How do you know when it’s time to let go?
I SAT ON THE PORCH WITH MY COFFEE. I’d snuck outside, inching the sliding glass door open so as not to wake anyone. My husband, Anthony; daughters, Grace, 13, and Genevieve, 11; and son, Joseph, 6, were still asleep in the cabin we’d rented in the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. The day before, we had driven 10 hours to get here, with Luna, our 75-pound Lab bulldog mix, sitting on my lap, and Joseph telling endless knock-knock jokes.
Today was my fortieth birthday. And I needed to be alone.
Three years earlier, my mom had died right before my birthday, after an eight-month battle with malignant melanoma. I missed her with an ache that went through my bones, through every part of me. I didn’t want to celebrate. Was this going to be how I felt on every birthday?
A banging on the sliding door startled me. Joseph was awake. I went inside. The girls were up as well. “Happy birthday, Mom!” they said, slurping their chocolate vacation cereal.
On our way to Cedar Creek Stables to go horseback riding, we saw signs for a lost dog. “That’s so sad!” the kids said. “What if Luna got lost?”
Anthony dropped off the girls and me and went to explore the nearby town of Lake Lure with Joseph. Several hours later, Anthony met us at the stables. He had a strange look on his face. “We got you a birthday present,” he said. “It’s in the car.”
“Where’s Joseph?”
“He’s in the car, with the present.
” We walked around the corner to where the car was parked. I saw Joseph’s beaming face first. I peered in the window. There was a medium-size brown dog sitting beside him. When the dog saw me, it wiggled excitedly.
“Can we keep him, Mom? Please, can we?” Joseph asked. The dog began to lick his face.
This story is from the August 2018 edition of Guideposts.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2018 edition of Guideposts.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EVERYDAY GREATNESS: Jessica Manfre
Uniting military and civilian communities through acts of kindness
The Cake Mixer Mishap
I should’ve listened to Mom
Star Turn
I worried about my introverted daughter. Then Olivia flipped the script
Unearthed
I pulled the overgrown remnants of my herb garden, putting it to bed for the season, and went over a mental list of all the things to do before winter began—change out the screens for storm windows, finish the yard work, bring down the draft blockers from the attic.
Confidence Builder
My five boys didn't need me to homeschool them anymore. Now I wanted to be good at something else. But could I?
Ordinary People
The story behind Norman Rockwell's celebrated painting
A Woman of Courage
After I was widowed, fear took over my life. How could I trust anyone if I couldn't trust God?
Keep on Truckin'
How to bring a couple back together: share a long-haul drive in an 18-wheeler
My Answer to Pain
Inflammation was wreaking havoc with my health. Was God trying to show me a better way to live?
Letters From Phil
My older brother and I went our separate ways: he to the Air Force, me to a marriage that didn't last. He lived a rough-and-tumble life, but that's not what really worried me