Sisterhood Of Lake Alice (25 page)

Claire’s shop offered three special
men only
shopping events, where the shop was only open to the men of Fergus Falls looking to buy special gifts for their wives, sweethearts, mothers, or daughters. There were also three Sunday afternoons reserved just for the children to come and purchase gifts for their mom, grandmother, and sisters. On those days, Grace had baskets overflowing with scarves, pins, ribbons, small bottles of perfume, and purses, all under ten dollars and including free gift-wrapping. The shop hours were extended until nine o’clock each evening and all day on Saturday.

Although Rebecca was feeling weaker with each passing day, she knew she needed something to keep herself occupied. So she volunteered to help Grace at the shop. She enjoyed having a reason to get up, get dressed each day, and be in such a wonderful Christmas place. Rebecca was officially in charge of the gift-wrapping department, where she could rest if she needed to during the day. The excitement of the shop kept her mind busy. She truly enjoyed reconnecting with many of the people whom she had not seen in years.

Rebecca did not tell Grace that she now required oxygen each night as she slept. The only person who knew about it was Lindy, who had helped her make all of the arrangements to have the oxygen delivered to her house. Each evening as she went to bed, Monica would come in and talk with her for a while, always making sure that she was settled in for the evening. Rebecca did not know that at least twice during the night, Monica would tiptoe into her room just to check on her breathing. Each day Rebecca struggled to find a little more energy. She knew that this was all part of the disease that her doctor had discussed with her. She continued to count on Lindy to answer her questions about what to expect.

What surprised Rebecca the most was that the weaker she became, she noticed that she had a stronger sense of peace that had overcome so many of her fears. As she lay in bed each night, she prayed that she could continue to make each day that was given to her a good day. So far, she had been able to do that. For that, Rebecca thanked God each night as she fell into a deep sleep.

*

The rule of not allowing Rebecca or Grace on the second floor remained in place all during the remodeling. Because the major work to restore the house was now done, all that was left were the decorating and finishing touches. Emily announced that for the week before Christmas, they were not allowed to visit. She mailed both Grace and Rebecca a handmade invitation to join her and Lindy for Christmas evening service at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, followed by a special dinner, gift exchange, and sleepover. Both of them quickly replied that they would be there.

Lindy had already sent boxes of gifts to her family in Florida. Rebecca’s mother had volunteered to work the midnight shift and Christmas day at the nursing home so that others with family could celebrate together; she planned to sleep there as well.

A few days before Christmas, Pastor Meissner called Grace and asked if the Girls, as they were known throughout Fergus, would consider singing a few hymns before the start of the candlelight service on Christmas Eve at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Because they were still not allowed in Emily’s house, they met at church to practice some of their favorite Christmas carols. They were looking forward to singing in this beautiful, old church with its stained-glass windows, oak pews, and majestic pipe organ.

*

On Christmas Eve, the snow began to fall about five o’clock, and the temperature dropped to twenty degrees. Lindy and Emily took Lindy’s SUV to pick up Rebecca and Grace for church services. On the way to church, they practiced their songs. The service was breathtaking, with hundreds of candles and the freshly cut giant evergreen tree decorated with handmade ornaments by the children from Bible classes. As the people filled the pews, they sang. Soon the entire church was filled, and everyone sat quietly listening to their wonderful blended harmony as SOLA sang one song after another. Lindy finally asked them all to join in as they closed with “Silent Night.” Pastor Meissner started his sermon by saying that he would never forget the beauty of all the voices singing “Silent Night” as it was sung tonight.

As Emily, Lindy, Grace, and Rebecca took their places in the front pew, they all said a special prayer of thanksgiving. Holding hands and bowing their heads, they prayed together. They were all at peace. It was good to be home in Fergus Falls.

