The Eternal Blessing

Part III

III.

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Remember Lot's wife.

Luke 17:32

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~ TEN YEARS LATER ~

A knock on Reverie Dale's door awoke her in the tingly and windy Friday morning. It was too early for someone to be knocking at her door. It was about seven o'clock in the morning, and she was too tired to get up. She was thirty-nine years-old for old times' sake. And she was pretty lonely too.

So maybe it was mailman. No, they don't do mailmen anymore. Who does mailmen in the 21st century? And who the heck would be sending me mail?, Reverie thought.

She woke up and fixed her terrible hair quickly, and put it on a bun. She wore her bathrobe and went straight to the door. Her apartment was clean and pretty much next to godliness, so she wasn't ashamed of her surroundings when she opened the door.

The door opened, and there stood two young men, probably in their late teens or early twenties, dressed in their Sunday's best—white polo shirt, neckties, dark slacks, and sling bags.

One was a tall, semi-bald African-American with glasses, and the other was a blond-haired Caucasian of average height. Reverie smiled at herself, and she immediately knew who they were.

The dark-skinned one spoke first.

"Hello, sister! Good morning. I'm Elder Royce, and this—" He gestured to his partner, "—is my companion, Elder Danvers. We're—

"Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." Reverie continued for them. She smiled at them endearingly, like an old mother looking upon her children. She shook their hands. "I know so, because I was one too. Please, come in." Reverie invited them into her apartment.

"That's very nice, sister." Elder Royce smiled back, relieved to see Reverie's quick acceptance of them. Both Elders entered her apartment, amazed at the mansion-like, high-tech quality of the place. "Wonderful place you got here, sister."

"Proud of it." Reverie said. "But it's a bit early for you fellas to come here, isn't it? Isn't your proselyting hours not until 10am?"

The Elders checked their watch, then looked at her with confusion. "Sister... it's 10:46am."

Reverie looked at her wall clock, and indeed, it told her that it was the same time the Elders mentioned. "Oh darn. Must've overslept."

Elder Danvers chuckled. "That's all right, sister. But we were wondering if we might share something with you?"

Reverie smiled faintly at them and thought of her years as a missionary. Her years as a returned one, and her final years before the love of her life got married to his eternal companion.

She hadn't been active in the church for nearly six years now.

She doesn't even remember the last time she went to a sacrament meeting. It wasn't that she'd forsaken or lost faith in God. But it was just that... she lost faith in herself. Her destiny lied elsewhere, she told herself, and maybe it wasn't the church life. But still, she loved God, and maybe this message the missionaries brought, might be the one she needs to hear.

"Oh, all right. Sit down at the couch." Reverie said, as she took out her scriptures; a leather-bounded four-standard works copy, from her mini-library in her TV set. She hasn't even touched the scriptures for years, either.