Heaven Must Wait

  ***

  Ralph Wade stared at the ceiling. Sleep would not come. The farm’s coffers were poorer than they were after the war when he first started farming. Gosh, he was getting married in two days. His ma said he worried too much and should turn his troubles over to the Lord, but saying and doing are two different things. After their marriage, Leann would be his responsibility. Could he take care of her properly?

  Her family, well-to-do before the conflict, now suffered financially, along with everyone else in the south, but was still doing better than most. Her father had managed to sell some cattle to pay for the wedding. Ralph had nothing to contribute but the farm, his strong back, and a willingness to work his hands to the bone to make a good living for her. If only his crops would produce sufficiently and he could find a buyer for them.

  Leann may not want to marry him if she knew he was broke. Just thinking such a thing did a grave injustice to their love. She loved him for himself, he felt sure, and would share his struggles. Leann told him she wanted a large family, and her desire became his desire. He had loved her for as long as he could remember, but children cost money.

  Dear Lord, those were hard years of waiting. In two days she will be his wife. He hadn’t prayed much in his life, not that he didn’t believe in the Lord, he just didn’t have the time. Now he needed to earnestly seek the Lord’s blessings on this new life he would share with Leann. He could use the Lord’s help with his finances too.