"Quiet" (Day 16)

Verse of the Day
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.” - Psalm 27:14

I was born in Mars Hill, Maine, and many of my earliest memories are rooted here. When I was about four or five, during World War II, my family moved to Connecticut while my father worked at Pratt & Whitney building aircraft for the war effort. I remember walking to kindergarten every day. It felt like a long journey to a little girl.

Not long after, we moved back to Mars Hill. Our house had no running water. Bath night came once a week in a big galvanized tub. Life was simple, but it was good.

Later my father bought a farm on the Presque Isle Road. For a time we grew potatoes, and later he raised turkeys. Around Thanksgiving and Christmas we delivered turkeys to people who had ordered them. Once I got my driver’s license, that job became mine.

After high school I began nursing school, but life took a turn when I married my husband, Everett. His father bought us a farm, and farming became our life. We raised three children there. When the older two started school, I worked as a teacher’s aide. Later I returned to nursing school and eventually worked many years at Gould Memorial Hospital, where I later became head of nursing.

Life had its hard seasons. One day Everett told me farming was no longer possible. The prices were too low. I remember feeling afraid about the future. Later he worked as a mechanic, and things slowly improved.

Years later Everett became ill with multiple myeloma. We traveled to Boston for treatment. Even during that difficult time, small acts of kindness from neighbors meant so much.

Throughout my life, church has always been part of me. My grandmother walked to church every Sunday, and often I walked with her. Her quiet faith shaped my life.

Even now, my favorite hymn is “I’ll Fly Away.” It reminds me that through every season, God carries us, and one day we will be home. - Gaye Cronkite

Thought for the Day
Sometimes life enters dark seasons when the future feels uncertain. Yet again and again, God carries us through. What past experiences of God’s faithfulness give you confidence to trust Him in the challenges you face today?

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