“You give me what I want and don’t involve anyone else, or you know what will happen. It would be so easy.”
She was too oxygen deprived to reply.
“Hey,” Liam shouted from down below. “Get your hands off her.”
Without warning, the man released her and raced away down the stairs. The sudden movement sent her staggering. Her hips impacted the rusted railing. Gulping for air, it took a second for her brain to register that the railing had given way as she fell backward into nothing.
In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
—Psalm 56:4
I am writing this letter as I sit in a bustling hospital emergency room, waiting for some test results for a family member. Time seems to slow down here, the conversations ebbing and flowing around me in this busy place. It strikes me that we have so many ways to quantify a human life, don’t we? We can measure the beats of the heart, the actions of enzymes, the microbes and platelets and pulses and respirations that keep a body alive. For all that, we cannot measure a person’s capacity to love, the intangible desire of one person to care deeply for another. That, my friends, is the beautiful inheritance from the Lord. He gives us the ability to love, because He first loved us. What a treasure, what a gift.
Thank you so much for reading my story. I hope it entertained and inspired you. Most of all, I hope you feel deeply that you are loved by our Father. If you’d like to contact me, feel free to send a note via my website at danamentink.com. There is also a physical address there if you prefer corresponding by letter. As always, God bless you, my friends, and thank you for joining me on this adventure!
Sincerely,
Dana Mentink
Dedicated to my parents, Bob and Lisa, who taught their children what love looks like.
Contents
Note to Readers
