Chapter Five with Editing :)

Chapter Five

Colossians 3:20 (NIV) "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."

Audrey should never have succumbed to that irresistible nap after lunch. As she rushed around to freshen up a bit before heading over to her appointment, she couldn't help but wonder what brought on her strange dream. Was it the mysterious questions about the attic artifacts that still remained after her lunch with Alicia Conrad Wellington Jackson a few days ago? Or perhaps, she subconsciously very nervous about being hired to help plan the wedding of her very first relative since she and Jamie left their families in Arizona for Montana almost 20 years ago?

Audrey's mom Lois was the eldest of the Johnson clan from L.A. Her Uncle Marc was the youngest and only brother, after a long line of sisters. Because of their big age difference, Audrey could even remember visiting her grandparent's home while Uncle Marc still lived there as a late teenager. How he had embarrassed her by making goo goo eyes and trying to steal a kiss from his girlfriend Maggie as he chased her around the pool table while they played billiards! They eventually fell truly in love, were happily married, and now it was their oldest daughter Bridget's turn to take the first step in the rest of her life.

As Audrey hopped off the eight sided porch and hurried towards her little Chapel office, she fondly remembered the first time she became aware of her young cousin's existence. When you're a small child, it's funny how the littlest of things can have a big impact on you. For example, Audrey remembered feeling so important when her kindergarten teacher asked her to be one of the two ends of a half-circle and help keep the kids in form while they grasped hands to sing the songs they had learned for their parents at the end of that first school year. Or, how her chest burst with pride that summer after 4th grade as she happened to be out playing over at another cousin's house, when Uncle Marc came bounding up the front walk with Aunt Maggie in hand to announce they were having a baby and she was the very first one the came to tell that day! It wasn't until she was an adult with her own first child on the way that Audrey realized it was impossible to keep such glorious news to oneself after it's discovered.

Bridget's impact on Audrey's life didn't stop there either. Three summers later, Uncle Marc had summoned all of the five Johnson sisters, their spouses, and children back to Minnesota for a bit of a family reunion. He and Aunt Maggie had had to relocate back there for work reasons not long after Bridget was born, and were missing their large family in a big way. Audrey's parents thought a road trip back to the Midwest for a summer vacation with the family sounded like a great idea! Dan requested time off from his job, and Lois spent many hours sewing cute short outfits for Audrey to wear that would keep her cool back in the humid weather.

Shortly after arriving at the big park where the reunion BBQ was to be held, Audrey sat playing cards for M&M's with one of her older cousins. She felt a tiny presence approaching, and turned around to see adorable little Bridget tottering up to her. Audrey bent down and said “Remember your cousin Audrey sweetie?” “Bet you didn't know that I was the first to find out that God was sending you down to earth to bless this family.” She was rewarded with a wet, toothy smile and swept Bridget up in her arms. How wonderful that toddler smelled! From the top of her head where her blond curls pressed upon her damp forehead above her big, blue eyes, down to where her chubby legs ended in a pair of tiny red Keds with the white rubber toe caps. They both giggled as Bridget stole almost every M&M Audrey won and popped it in her tiny mouth.

Now that Audrey comes to think of it, that's the very moment she fell in love with babies and realized she wanted to have a large family of her own. In fact, she spent the whole drive back to L.A. Daydreaming about having a dozen kids with her future husband, tooling around town in their VW bus with room for a playpen in the back, and trying to think up her favorite first and middle names for all of them!

Her first husband, may he rest in peace, had given her four of the best children a parent could hope for. Then Jamie brought three more loves into her life, and Audrey picked up the mantle from the women in his family who had lovingly taken over when their mother took off. With God's grace, Tyler made their family a perfect circle, just like his beloved basketball! She'd got two-thirds of the way to her dozen Audrey thought, as she laughed out loud and stepped over the office threshold.

Her laughter startled them because her partner Jill had done an excellent job, as usual, getting them engrossed in the plans at hand. Audrey could see both colorful and elegant samples of flower arrangements in the catalogs before them, as well several 8x10 photographs of Nina's scrumptious wedding cakes that had knocked the socks off of some of her previous couples and their guests. Jill had even thought to lay out a few pastries from the bakery to go with their afternoon tea. Simultaneously, her long lost cousin and aunt, and who she could only guess was the mother-in-law to be quickly turned around in their chairs to face Audrey.

Audrey's eyes began to water as she took in the beautiful woman Bridget had become, and felt the tentative warmth emanate from Aunt Maggie whose secret she'd shared, for just a moment, so long ago! Could she do a good enough job that this would be the kind of wedding to bring her back in touch with her family from out West, or would she remain seemingly estranged from her family like the Wellington brothers did as lunch guest Alicia had alleged just the other day? She could only hope. As Bridget and her stood to hug and greet her after such a long time, Audrey said, “Please tell me how I can make all your wedding dreams come true cousin!”

By Lisa Roberts