A Simple Christmas Wish Read Online Free

tied the belt snugly around her waist and tried not to cry as the thought of never seeing her big brother again hit her.
    “Are you sad, Aunt Rachel?” Holly was studying her carefully.
    Rachel forced a weak smile. “Maybe . . . a little.”
    “Did you have a bad dream?”
    Rachel nodded. “Yes, I think I did.” She swallowed against the tears threatening to spill. How was she supposed to do this—how was she supposed to break this horrible news?
    Holly put her arms around Rachel’s waist, hugging her. “It’ll be all right.”
    Rachel knelt down and hugged her niece back. “Thanks, honey. I needed that.”
    “I know what we should do,” Holly said as she led Rachel by the hand into the kitchen. “We should have blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Okay?”
    “Sure.” Rachel went directly for the espresso maker, routinely going through the steps while Holly chattered away at her about how she only got to have pancakes when Rachel was there and how she sometimes liked them with blueberries, but sometimes she didn’t. How was it possible for a small child to have so much to say? Still, it was cheerful and much better than silence. She tried to form the words in her head, but every sentence sounded even worse than the one before. How did one tell a child her parents were dead?
    Before long, they were seated at the breakfast bar with their pancakes, minus the blueberries, and eating companionably together. For a brief spell, Rachel blocked out the elephant in the room. As she sipped her espresso, she realized it wouldn’t be too hard to get used to this—the idea of quitting her jobin order to play the parent to this loquacious child, giving up her shared house to live in a swanky city apartment that overlooked the river . . . it was all rather appealing. That is until the harsh reality hit her all over again. The ache she felt, knowing how she’d arrived at this place, seemed to choke out all sense of pleasure. How was she going to tell Holly?
    “Is it Sunday today?” Holly asked as they carried their dishes to the kitchen sink.
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Will we go to church?”
    Rachel paused to look down at Holly. She hadn’t really planned to go to church, but all things considered, it was probably a good idea. Maybe she would find the strength and the answers there. If nothing else, it would postpone the inevitable. “Yes. We will definitely go to church.”
    “We don’t always go to church,” Holly pointed out. “But sometimes we do.”
    “Well, I think we need to go today.” Rachel looked at the clock in the kitchen, a sleek glass piece with no numbers, but still she could tell it was about nine-thirty, which meant they had about an hour. “We’ll need to hurry to get ready, and I still need a shower.”
    She helped Holly find an appropriate outfit, laying it all out on her bed, then hurried to shower and dress herself. Yes, the idea of going to church today was suddenly very appealing. She sometimes felt guilty for all the times she’d missed church because of her erratic work schedule, but at the same time, she’d always believed that God understood such things. However, as she was getting dressed, she questioned herself. How well did she understand God? Why would heallow the plane carrying Michael and Miri to go down like that? How was she supposed to understand and accept that? How would Holly?
    At just a little before eleven o’clock, Rachel and Holly were walking into the frosty churchyard. This was the same church that Rachel and Michael and their mother had attended so many years ago. The same church where they’d attended their mother’s funeral, and where Michael and Miri had said their wedding vows, and now it would be the location for yet another memorial service. Rachel walked Holly downstairs to where the children’s classes were held, then hurried back up in time for the beginning of the service. Glancing around the sanctuary, she could see that little had changed in here,