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Olivia smiled at that and turned to follow James and Margaret. She was a sweet girl. Sarah hurried to catch up with her. “We’ll have to ask your uncle about the reading lessons. At the very least, I’ll be able to loan you some books to use.”
“Do you have the Third Reader? That’s the one I was reading from at home.”
“Yes, I do. How far along are you?”
“Nearly finished. I memorized ‘The Snowbird’s Song’ for our Christmas program, but that was our last day at school.”
“I know that poem. It’s all about how God takes care of the birds and provides for them.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Olivia fiddled with the end of one braid. “But Uncle Nate said we have to take care of ourselves.” She flung the braid back over her shoulder and looked up at Sarah. “Is he right? Won’t God take care of us?”
Sarah stopped and faced the girl. “What makes you think He wouldn’t?”
Olivia blinked her eyes, as if she was trying to hold back tears. “Mama always said He would, but then she died. If God was taking care of her, wouldn’t He have rescued her from the fire?”
Feeling her own tears threatening, Sarah looked past Olivia to the buildings below them. But Olivia took her hand, bringing Sarah’s gaze back to her.
“And when Lucy cries, I tell her what Mama always told me, but how can I know?”
Sarah pulled Olivia to a log lying along the trail and motioned for her to sit next to her. “One thing I always hold on to is that God promised He would be with us. Jesus said that in the book of Matthew. And God always keeps His promises.” She swallowed past the lump forming in her throat. She remembered questioning God just like Olivia was doing. How did she get past the questions to the faith she had now?
“But what about Mama?”
Sarah smiled and squeezed Olivia’s hand. “You can be certain that God is still taking care of your mama. I don’t know why she died, and I don’t know why God didn’t rescue her then, but I do know that He never abandoned her. Sometimes it’s very hard to understand, but you can trust that God’s ways are best.”
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