The Blessings Guild: The Beginning

Part Three:

"You don't really need everyone here for this, do you?" Jamie's brother Jeremy asked as he opened the car door next to Jamie.

Jamie whispered back to him, "This is the first drop-off; everyone needs to know how to do it so we are more effective later!"

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "You kids think this is so fun, sneaking around, don't you?"

Jamie grinned. "Yup!"

All the girls gathered around Jamie. "No wheelchair?" Emmaline asked.

"Nope, I don't need it." With a dramatic pause, Jamie announced, "Jeremy can carry me."

"We do this all the time when Jamie's wheelchair can't fit through tight places," Jeremy explained. "I'll carry her, and you kids carry the baskets."

Jamie handed out the baskets from Jeremy's car. Emmaline was assigned one, as was Leelee. The girls without baskets stayed at the edge of the property. Jamie was ready to make them take notes on the proceedings for next time, but her mom said it wasn't necessary. No one but Jamie was disappointed at that!

Closer and closer the girls, Jeremy, and Leelee's guide dog crept to the house. One by one, each girl dropped her basket by the door. Then, Jamie reached out for the doorbell.

Diing-dong.

"Scatter!" Jamie whispered excitedly.

By the time the Hansens opened the door, Jamie was in the car, seatbelt on, and Jeremy was starting the engine. The other girls in the other cars were already down the street.

Later, after the other girls had gone home, Emmaline was saying her goodbyes to Jamie.

"I had a great time tonight. I can't wait to do it again."

"Glad you did," Jamie replied with a smile. She followed Em to the door. "See, this old thing didn't stop me at all." She tapped her wheelchair. "God can use everyone in some way."

Emmaline smiled. "Yes, He can."

THE END

The Blessings Guild: The Beginning

Jamie and Emmaline passed out the badges to all the girls. One badge lay at the bottom of their baggie.

Emmaline glanced at Jamie. "Who's that one for?"

"Well..." Jamie thought a moment. "I have a friend at therapy who might want to join. Let me ask her. But you haven't heard my first plot yet."

"Okay, what is it?" Emmaline asked.

Jamie beckoned her close, and whispered in her ear. Emmaline smiled.

"All right, then, I'll see you tomorrow night. How are you going to manage with – well, I mean..." Emmaline let her words trail off, and gestured hopelessly to Jamie's wheelchair.

"I have a plan, don't you worry!" Jamie wheeled away to her parents' van.

Emmaline shrugged. When Jamie had a plan – it usually turned out all right.



At Jamie's house the next evening, the Blessing Guild met. Each girl brought something – cans of food donated by their parents, some fresh vegetables from their family's garden, and, wonder of all wonders, a little cooler with frozen goods in it. Lastly, the twin sisters Jessica and Janine brought bread and cookies; baked just that morning.

"Okay, what's next?" Jessica asked. Her black pigtails bounced with excitement.

"You and Janine can put all the food into the baskets. My mom gave them to us." Jamie pushed a stack of baskets across the table to the girls.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Jamie's mom got it, while the girls continued to make their plans. Emmaline was in charge of a group of three, to decorate the baskets. The other girls were going to crochet & knit dishcloths. In one hour, each girl could have one done.

"Hey, how's it going?"

A dog barked. The girls turned. Behind them stood a fifteen-year-old girl, and a dog. Across the dog's back was spread a coat that said "Service Dog". The girl unlatched its harness and walked slowly to the table.

"Chair on your right, Leelee." Jamie said quickly. "Girls, this is my friend Leelee. We go to the same therapist, who teaches us to do things that we might not otherwise be able to."

Leelee smiled. "After the accident, I didn't think I'd ever get to crochet or knit again, but my therapist taught me how." She paused ,then continued. "Could each of you say your names so I know whose voice is whose?"

The girls complied eagerly, and soon they chattered with Leelee as naturally as with Jamie.

The hour sped by.
"Okay, time to go!" Jamie called. "Dishcloths into the last basket!"

She held the basket out to Leelee. The older girl cautiously reached out for it, and gripped the handle. Then, she dropped her dishcloth inside. The other girls added their dishcloths on top, and the basket was done.

"But, Jamie, how are you going to sneak up to the Hansen family's house? That wheelchair isn't going to roll across the lawn very well," Emmaline pointed out.

"Wait and see!" replied Jamie.

To be continued...

The Blessings Guild: The Beginning

One out of a series...

Emmaline slammed her knitting onto the table. I can't do it! she thought.

The phone rang persistently.

"Are you going to get that, Em?" Adam yelled.

Emmaline sighed. Brothers. "Yeah, I guess." She picked up the reciever. "Hello?"

"Em, want to come over?" Emmaline's best friend chattered. Jamie was never one to waste time with preambles. "I just learned a new stitch – and I have a great idea!"

"Only if I don't have to bring that afghan," Emmaline groaned. "It's going to take me years to make it at the rate I'm going!"

Jamie laughed. "Bring it, and I'll work on it a bit for you!"

Fifteen minutes later, Emmaline tossed the afghan into Jamie's lap – then untangled the skein of yarn from her wheelchair.

"Sorry about that," Jamie apologized. "That old thing just gets in the way of everything."

"You can't help that; don't feel sorry," Emmaline consoled. "What's all the clay on the table for?"

"I'm making beads." Jamie rolled her wheelchair closer to the table. "There's a girl at church; she likes to make jewelry and can't afford nice beads. So I decided to surprise her and make her some pretty ones."

"Cool." Emmaline sat down. "Can I make beads and you knit?"

"Sure. Actually, this was part of my idea." Jamie smiled. "Let's start a club. We can call it the Blessings Guild, and make blessings to give to other people."

"Like what you're doing with the beads?" Emmaline eyed the clay.

Jamie nodded. "I even made up little badges for us! See? Mini knitting needles in a ball of clay 'yarn'!"

So it was decided. Jamie and Emmaline made a dozen badges in all colors. After church the next day, Emmaline dropped a sack of beads in the window of the car belonging to the girl who needed beads. Meanwhile, Jamie gathered nearly all the girls in church around her wheelchair in the parking lot.

"Are you with me?" she called out to the others as Emmaline jogged up.

The lot resounded with the girls' cheers.

Note to all readers: sorry about the formatting issues; I can't seem to fix them! I'll try again next post. :)