EnidSong

By Enid Ning

It was a beautiful, cool, early spring day. Warmed by the sun, I decided to leave my jacket in the car. Veronique, Dorothea, Kerri and I headed for the “people mover,” a modified hay wagon pulled by a tractor, which would transport us from the parking area into the small town of Elmira, Ontario, Canada. The four of us had just been through an intensive time of training at a nearby missions training school, and were looking forward to a change of pace at the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival.

Not wanting to spend too much money, I had brought only $8 for the Festival, and had left the rest of my money at home. I patted the pocket where my money was. Eight dollars should be enough for today.

The main street of Elmira was blocked off for the Festival. There were barbecues, fast food booths, many craft displays, plenty of “challenges,” such as log-rolling and tree-sawing, and, of course, maple syrup. I quickly spent the first $5 on a piece of barbecued chicken and a few maple syrup candies.

Then the sun went behind a cloud, and the air grew noticeably chilly. I began to regret leaving my jacket in the car, which was parked far away.

I had just gotten over a troublesome cold that had ended with an embarrassing hacking cough. I didn’t want to get sick again so soon, yet I felt as if the cold air was draining my well-being. My friends were also under-dressed, and had only concern and empathy to offer me.

Feeling discouraged, I ducked into a nearby shop to get warm. The first thing I saw was a shelf full of statuettes of praying hands just inside the door. I remembered that I could pray.

“Father,” I whispered under my breath with not much faith. “I’m really cold and I don’t want to get sick. Lord, I only have $3 left. Please help me.”

As I turned around, I noticed that the store was divided into two sections. The other section contained casual clothing. As I made for the clothing section, I noticed a large bin with a sign: “Bargain T-shirts $5 and $10.” Even though I only had $3, I started rooting through this bin.

Suddenly, I heard a man’s voice behind me. “Are you finding everything you need?”

I turned around. A slightly balding, middle-aged man with glasses looked at me inquiringly.

“Umm.” I hesitated shyly. “Do you have anything for $3?”

He came forward, reached into the bin, and pulled out a dark green, long-sleeved T-shirt. “Here.” He tossed it to me. “You can have this for $3.”

Clutching the precious T-shirt, I followed him to the counter, where he motioned to the clerk. “Three dollars,” he said authoritatively.

Quickly, I paid for the T-shirt, then went to the fitting room to slip it on under my clothes. The T-shirt fit me perfectly, as I knew it would, and kept me cosy and warm for the rest of the day!