Chapter Twenty-Four
 

The Larson House

Before going to Emily’s house, Lindy took a quick drive around Lake Alice to see the houses all decorated, with the snow gently forming a white haze over the lake and trees. They arrived back at Emily’s house after the church service to find lights shining from almost every window. From the outside, the house seemed to glow with special Christmas warmth. Lindy asked them to go in through the front door tonight instead of their usual kitchen entrance; however, they needed to wait until she had parked the car so they could all go in together.

Emily smiled as she slowly opened the front door, painted a deep shade of red with a beautiful etched glass panel and a decorated evergreen wreath. As they walked into the front hall, they saw a woman standing in the shadows of the winding staircase waiting to take their coats from them. The wood floors had been polished to a high shine, and in the center of the large foyer stood a round marble table with a huge Christmas floral arrangement done in red and gold flowers. Overhead, a new three-tier crystal chandelier hung from the second floor to midway down to the first floor and softly illuminated the area.

Grace took off her coat and handed it to the woman without looking directly at her. She suddenly sensed something was different about the woman. As she turned to the woman, she was shocked. Isabel smiled at her with tears welling in her eyes as she quietly waited for her girls to recognize her. In seconds, everyone was talking and hugging at the same time. Emily and Lindy had decided that this was the perfect Christmas gift to give Grace and Rebecca. They laughed as they realized they had successfully pulled off their surprise.

When Emily had finally tracked down Isabel, she told Emily she would love to come for a visit. She asked if she could bring her husband Rolf and her twin daughters, Anna and Beata, age nineteen, with her.

It had been twenty-four years since she had last seen Emily; however, as they hugged each other, it seemed like yesterday. Emily and Isabel had only a few moments together before she needed to leave for the church service. Isabel and her family had flown into Minneapolis and were then whisked away in a limo that Emily had arranged to bring them to Fergus.

Isabel was in her mid-forties and the mother of five children. Her life had been a good life, filled with the joys of raising her children alongside a loving husband. Rolf inherited the family bakery shop, where the whole family worked side by side. The young girls were the last children at home. She had told Emily over the phone that she especially wanted them to meet the girls from Fergus Falls. From their early childhood, Anna reminded her so much of Grace that she was thrilled that she had chosen the name Anna, which meant grace in Norwegian. Beata meant blessed and reminded Isabel of Emily in so many ways. Beata had many musical talents and was planning to study in Oslo to become an opera singer.

She went on to explain that as her way of saying thank you to Emily for the wonderful and generous trip that she would prepare and serve a very typical Norwegian Christmas dinner for them. She would do all the special planning because they would bring some of the food with them from Norway. That explained the unusual smells that now came from the kitchen. Isabel called her family to come in and meet the girls, whom she still talked about so often.

As they came into the foyer, each of them was warmly welcomed. Rolf was a big man, who stood over six feet five inches tall. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks, with a warm smile. Anna looked just like Isabel had looked so many years ago. She was quiet and sweet with long, blonde, braided hair. Beata looked more like Rolf and instantly went to hug Emily, Grace, Rebecca, and Lindy. She told them that she had not slept for a week before they flew here yesterday. She also told them that the house was even grander than she had ever imagined.

After a little while, Emily explained that she was now ready for the official unveiling of the Larson house. The first stop was the formal living room, which was decorated by Emily in rich colors of burgundy, emerald green, and royal blue. All of the furniture was overstuffed and comfortable. This was no longer a stuffy room filled with antiques. In the middle of the bay window stood a live evergreen tree that touched the ceiling. The tree was covered with thousands of tiny, multicolored lights and hundreds of gold bows.

Next, Lindy led the group into the dining room, which had been her project. This room was also done in rich shades of burgundy, emerald green, and royal blue. The striped silk drapes softened the oak paneling and floors. There was a colorful Persian rug under the massive oak table, and each of the eight chairs was upholstered in a different color. The light fixture had been inspired by Chihuly, with clusters of lights in the shape of flowers all lit in different colors, giving the room a soft rainbow effect. The cove in the ceiling was painted sky blue with soft clouds.

