Family Guided By A dream

    Night has come, and Charity was lying in her bed. She loved her daddy and her baby brother, but that didn’t stop her from missing her mother and her other two brothers. Tonight she was really home sick. She could not get her mom out of her mind. “Let’s see,” she thought, “When was the last time I got to visit Mom?”  It had been Christmas break, and now it is January 30th.  If only her mother had a car, she would never allow this much time  to pass without seeing her baby.

    She just knew that her mom was lonely.  Her mom had not remarried, and she was living with only Charity’s two younger brothers to keep her company.  She could hear her mother singing to her brothers while trying to get them to sleep.  Everyone needs their mothers, and Charity wanted hers so badly tonight.

    She could hear her dad and her step-mother playing and laughing in the other room, and she wondered what her mom was doing.  Her dad and mom used to play; now she felt that her heart belonged in two homes.  She wondered how she could ever sleep in either home happily again.  Her dad loved her, but she hated when he said things about her mom.  When she visited her mom, she did not understand why her mother would not stand up against what her dad had said.
“Charity, they aren’t hurting me. I don’t know what they are saying, and you need to respect them.  The Bible tells you that God wants you to respect them so that you will have a long life,” her mother always told her.  “Mom is wrong,” she thought.  “No one talks about my mom without a fight.”
    Then she remembered that her mother always told her to “talk to Jesus, and Jesus will make it better”.  Then she decided to do just that.
    Charity closed her tired eyes and talked to Jesus.
    Father, I know that my mom loves me and misses me as much as I do her.  I know that my daddy loves me, and he wants me here. Sometimes I act out, and I am sorry for that.  God, help me to find a way to not feel pulled apart, and find a way for Dad and Mom to be friends.  Dad won’t even speak to her, and she had not done anything to him.  I know that you have the power to make it all better.  Take care of all three of my brothers, my grandparents, and all my family. Let my mom feel that I do love her.  In Jesus’ name Amen”
    The next morning Charity set down to feed her baby brother, and her dad tugged her hair.  “Sis, how would you like to have a birthday party at the pool?”  “What?” Asked Charity.  “Mom will be mad. She said that she was going to have my party there.”  Her dad looked at her step mom, and he winked. “Well, I had a dream last night.” Her dad continued, “In my dream, you were so sad. I could not understand why you were sad.  Then when they brought in the birthday cake in with all those candles, I saw you mouth the wish. Your wish was for your family to be together for your birthday.” Charity was now in her dad’s lap, he kissed her cheek. “I dreamed that you need your mom too, and I believe that I would not be doing right not to give you your birthday wish.”
    That week end was the happiest in such a long time. The birthday party was at the pool.  She looked around and watched her stepmother hand her baby brother over to her mom to hold, and her stepmother ran after her other brothers. 
    Then her dad brought the birthday cake in, and she closed her eyes. This time there was no wish spoken. This time she closed her eyes, and talked to Jesus while she blew out 14 candles.
    “Thank you Father for using a dream to guide my mom and dad to be friends again.”