Ashley

“Tavish, working hard all weekend, despite the summer heat, cleared the storage area underneath the stairs, painted it, and cleaned up his mess from the previous Friday. Tuesday, he began moving in. After watching him for quite a while, Aggie pulled him aside for a little chat. “Tavish, why did you go to all this work? What is wrong with your room upstairs?” The boy ducked his head and was quiet. He didn’t answer until Aggie, obviously concerned, urged him again. “Aunt Aggie, I just like to be alone. The noise bothers me, and I can’t think. I like to read and think, and try to figure things out, and it’s just a lot easier when I don’t have anyone around. Our room isn’t just my room, it’s Ian’s too. I can’t tell him to be quiet or go away when it’s not all mine, and he has to take naps in there and stuff.” With that, he turned back to making his little corner of the house “home.”
― Chautona Havig, Ready or Not

“Mibs says: I wanted to say something while you weren’t around to make me too shy to say it. Mibs says: I love you. I know you know that, but I don’t think you really realize just how much I really do love you. How’s that for a lot of real-ity? Mibs says: So, I want to tell you while I know you can’t get on and make me self-conscious. I love you. I love how you think of my children as yours. I love how you put us before you even when it is uncomfortable for you or a financial blow. Mibs says: Sigh. This is hard. I love how you smile at me. The way those smiles make my stomach flop is the most wonderful feeling. Mibs says: The way you reach for me and then hesitate, making sure you are being honorable in your actions. Mibs says: I love the tone of your voice when you say you love me. Mibs says: I love knowing that you mean it when you say it. Mibs says: And how you protect me, even from my children and from myself. Mibs says: I love your delight in your sisters, your nieces, and your nephews. I love how you cherish your mother and how that spills over into cherishing me. I’ve never doubted how you’d treat me. It shows every day in how you treat them. Mibs says: And I love how you call me “Mibs.” I love the way you say it, the tone of your voice, the little smirk around your lips…. Mibs says: Whew. This is killing me. I love that you find me attractive. You don’t say much, but I see it in how you respond to me. It amazes how much I see that you desire only me. Mibs says: But most of all, I think I love the way you love the Lord even more than you love me. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Mibs says: I love that I get to be the one you call wife. Mibs says: Goodnight.”
― Chautona Havig, Here We Come

“Determined to get back on track with the kitchen renovation, Aggie decided to ask Luke if another coat of paint was necessary, or if she should carry in the flooring now. “Okay, Luke…” Aggie looked around for him, and eventually she saw him through the picture window in the living room. He was out front, guiding a large truck, as it backed up the driveway. Curious as to who was backing in, Aggie dashed out the door and tripped down the steps, fortunately unseen by teasing children or an over-protective Luke. When she saw Luke and a man she didn’t recognize unloading cabinets from the truck, she gasped. “Luke, where did you find them? They are exactly what I wanted!” Her squeals of excitement brought children from every corner of the house. Even Tavish the hermit stepped from his own little world to see what made Aggie squeal with such obvious delight. Luke and Laird helped unload each cabinet from the truck and carry them to the back step. Once finished, Luke thanked the driver for bringing them, as he handed the man a check. The burly man jumped into the truck, and as he put it in gear, he stuck his head out the window and said, “Hey, Luke. Anytime you feel like building more cabinets like those, let me know. My wife is green right now. I’d love to see her natural color again.” With that, the truck slowly drove down the driveway and pulled onto the road.”
― Chautona Havig, Ready or Not

“THE PILGRIM'S WANTS.' "'I want a sweet sense of Thy pardoning love,
That my manifold sins are forgiven;
That Christ, as my Advocate, pleadeth above,
That my name is recorded in heaven.
"'I want every moment to feel
That thy Spirit resides in my heart—
That his power is present to cleanse and to heal,
And newness of life to impart.
"'I want—oh! I want to attain
Some likeness, my Saviour, to thee!
That longed for resemblance once more to regain,
Thy comeliness put upon me.
"'I want to be marked for thine own—
Thy seal on my forehead to wear;
To receive that new name on the mystic white stone
Which none but thyself can declare.
"'I want so in thee to abide
As to bring forth some fruit to thy praise;
The branch which thou prunest, though feeble and dried,
May languish, but never decays.
"'I want thine own hand to unbind
Each tie to terrestrial things,
Too tenderly cherished, too closely entwined,
Where my heart so tenaciously clings.
"'I want, by my aspect serene,
My actions and words, to declare
That my treasure is placed in a country unseen,
That my heart's best affections are there.
"'I want as a trav'ller to haste
Straight onward, nor pause on my way;
Nor forethought in anxious contrivance to waste
On the tent only pitched for a day.
"'I want—and this sums up my prayer—
To glorify thee till I die;
Then calmly to yield up my soul to thy care,
And breathe out in faith my last sigh.”
― Martha Finley, ELSIE DINSMORE Complete Collection – 28 Timeless Children Classics in One Premium Edition: A Victorian Christian Family Saga in 28 Classic Volumes