(Lincoln County, West Virginia: July 1963)
The sense of purpose that I longed for as a little girl had found its way to my heart. The countless years working at Berman’s have filled my heart full of passionate joy. The girls and I formed a precious family-like bond. The customers meant a lot to me. Day to day life was abundant in blessings. Our family's faith remained solid through it all, as the good shepherd never left our side. His presence would always be enough.
The little bell sounded as the door to the shop inched open. The young woman looked familiar, as she frequented Berman’s quite a bit. I always loved having the chance to meet people and found my voice working in Charleston. Every day the town seemed to be bustling with even more friendly faces.
"Hi!" the young woman said, looking around the shop.
"How can I help you?" I replied, walking up to the lady, smiling from ear to ear.
"I need a dress for a dinner party that I'm going to. Oh...I love this one with the bright floral pattern. It's so pretty!"
The woman touched the fabric of the dress and her eyes lit up with excitement. She walked over to a rack with several articles of clothing, picking out a grey pencil skirt and admiring it before moving on to another rack nearby.
"You all make the prettiest clothes." The woman said, stopping to rearrange the clothing in her arms.
"I definitely want the skirt!" she continued.
"Let me take that for ya. You got your arms full." I smiled as the young woman continued to browse.
I draped the grey skirt over my arm and moved to the woman's side to help her find some other options as well. "What about this one?" I held up a royal blue party dress. "This is one of our best sellers."
The woman's eyes widened. "Oh, I love that one too! I can't decide! You pick."
I thought for a moment. " You would look stunning in the royal blue."
Her face beamed. "You think so?" Well, I'll take the dress and the skirt." she said as she sauntered to the front.
I added the dress to the skirt she was carrying and walked to the cash register.
"I want to thank you for helping me. What's your name?" the young woman asked.
"My name is Melda," I replied with a smile.
"Thank you so much for your help!" the woman said.
"Oh, it was no trouble at all!" I said with a shrug.
"No, I love it all. You're the best!" The young woman held out her hand. "I'm Cookie, by the way."
I shook her hand and couldn't help but notice that her fingernails were a perfect mauve color.
What a sweetheart.
I finished the day and drove home. The evening was early yet and I was looking forward to time with her family.
Mama always came over to help with dinner when I worked. Most of the family had their own lives by now, but she still helped as much as she could. Frank came in from the yardwork as I was helping to sit the last bowl of food on the kitchen table.
"Hey, darlin' how was your day?" he asked.
"Oh, it was great. I had the nicest girl come into the shop today. She didn't look much younger than you Gordon," Momma said with a chuckle. " I helped her pick out a nice royal blue dress."
Frank smiled proudly. "That's great. Was it that party dress you were workin' on a few weeks ago?"
"You bet and she loved it!" I said happily. "Her name is Cookie, and she’s an absolute sweetheart."
"Of course she did!" Frank beamed with pride.
"It's the first time I've ever gotten to help someone in the shop. I'm glad I took this job years ago. It turned out to be a huge blessing after all."
"We're all proud of ya!" mama chimed in, planting a kiss on my forehead as she got up from the table. "Anybody want coffee?"
Sunday evening rolled around and we headed down the road after finishing our dinner. Frank looked a bit more tired than usual, but no one thought much about it. He'd had health problems in the last few years, but seemed to recover for the most part. "He's just overdoin' it, but there ain't no tellin' him to slow down." I would always tell people.
Frank shook everyone's hand and took his usual seat. He stood up as service started as the preacher allowed the church members to share what God had done for them.
"My Lord has always taken care of me and my family," he spoke boldly. "Melda and I have quite the story," Frank paused, the words of praise trickling out of him. "When I didn't have no momma, Jesus was there. When we lost our Mavarine, Jesus was there. He smiled, as he motioned towards Gordon and me. "I remember when she and I were young. He helped us both in mighty ways. He's been our shelter. He's been our rescuer. He's always provided for us. He saved our souls from a fiery hell." Frank recounted as a tear fell down his cheek. "I am so thankful for what Christ has done for me too. Life has been more than blessed because of Him. I don't know what else to say, but thank you, Jesus." Frank raised his hand, as he stood for a few minutes more before returning to his seat. There were several shouts of amen before we realized something was wrong. Frank’s body slumped over in an instant.
"He's not breathing!" A lady beside me shouted. "Somebody call an ambulance!"
Frank’s funeral took place a few days later at Everett’s house.
"I can't believe he's gone," I cried, dabbing at my eyes with a handkerchief. "I don't know how to go on without him. We were kids when we met." I continued, hugging Grace tightly.
"He's in a better place. He was never shy about sharing all about Jesus." A man said as he walked into the room. "I was one of his coworkers at the TNT plant. He left quite an impact. A wonderful friend. Always there when I needed him." he continued. "
"I'm so glad. I never caught your name before." I said, standing up to shake his hand.
"Oh, I should have told you before. My name is Tom," he replied with a smile. "It's been a long time since I've seen Frank. I'm so sorry for your loss." Tom looked at me with remembering eyes.
"Thank you for coming. It means a lot." I replied, my voice tired from the day.
"I wanted to," said Tom. "He was a good Christian man."
Tom was silent for a few minutes and told us that he had to go home. It was amazing to see how many lives my Frank touched without him even realizing it.
I'll never forget the feeling of those first few days without him. I knew we would get through it. Gordon still needed me, and I would always be there for him. Frank was my first hero and my true love. A testament to how a life of faith should play out. A shining example of how one should always follow Jesus and trust in His leading.
Christ is the door of eternal life. The good shepherd will bless your broken road beyond comprehension. All you have to do is allow Him into your heart. His redeeming grace will save you from an eternity in Hell. Frank testified for the Lord until his very last breath and inspired those he loved to do the same. We would continue to trust in the good shepherd through it all.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)
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