A Shining Light (31 page)
Authors: Judith Miller
Tags: #FIC042030, #FIC042040, #FIC042000, #Amana Society—Fiction, #Mothers and sons—Fiction, #Widows—Fiction, #Iowa—History—19th century—Fiction
November 1891
In some ways it seemed as though I had waited all of my life for this year to pass, yet in other ways, it seemed only yesterday that Dirk and I stood in front of the elders and received permission to wed. Now that our wedding day had arrived, it was difficult to think Lukas and I would leave the Küche and make our home with Dirk in the rooms above the tinsmith shop.
As I glanced around the bedroom, a twinge of pain pricked my heart. I would miss living here. Of course, I would continue my work downstairs in the Küche, but it would be different. And I'd seen the sadness begin to set in with Sister Erma, as well. She'd become accustomed to having us around in the evenings. Now she would have to adjust to being alone again. Of late, I'd been praying there would be someone who would fill the void our departure would create.
For now I pushed aside any sad thoughts. This was a day to celebrate and enjoy.
“Let me see your dress.” Sister Erma stood in the doorway of
the bedroom and gave a firm nod. “Ja, it looks gut.” When she circled her finger in the air, I obediently turned around. “Stop there.” She stepped forward and tucked the corner of my shawl into my waistband. “I brought you this lace cap to wear. It is the one I wore for my wedding.”
I stared at the beautiful black lace with slender silk ribbons. “I couldn'tâ”
“Of course you can.” She lifted it and placed it atop my head. “It is perfect for you, just as it was perfect for me.”
“Danke, Sister Erma. You are most kind.” I traced my fingers along the silk ties. Wearing black to be married still seemed strange to me, but I had learned to accept sitting separately at meals and church meetings. And though it had taken a while, I had learned to accept this custom, as well.
“When you return from the meetinghouse, all will be ready.” My reception would be different from Sister Greta's. After her wedding, the wedding guests had returned to the kitchen house for coffee, cocoa, and coffee cake. Later, they had gone to Greta's home for her reception. Although the food had been prepared in the Küche, it was customary to hold the reception at the home of the bride. I was pleased that my entire reception would be held in the Küche, where there was more room and the food would not have to be transported to another house.
I nodded, thankful she'd been so willing to assist me. Helping prepare for Sister Greta's wedding had proven good practice, as well. “I know my reception will be as grand as Greta's.”
“For sure, I think your reception will be even better. Every bride should believe her reception is the finest.” She winked at me. “You should hurry, or Brother Dirk will think you have changed your mind. He and Lukas are waiting downstairs. Lukas is eager to get back and have a piece of the special wedding cake.”
The cake, three layers deep and each one a different flavor, had been baked in the special star-shaped cake pans made by Dirk and used only for weddings.
Dirk and Lukas stood at the bottom of the stairs, both of them in their best dark suits, and both of them wearing smiles as bright as a summer day. Dirk extended his hand. “I was beginning to think you would never come down those steps, but I would have waited forever for this moment.”
The sweetness of his words washed over me, and I grasped his hand. “When Fred returned, I did not believe you and I would ever be together. Thank you for waiting for me even then.”
Lukas wrinkled his nose. “I'm going to wait in the kitchen. Maybe Sister Greta will give me a cookie.”
Dirk chuckled, but when I started to follow Lukas, Dirk gently pulled me close. “I wish I could wipe away all those years you and Lukas suffered, but I know I cannot. What I can do is promise you this, Andrea. You never need to live in fear again. We will fill our home with joy, and soon those bad memories will fade for both you and Lukas. From seeing you and me, our son will learn what true love is.”
A tear trickled down my cheek, and Dirk thumbed it away with such tenderness my heart threatened to break. Then he covered my lips with his own and sealed his vow to me with a breathÂtaking kiss full of hope and promise.
While there were occasional fires and explosions at the various mills in the Amana Colonies, the flour mill in West Amana did not explode as depicted in this story. However, it was demolished around 1938. When you visit the colonies now, you'll no longer see the old flour mill in West Amana.
~Judy
Special thanks to William (Bill) Metz of Middle Amana, for his valuable assistance. Not only did he answer my many questions about tinsmiths, he gave me a guided tour of his basement workshop, where he maintains many of the original tinsmithy machines, patterns, and tools. He also demonstrated how he continues to use those tools to create many items from the old Amana patterns.
Special thanks also to Michele Maring Miller and David Miller of West Amana, for providing pictures of the old West Amana flour mill as well as answering questions, giving directions, and taking me on a tour of Michele's art studio.
Judith Miller
is an award-winning author whose avid research and love for history are reflected in her bestselling novels. Judy makes her home in Topeka, Kansas.
Judith Miller
F
ROM
B
ETHANY
H
OUSE
P
UBLISHERS
The Carousel Painter
D
AUGHTERS
OF
A
MANA
Somewhere to Belong ⢠More Than Words
A Bond Never Broken
B
ELLS
OF
L
OWELL
*
Daughter of the Loom ⢠A Fragile Design
These Tangled Threads
L
IGHTS
OF
L
OWELL
*
A Tapestry of Hope ⢠A Love Woven True
The Pattern of Her Heart
T
HE
B
ROADMOOR
L
EGACY
*
A Daughter's Inheritance
An Unexpected Love ⢠A Surrendered Heart
P
OSTCARDS
F
ROM
P
ULLMAN
In the Company of Secrets
Whispers Along the Rails ⢠An Uncertain Dream
B
RIDAL
V
EIL
I
SLAND
*
To Have and To Hold ⢠To Love and Cherish
To Honor and Trust
H
OME
T
O
A
MANA
A Hidden Truth
A Simple Change
A Shining Light
*with Tracie Peterson
