Her Brokenness – Part 1

Published 2:10 pm Wednesday, June 22, 2022

We have a very special treat for our wonderful readers. What follows is part one of a story written by Lorie. It will be an ongoing series following my usual column. For this week I have decided to let her have the floor to introduce.

Lorie Ann McReynolds

She lies in bed listening. The house is so quiet. Her dog is in bed beside her, snoring. She is so thankful he agreed to let her have this precious little dog. She has been such a comfort to her. She needed something to take care of. Her dog loves her at a time when love seems so fleeting. Just a distant memory. Oh, she knows her son loves her too, but he is busy with his own life. He can tell something is wrong with her and his dad, but he doesn’t bring it up. She told him they were going through a rough patch, but everything was going to be fine. She didn’t know if she believed that now. It had been 4 months of changes and sadness and unanswered questions. So, she listens some more. And she prays. She asks God to keep her husband safe and bring him home soon. She asks Him to save her marriage. She prays for strength in the event of her worst nightmare coming true. She had asked him a few times if there was someone else. He would always answer no. She would always believe him. But it is getting harder now. At last, she hears the garage door rising. She looks at the clock. It shows 11:30 p.m. She knows then that her husband is finally home even though he was supposed to be home 5-½ hours ago. She breathed a sigh of relief and until then she didn’t realize she was holding her breath. She hoped he was in a good mood. She hoped that he would say more than two words to her.

Their relationship was not always so strained. They used to have such fun. She couldn’t wait for him to get home and tell her about his day. And she would tell him about hers. They would make plans for the future. She loved to hear the excitement in his voice. He was her best friend. Those thoughts made her eyes swell with fresh tears. She couldn’t imagine how she could have any tears left. Now they seem to avoid each other. Couldn’t spend more than two minutes in the same room. They never talked anymore. He even stopped going to church which broke her heart. She heard the garage door closed and he stepped through the inner door. He came to the bedroom to change clothes. “What kept you so late this time?” she asked barely above a whisper. “The auditors worked late so they could go home early tomorrow.” He replied with no emotion in his voice. And then out of the bedroom he went. He would spend most of the night in the living room watching TV. She was getting good at sleeping without him. She didn’t know it at the time, but God was preparing her for what was to come. And to be honest it would be an experience unlike any she had ever experienced before…