Darkness Before Dawn Read Online Free PDF Page A

won.
    Somehow, maybe thanks mostly to Heather, the world had moved forward and she and the
     endless streams of people who had offered their condolences were now seated in the
     church. There directly in front of her, presiding over it all was Reverend Brooks.
     And those who had packed the church for the servicefelt sure he would find the words to bring comfort to Meg. She was just as sure he
     couldn’t. After reading a few Scriptures, Brooks began to speak from the heart and
     in the process proved Meg right.
    “As we consider his death,” Brooks began, “we can now fully realize there was no finer
     young leader in this community than Steven Richards. He meant so much to this church.
     An active choir member, the leader of our high school Sunday school department, and
     of course, a tremendous witness to all of our members through his devotion to the
     wife he now leaves behind.”
    The preacher’s next words were equally glowing as he listed all of Steve’s great accomplishments
     from Eagle Scout to trusted employee. He told several funny tales that captured Steve’s
     sense of humor. He followed those with serious narrative, presenting example after
     example of his incredible character. But to Meg those words and the stories rang hollow
     now. They offered no comfort at all. Food had no taste, the wind no chill, the sun
     no shine, sleep offered no refuge, and words, even those praising the man she loved,
     meant nothing! She just wanted the words to end. Finally, after thirty long minutes,
     Brooks seemed to be coming to the real point he wanted the congregation to hear.
    “I don’t understand why this tragic accident happened, nor, I am sure, does anyone.
     God does not let us know all the mysteries that are a part of His world, but we can
     gain true inspiration and insight from Steven’s short life and feel true joy knowing
     that he is now happy with the Master in heaven.”
    Meg couldn’t help it. As soon as Brooks uttered those words she just had to shake
     her head. Mysteries of His world! Yeah, that was it. Why question the mysteries, just
     accept them. She’d heard that for two days. She wasn’t going to fall into the trap.
     She would never accept this. This wasn’t right and it hadnothing to do with God’s love. And then, Brooks delivered the clincher.
    “You have to trust in the Lord and something good will come out of this.”
    He just had to toss it out there—that all-encompassing line she had heard from lots
     of family and friends over the past two days. Her mom was the worst. She kept saying
     it over and over again. And now, Brooks had fallen into that trap as well. Trust in
     the Lord and something good will come out of this. Well, if Meg managed to be good,
     Santa would come visit in nine months, too. Every child in the world knew that and
     every adult used it to keep those children in line. Something good coming out of this
     was a joke. She was alone. The love of her life had died. It might have been Steve’s
     mangled body in the gray coffin, but she was in there, too. And when they buried him,
     they would be burying the part of her that could feel and experience love. She knew
     that as well as she knew Steve would never again take a breath or say a word. And
     yet the preacher kept talking as if there could be some kind of opportunity created
     by Steve’s death. What kind of opportunity? What could anyone gain from this? Where
     was the good?
    “For even though the body of Steven Richards has died,” Brooks droned on, “we know
     that Steven accepted Jesus as his savior, and as is promised in the Bible, a believer
     in our Lord will be safe from death and can be sure that his soul will find everlasting
     life with Jesus in heaven.”
    Heaven! Meg couldn’t make a cell call to there. There was no iPhone app for that.
     She couldn’t talk to Steve or be held in his arms at his new address. So his being
     there brought no comfort at all. It didn’t stop her pain and