1934: Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Welcome Home

Elizabeth had a welcome home party planned for Jack.  She had been planning it for months.  It was hard to be away from him for so long, so the planning helped take her mind off of his absence.

When they finally made it home after lunch, he took off on Sergeant for a ride around the land.  It warmed her heart to see him on his father’s horse.  As she busied herself in the kitchen, she heard a knock at the door.  Wiping her hands on her apron, she answered it.  Rosemary pushed her way in the doorway, loaded down with bags and party decorations.

“Oh, my goodness!  I thought today would never get here.”  Rosemary looked around Elizabeth’s immaculate home.  She sighed.  “Well, looks like we have a lot of work to do to get this place looking presentable before guests arrive.  What are you doing just standing there?  Let’s get to work!”

Elizabeth shook her head and left Rosemary to her work while she went back to the kitchen.  Occasionally she heard exclamations of “What a mess!” and “What in the world?” but she didn’t think much of it.  Rosemary had been her dear friend for more than twenty years, and Elizabeth had grown used to her eccentricities.

***

The party guests began to arrive, and Elizabeth welcomed them into her home.  It sat on Jack’s land—her land now.  She loved that she had room to entertain guests and be a good hostess.  It’s something she had always wanted to do.

Friends began to arrive; Jack’s friends from school, church folks, and community members.  They were all excited to welcome Jack home from cadet training.  Music played on the radio in the corner of the sitting room.  Jack mingled with the guests as they slapped him on the back and wished him well.

“Can I have your attention, please?” Rosemary shouted over the crowd; the radio was silenced.  “We would like to thank you for coming to welcome our dear Jack home from his training with the Mounties.  Jack, would you like to say a few words?”

The crowd applauded as Jack blushed and made his way to the front of the room.  He cleared his throat.

“Uh, I’m not quite sure what to say.  I guess I want to say thank you all for your support.  Thank you for taking care of my ma while I was away.  And, uh, I guess thank you for being there for me my whole life.”  He paused and looked around nervously.  “You know, when I decided to join the Mounties, I know some of you thought that was a bad idea.  I mean, I get it.  It’s dangerous.  But my whole life…” He paused again, swallowing the lump in his throat and looking at his mother.  “My whole life I wanted to be like my pa.  I never knew him, but I feel like I did.  His legacy lives on in Hope Valley, and a big part of his legacy is his service to the Mounties.  I feel like this is my calling.  I look forward to serving my country and being a hero, just like my pa.”

The guests clapped and cheered.  Many of them wiped tears from their eyes.  Elizabeth stood in the corner, smiling but weeping.  She remembered when she told her father about the calling on her life, the calling to teach.  He had reservations about her leaving Hamilton, but he knew she was strong, a true Thatcher.  Much the same, she knew her boy was strong, like his father, a true Thornton.  Through her fear, she would support him in living out the calling that God had placed on his life.

***

The cold wind turned to snow as the guests were leaving the welcome home party.  Large flakes fell as Elizabeth bid the partygoers farewell, and Jack shook their hands and thanked them as they parted.  Jack’s friends waited around outside, enjoying the snowfall and waiting for an opportunity to spend some time with their friend.  Elizabeth laughed as she watched them try to catch the large flakes on their tongues.

“Go see your friends,” she chuckled, and Jack leapt eagerly down the steps, ignoring the cold.

Shaking her head in amusement, she wrapped her shawl tighter around her and made her way back inside to warm herself near the fire.  The radio announced a blizzard was on its way.  Sitting in her favorite chair, she thought she would leave the cleaning up for a little later.  The snow was falling, her boy was home, and she was happy.  She admired the wedding ring on her left hand as it sparkled in the firelight.

The telephone began to ring.  Picking up the receiver, she answered.  She sighed, “Oh, I miss you, too.  I hope you are staying safe in this weather.”