Chapter Thirty-Four

The message at church was another one about the significance of Christmas, and while Melody knew there were lots of people in the congregation who wanted and needed to hear about how important Jesus’ birth was to the fate of the world, Melody was ready for the Christmas season to be over. Had she been sitting in this very pew listening to a similar sermon two years ago, not realizing her life was about to change forever? Likely so. Once Christmas was over, things would begin to get back to normal, and she wouldn’t spend so much of her time trying to remember what life must have been like before her dad passed away.

She’d seen Michael briefly before Sunday school and for a few moments before the service began. He had gotten up and left with the other children to attend children’s church when Pastor Kyle began his sermon. Now that the final invocation was over, most of the members would head over to another part of the building wher