L.I.F.T.- Ladies in Faith Together

One Child
By Barbara Cameron When David walked into the kitchen, Sarah was at the sink, washing the coffee mugs and humming one of the Christmas hymns they had sung earlier that night.
The kitchen was her favorite room. He often found her humming as she did chores or bent over her lesson plans spread out on the kitchen table.
“So, our guests are all settled for the night. Maybe now we can get some sleep.”
“I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Can’t you do that in the morning?” When she merely glanced at him, he laughed. “Of course you can’t.”
Smiling, she finished drying the last mug and put it in the cupboard. “You can’t walk away from your work area without putting away your tools either.”
“True.” He yawned. “I hope you can get some rest.”
“I should be tired, but I’m not.”
Moving to her side, he rubbed her shoulders as she wiped out the sink. “I know. I feel the same.”
The shoulder rub felt wonderful, but Sarah frowned. “I was a little worried there when Kate said she was feeling cramping. You and I are used to witnessing birth, but Jason and Kate are used to city life. Birth only happens in a hospital.” She paused. “What’ll we do if Kate does go into labor?”
“We’ll cope,” David told her with a confidence he didn’t feel inside. This was “woman stuff,” and what man knew what to do about it? “She’ll need our help, and we can’t let her down. I’m afraid Jason won’t be much help.”
They were silent for a long time, staring out the kitchen window at the snow pounding against the glass.
“What are you thinking?” he asked after a long moment.
“I’m not proud of what I’m thinking.” She tried to turn away, but he wouldn’t let her. “Oh, David, I envy Kate. She’s having a baby, and I want one. I want us to have a baby.”
He gathered her into his arms, comforting her. “Shh, it’s all right.”
“No, it’s not,” she insisted, once again getting tears all over his shoulder. “It’s a sin to envy.”
“We’re human, Sarah. We’re not perfect.”
She leaned back in his arms and reached into her apron pocket for her handkerchief. Shaking her head, she wiped her eyes. “I am most definitely not perfect.”
“You are to me.” When she started to pull away, he held on. “Except when you try to push me away. I grieve too, Sarah, and I need you.”
She went still. “You’ve never said that before.”
“It’s not always easy for me to talk about such things.” He took a deep breath. “But I do need you, Sarah. I need you, and I love you, and I want you to be happy again. We need to have faith,” he told her seriously. “I believe we will have another child because I believe God wants us to have that gift. He isn’t giving it to us this Christmas as he didn’t last Christmas. But one day.”