Laurel's Dream

by Pepper Basham

All Laurel wanted was a few minutes of peace and quiet from a day full of chores to disappear into the pages of a good book. What was

the use of being a grown woman if she couldn’t even hide long enough to read one chapter?

“Kindness is as universal as music,”

“Not one single tree as far as you can see, not one, is exactly the same as another, but they all work together to create this kind of beauty. God uses them all. Studyin’ on that sure helps make big things big and small things small.”

“Regret don’t do nothin’ but steal your joy and cloud your eyes from seein’ the blessings. Your daddy has given me as good a life as he knows how. He’s given me you young’uns, which is God’s best gift to this mama’s heart.”

A hopeful heart never stops dreamin’. God made dreamin’ and imaginin’ because without those, how could we even believe in all He’s brought and done and made. How could we even have a mind’s eye for heaven?”

“Dream, girl, but trust God to take better care of your dreams than you ever could.”

Even His disciples, who sat beneath His teaching for years, were confused and wounded by the idea that their Savior, their Rescuer, was going to die. The very man who’d raised the dead, would die? Not reign? It made no sense to them because they didn’t see the bigger plan beyond the pain.

“Well, being angry comes easy. It’s what our hearts want to do straightaway. Mama says letting hate fester inside causes our hearts to callous, so love is harder to find. We don’t have to work hard to hate or be angry or even let fear cause us to do painful things like burn up a beautiful library of books.”