Opposites attract, they say. Yet who would have dreamed these two would ever become friends
I squinted against the afternoon sunshine, looking out the window for the paperboy. Ever since a stroke had weakened my legs, I hadn’t been able to get around so well. I depended on the paper to keep me up-to-date with a world from which I often felt disconnected. When the paper came late, I got edgy. Finally I saw someone coming down the street. A girl, no more than 10 or 11 years old, hurled a rolled-up newspaper toward my screen door. It landed with a thud.
“Just a minute,” I called out the window. “Where’s the usual carrier?”
“I’m the carrier now, lady,” she said, hands on her hips.
“Well, the old one used to bring the paper in to me.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, I can do that.” She came in and plopped the paper onto my lap, and I got a better look at her.
Frayed shorts and a cropped top—and it wasn’t even summer yet. She tossed back her shoulder-length red hair and blew a huge pink bubble.
“I hate bubble gum,” I said.
“Tough beans,” she said.
I gasped. This snippy little thing needed to be taught some manners.
“The children around here call me Mrs. Lee, after my late husband.”
“Well, you can call me Kristin,” she said with a sassy tilt of her head, then bounded down the steps.
Just what I need, I thought. Nothing was easy anymore. Simple tasks like dusting and doing laundry were an ordeal these days. And baking, which I used to love, was far too much trouble. My husband, Lee, and most of my friends had passed on. Lately I had found myself wondering why the Lord had left me behind. It was clear to me, anyway, that if young people today all acted like that smart-alecky papergirl, I had been too long in this world.
Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av Guideposts.
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Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av Guideposts.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
In the Everyday
Cooking, cleaning, breaking up the kids’ fights... If only I had a few minutes for myself!
Worst-Case Scenario?
I’d had nagging injuries before and always recovered. Why wasn’t I confident that I would get better this time?
Honor Thy Son
I was a Marine officer, a lifer—or so I thought. Then came Patrick
Keeping It Real
In an age of social media, we're experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. Two friends who met online tell you how to grow an authentic connection
What You Wish For
She never wanted to see her abusive father again
God's Pillow
In 2016, the Soberanes Fire in Northern California was the costliest ever in the United States. It almost cost me my life, despite the promise I made to my wife
"I Heard You Praying"
As a hospital chaplain, I had seen hopeless cases. But never one more seemingly hopeless than this
"I Love You, Dad!"
Some of your favorite GUIDEPOSTS writers share what they learned from their fathers
Harold and Me
They’re nearly all gone now, the generation we call The Greatest.” This woman’s mission was to honor one of them
The Race Before Her
For this Olympic champion, success bred her greatest fear. How five verses set her free