Historical setting: 584 C.E. The walking path in Eve’s garden
Eve asks, “Were there other things you thought a child shouldn’t read?”
“I want to know what happened to little Margey, and I should hear of your blindness from you.”
Eve answers, “Margey is buried down near Ezra and Colleta’s cottage near the newer spread of vineyards. She died when she as a small child. I couldn’t save her. It was a terrible grief for all of us.
“In those days I was able to see with only a few shadows taunting my vision. So it was fine that Ezra and Colleta and the children all went in the wagon to the village near Tours to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus with Colleta’s family. I was doing the chores for both houses expecting them to be gone a week when they returned after just two days with all of them sick, poisoned by the feast all spread out for sharing on a sunny board. All but little Margey took the remedies I gave them, and when the poisons were passed, they took a potion for strength and that set them right in only another day, but we could get no medicine or eve water into the tiny child. She was already cold and fading. Papa, I could do nothing to save her!”
“It was good you saved the others. You can’t blame yourself.”
“I was swaddling her, rocking her, begging God to let us keep her tender little life but God said no, and she slipped away to heaven. Papa, I don’t just let people die! People who are nothing to me come and are rescued, but she was my own family.”
“Eve, my precious child, all these blames and hurts of our own helplessness are …”
“Don’t preach, Papa. I already know I’m supposed to use hurts to empower some kind of new lesson for my own betterment, but it seems such a needless loss. And I don’t want your excuses for a cruel God. And without the empty excuses I have nothing. I want to find a punishment in it, but if I can’t even name my sin how can I fix it?
“Colleta says she has lots of sins. She is such a good Christian, even just by being born she had sin so God forgives her. But I can’t even find what to say when I ask God’s forgiveness in this.”
(Continues tomorrow)
Lazarus Ink 