differently.
“Silent night, holy night, all is calm… all is bright.” Hope welled inside Tommy’s soul. All was calm and bright because Mary and Joseph trusted God to get them through an impossible situation. That was the only reason.
“Shepherds quake… at the sight.” The song grew and filled the church. “Glories stream from heaven afar… Christ, the Savior, is born… Christ, the Savior, is born.”
His family’s voices around him made Tommy smile as the song played out. “Jesus, Lord, at thy birth. Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.”
The truth of the song had never meant so much. Tommy let the words breathe encouragement through his anxious heart. It was up to him this Christmas Eve to keep walking, keep seeking God… keep believing. And if he did… if he did then he wouldn’t have to be afraid any longer.
Just like Mary and Joseph.
