到了门口，那个人静静地站了几秒钟，然后慢慢地转过身。“孩子们，马戏团的狗是永远不会忘记那顶大帐篷的，”他说着，“你们最好把他锁在屋子里，直至明天早晨，我不希望看到你们失去他。”
我们依照他的话做了。杰基和我们在一起生活了很多年，尽管他是我们曾经养过的小狗中最聪明的一只，但我们再也没有劝说他表演马戏团的绝技了。我们认为最好还是将那个流浪汉的话记在心里，让他永远忘却在马戏团的日子。
鸽子的奇迹
Abigail' s Dove
卡伦· 马约里·加里é / Karen Majoris Garrison
It bad been the worst snowstorm in ten years, and I' d been caught in it. After hearing earlier that it was supposed to snow later in the night, I had volunteered at our church to take groceries and medical prescriptions to elderly members in need. Since my husband was away on business, I called my mother and she immediately came over to my house to watch my three-year-old daughter, Abigail.
"Can' t someone else help those people?" she had asked me, concerned for my safety. "I have a bad feeling about this, and it looks like it might snow at any minute."
I glanced out the window and had to admit that the sky looked threatening. I began to feel uncertain.
"Mama will be okay," my daughter smiled, taking her grandmother' s hand. "She likes helping people. Besides, I' ll be praying for her!"
My heart swelled at her words. We had such a close relationship that sometimes when I breathed, it was as though Abigail exhaled. I decided then that I had to act on what I' d been instilling in my daughter: that sometimes we just have to step out in faith and believe that God will keep us safe. Kissing my mother and daughter good-bye, I set out to make my rounds. On my last stop, the snow began to fall.
"You shouldn' t have come here." Bill Watkins, a ninety-two-year-old member of our congregation, scolded. He coughed, trying to get out of bed, but the effort proved too taxing. Giving up, he settled back on-to the pillows. "I told the pastor that I didn' t expect anyone to come to the boonies for me."
"Nonsense." I grinned, positioning snacks and drinks by his bed. Beneath his gruff exterior, Bill was sweet as candy. His heart medication had to be taken every day, and living on a modest income without any surviving family members, he needed as much help as possible.
"Well, look what your stubbornness brought you." he said, pointing to the snow-covered road outside the window. His fingers clasped my hand."Stay here, Karen. I want you safe."
I kissed the top of his head but decided to brave the road conditions. It would be worse later, I reasoned.
"I' ll be okay." I told him, remembering my sweet daughter' s words before I left. Thoughts of Abigail made me more determined to get home. I missed her already.
I got into my Volkswagen and gradually tried making it down the steep hill. Remembering old instructions about driving in the snow, I kept the compact car in second gear. The wind increased, creating waves of blinding white. As I squinted through the windshield, holding my breath, I screamed and jerked the wheel, narrowly missing the deer that stood frozen by my headlights.
The Volkswagen hit the embankment, plummeted off the side of the road, and skidded to the bottom of a ravine below. When the rolling motion finally stopped, I opened my eyes and realized that I had been unconscious for some time. Night had arrived—and with it the forecasted accumulation of snow. Panicking, I tried opening the door, but it wouldn' t budge against the resisting snow. Sliding over to the passenger' s door, I realized that the door had been jammed shut by a tree. I turned the key to start the engine, but the battery was dead. My hopes of rolling down the power windows to crawl out vanished. Without heat and adequate clothing, I curled up on the back seat and waited for help.
The frigid air enveloped me. Shivering, I chastised myself for not preparing for a circumstance like this. My toes and fingers were already numb. An eternity seemed to pass, and as I listened to the wind and snow hitting against the car, I prayed for my family, who would be sick with worry by now. Abigail would probably be drawing pictures for me when I arrived home. Since she' d been old enough to hold a crayon, she' d drawn pictures to brighten the days of her loved ones.
To calm my growing concern about my safety, I closed my eyes and concentrated on pleasant thoughts. Drifting into sleep, I saw Abigail. Abigail in the warm sunlight, laughing as she held out a beautiful white dove to me. The dove' s graceful, serene presence and the love shining in my daughter' s eyes filled me with peace.
The night grew colder, and as I floated in and out of consciousness, I fixed my mind on the image of Abigail and her dove. Together, they kept me company throughout the night. Hours later, as the first rays of daybreak appeared, I heard tapping on my window. Relieved to see an emergency rescue team, my stiff lips tried to smile as they hoisted me onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. At the hospital, I was treated for mild frostbite and a head wound before being told I' d have to stay overnight for observation. Anxious to see my family, I propped myself up on the bed pillows and waited impatiently.
Before long, the door opened and my mother burst into the room. "We were so worried about you!" she cried, rushing over to hug me. "I knew you were in trouble!Mothers sense these kinds of things." Her maternal instincts surfaced as she appraised the food tray nearby. "Your tea is cold! I' ll be right back."
Seizing the opportunity to have me all to herself, Abigail climbed onto the bed and buried her face in my neck. I scooped her closer. "I' ve missed you so much." I murmured softly, brushing a silky strand of hair from her face. "And what have you been doing while I' ve been away?"