Rebecca had tears in her eyes as she took in the beauty of the room. She turned to Lindy and said, “You have created more than a room; this is an oasis from the world. You have captured a sense of peace.” They stood in silence for a moment before Emily told them it was time to reveal the second floor.

As they walked upstairs, Emily explained that each of the five bedrooms now had a name and a theme. She laughed as she told them that they would quickly be able to figure out who decorated each of the rooms. There were new bathrooms, connected between two rooms for even more convenience. All of the doors were closed, and each had a small brass plaque on it.

*

Emily decided to show Grace’s room first. The plaque on the door read, “Amazing Grace will be with you here. Enjoy your time in this space dedicated to peace.” Emily asked Grace to open her door. Slowly, Grace opened the door.

The room was designed in soft pastel shades of yellow, pink, purple, and blue. As they walked into the room, they sunk into thick, plush, off-white carpeting. There was a graceful, antique canopy bed covered in a beautiful handmade quilt. In the corner by the large window, there was an off-white chaise lounge, with a soft pink cashmere throw and many fluffy, pastel-colored pillows. There was a small desk with a crystal lamp. On the wall was a large framed picture of Grace and all of her family, including Denny. On the desk was a framed handwritten prayer that Denny had written many years ago. Grace’s mother had given it to Emily to become part of this special room.

Grace could not speak as she sat at the desk hugging Denny’s framed prayer. Emily knelt down close to her and simply held her hands as the two of them cried. Finally Grace regained her composure and softly said, “How can I ever thank you for the gift of honoring my family in such a loving way? I am so blessed to have found your friendship again. But now it is time for the rest of the rooms to be unveiled.”

*

The next room had a plaque that read, “Rebecca’s haven, for those who know that music feeds our weary souls.” Rebecca opened the door and walked into her special room.

This room was decorated in many shades of blue. The big oak sleigh bed had a royal blue plush duvet, with musical notes embroidered in the middle of it. The sky blue walls gave the room a feeling of instant peace, and the lace curtains added to the softness. There was a small window seat with cushions, each with a different musical note embroidered. A guitar was leaning against the wall. In the corner was a full-size harp with a small, silk-covered chair. There was a violin in a stand on the dresser. The mirror, which hung over the dresser, was lit with tiny twinkling lights that gave the room a playful quality. The indirect lighting that encircled the room could be dimmed for another special mood.

Rebecca was as deeply touched as Grace had been. She went to the harp, with her hands stroking the fine polished wood that been shaped into a perfect instrument. Then she sat in the chair and began to play “Silent Night.” They all gathered around her as they sang in sweet harmony with tears rolling down their faces. It was Lindy who finally broke the spell by telling them it was time for her surprise. As difficult and tempted as Lindy was, she never peeked into the special room that Emily was creating for her.

*

Lindy’s room had a plaque that read, “Lindy, the lover of life, laughter, and love. May you be blessed with all of these gifts as you rest in this room.” As Lindy opened the door, she screamed and danced with joy.

The room was decorated in an animal theme, with rich, thick, green plush carpeting. Three walls were covered in natural-colored grass-cloth wallpaper. One entire wall was filled with a mural of many different animals, including elephants, lions, tigers, camels, giraffes, parrots, and dogs. The ceiling was painted similar to the dining room, with an appearance of a bright sky of blue with soft, floating clouds. The lighting in the room made the mural almost seem to come alive. A bed had been built into the corner with a gauze net hanging over it. Two huge leather chairs and an ottoman created a comfortable seating area and were surrounded by an assortment of giant stuffed animals.

Curled up in the corner of the room was an overstuffed wicker basket with a real puppy sound asleep. Lindy picked up the envelope that was taped to the front of the puppy’s basket. When she opened it, she read it to the group: “Hi, Lindy. My name is Linus, and I need some extra loving and a good home. Please be my friend, and I promise to be yours forever.” Lindy gently picked up the tiny puppy and said, “Well, little guy, you have come to the right place. We’re going to have a good time together.”
As Grace, Rebecca, and Emily gathered around Linus, they all knew this little puppy was a very lucky dog!