Noble Pursuits Read Online Free PDF

the words that had always comforted her at times like this.
    “Then your light will break out like the dawn,
    And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
    And your righteousness will go before you;
    The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
    And if you give yourself to the hungry
    And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
    Then your light will rise in darkness
    And your gloom will become like midday. Isaiah 58:8-10
    As Grace lay on her bed praying, tears still streaming from her eyes, the phone rang. “Craig?”
    “I knew you’d be struggling. I’m so sorry, honey. Do you want to pray for a while?” Craig’s voice was filled with love and concern.
    Grace hesitated. “What about Mel? Doesn’t she need her sleep?”
    Craig assured her that his wife slept peacefully while he paced the floor of their living room in concern for his little sister. “Grace, let’s pray. You need to take this to the Lord.”
    An hour later, Grace slept. The Lord’s peace had stolen over her as her brother prayed for the “peace that passes understanding” to fill her heart and mind. As Grace slept, Craig continued to pray until his alarm clock woke his wife and started his day.

Chapter Five
    Early Saturday morning, Grace awoke, dressed, and rode with Craig and Melanie to the orchard. Several boxes of seconds needed immediate processing, but the free fruit was something she’d never refuse. Nolan’s moving truck sat parked halfway into his garage when they returned.
    Grace sang old songs while she and Craig lugged her fruit into the house. She chose to keep her mind off the monstrous task ahead of her by singing of Kalamazoo and Chattanooga with Glenn Miller playing in her head. Grace had been on a big band streak lately, much to the bemusement and relief of her family. The Cyndi Lauper kick a few months back had been especially annoying.
    Nolan noticed his busy neighbor in between loads of his own and started toward her house to help. Torn between the instinct to help Grace with her burden, and not wanting to create an uncomfortable situation, Nolan paused. In his experience, women generally took offers of help as a sign of his interest in them and occasionally even resented the implication that they needed a man’s help. He still didn’t know how to get around that one. He finally overrode his cautions as he saw her make a third trip to the back of the minivan.
    Before he could cross the lawn, a man and a very pregnant woman followed her to the van to help. Nolan winced as the woman waddled to the back of the van and reached for a box of what appeared to be fruit. Before she could heft the heavy carton, the man with her took the box away and shooed her into the house ahead of him. Grace chuckled and started singing about a naughty woman on a street somewhere. Satisfied that she had sufficient help, he returned to his own work with a light heart. If his neighbor turned out to be the friend that he thought she would, he’d find out about that song later.
    ~*~*~*~
    “Craig, you are too funny!” Grace and Melanie giggled at Craig’s serious overreaction to her impromptu dinner with her new neighbor.
    Grace led her exhausted sister-in-law down the hallway to her spare room as they mocked her brother’s over protectiveness. “You rest. I have to have words with your husband. Wake up in an hour, and I’ll put you to work.”
    “I told him that he was being ridiculous. Don’t be surprised if he goes across the street and checks out the masher.” Melanie winked, turned on her side, and was asleep before Grace could get back to the kitchen.
    “ Craig ! Those are for canning, not for your perpetually empty belly!” Grace smiled as she poked at her brother’s stomach and started a sink full of water and fruit soap.
    “Tell me again why you sat on your porch and had dinner with a complete stranger ?” Craig’s tone was heavy with concern. “That’s not like you, Grace!”
    “I told you. He hit my boy. My food was in the