The Wedding Caper by Janice Thompson Page A

gift store on Wabash, I pulled the car out onto the highway, and
pointed it toward Philadelphia.
    Yes, the
Lord would surely guide my every step today.
    By the
time I reached the parking lot of Mercy Hospital, my nerves were once again an
issue. I quickly settled them with a bit of prayer: Lord, I know You ’ve sent me here. Show me how best to honor You and to reflect Your love. May I truly decrease, Father,
so that Your heart can shine through.
    Now, I’m
not one for hospitals. Never have been. The creepy feeling that runs over me
every time I visit a patient probably dates back to an episode as a youngster
where I fainted at the foot of my grandmother’s hospital bed. Something about the smell, perhaps. Still, the Lord had
given me a sense of direction for today’s visit. Surely He would see me through
this.
    I paused
at the front desk to ask for the room number in question. East Wing 146. Then,
with a Lord, help me on my lips—and the tiny gift in my hand—I
wound through the halls, following the signs, the backs of my calves aching
every inch of the way.
    When I
rapped on the door of room 146 a gentle voice from inside beckoned me to enter.
    I found
Judy Blevins in far worse shape than I had imagined. If I’d taken the time to
visit her even once over the past few weeks, I would been better prepared. She sat, completely alone in the stillness of this barren
room, to face the ongoing treatments for pancreatic cancer.
    “Annie.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she spoke my name, and her extended hand reached
for mine.
    I placed
the tiny gift box on the table, then sat at her bedside and gripped her willing
fingers. “Judy, how are you feeling?”
    She drew
in a deep breath before answering. “I’m blessed, Annie. Blessed by The Best.”
    The same
answer you’ve given for years. But how are you, really? “You’ve been in my
prayers and the Lord specifically laid you on my heart today.” I mustered up a
smile.
    “Did He?”
Her eyes filled once more and I found mine brimming, as well. “Well maybe
there’s a reason for that.” She went on to explain the results of her latest
round of tests. None of them good. As she shared the
news, I couldn’t help but notice the confidence in her voice, the calm. She
closed with simple words, but they shook me to the core. “You know, I’m ready
to go, Annie. If the Lord chooses to take me, I can live with that.”
    I had to
look twice into her twinkling eyes to catch the attempted pun. “Oh,
honey—”
    “I’m not
afraid.” She whispered the words, almost like a prayer.
    Lord,
what do I say? “I’m so proud of you, Judy. And I’m going to keep praying. We
all are.”
    “I
appreciate that. But please—” Her eyes lit up at this point, “Let’s talk
about something else. Something fun. Tell me all about the girls, the weddings.”
    Ah. Thank You for the diversion. I dove into some of the more
humorous details concerning Brandi’s plans. I told Judy about our meeting with
the in-laws, and I laughed as I slipped into Southern gear once again. You can
take a girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the girl.
    Judy
laughed too. In fact, she laughed so hard, she set off her heart monitor and a
nurse entered the room in a bit of a panic. Judy assured her all was well, and
we were left alone to our own devices once again.
    I would
have forgotten to give her the tiny gift box altogether if I hadn’t noticed it
out of the corner of my eye. I offered it to her with great joy, hoping she
liked what she found inside.
    Sure
enough, she “oohed” and “ aahed ” as her gaze fell on the
tiny glass ballerina. She clutched the little figurine to her chest and
whispered the words, “I don’t believe it!” several
times over.
    “What?”
    Her eyes
moistened as she spoke. “I’m sure it’s going to sound so childish, but I always
wanted to take dance lessons as a little girl and my parents could never afford
it.” A dreamy look took over. “I