The Second Half by Lauraine Snelling

stairs, Ambrose right behind him, she was sure. Hyacinth eyed the door, then changed her mind and walked up Mona’s leg to sit on her sort-of lap and chirp.
    “I know, you think it is breakfast time, but not for an hour yet. Some of us need to keep on schedule.” She flipped to the devotion for the day but before reading, closed her eyes. Lord God, only You can straighten all this out. Ken at the office and all that mess, safe travel for Steig and the kids, good weather for the party on Saturday, the weather report isn’t looking too promising. Please, I want this party to be extra special; he’s worked so hard and so long that we all want to celebrate him, as he says, his freedom. Father, You know what You will make happen, please help me keep a lid on the no-fretting kettle. And please, don’t let my depression get out of hand. Sometimes I feel like our lives are being shaken in a basket and about to be dumped out in ways we don’t expect. All I know for sure is that You know Your plan. And You have promised Your plans for us are for good and not for evil. Please help me hang on to that. She heaved a sigh and said aloud, “Trust. I know.” A song from her childhood floated through her mind. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face…” She hummed the tune as she paged through her Bible to locate the verses for the day. She’d read the verses and was halfway through the devotional when her phone chimed Steig’s song.
    She clicked on. “Good morning.”
    “I hope so. We’re loaded and driving down the street to the first stop sign. I’d rather come straight on through, but I’m not sure how the kids will do. They’re both back to sleep right now. Who knows how many stops we’ll have to make, and there is weather between here and there too.”
    “How bad? I’ve not checked anything yet. Your dad just left for work, says he’ll do whatever it takes to get everything done that he has to do. All these years of building the quality of his department and now all they talk about is cutting the budget.”
    “It won’t be his problem.”
    “You know your dad. Those kids, students, whatever the age, mean more to him than the budget. And you can’t put a dollar value on caring, even though the dropout percentages show how well he has done.”
    “Some people can. Just check with Congress.”
    “I know.” Oh, how she wanted to ask him if this wasn’t the time to leave the military, but she knew his answer. He had chosen to stay in and being deployed was just part of the package. But then when he re-upped, he’d had a wife to take care of his children. “I’ll be praying for you. Call me with progress reports?”
    “I will.” He clicked off.
    Mona tried to focus on her devotions and journal, but all she could think was, Father, please take care of my two men and their kids. Both Ken and Steig were caught in a web not of their own choosing. “Lord, I trust You with all of this.” She wrote the words large in her journal. Trust —such a small word for so much meaning.
    Ambrose’s nails clicked on the hardwood floor, and he flopped down on the rug by her side of the bed with a sigh and a tail thumping.
    “Did he feed you?” When the dog’s ears went up and his tail thumped faster at the words, she knew Ken had not taken the time. She stacked her three books on the nightstand and swung her feet to the floor, taking a moment to rub Ambrose with one foot and stroke the cat with one hand. Sighing, she shoved her feet into her flip-flops and headed for the bathroom, where her robe hung on the back of the door. She tied the belt as she headed for the stairs, her animals right beside her. At least the coffee was brewed, the fragrance floating up the stairs.
    With the animals fed and her plate of two soft-boiled eggs and buttered toast in hand, along with a refilled mug of coffee, she headed for the three-season porch so she could look out over the river. Mist feathered up from the surface