A Home for the Heart: Experiencing the Grace of God

By Cricket Kirkbride Thrash

Elaine spent her adult life running from her past, but
God was running after her and answering the prayers
of those who loved her. At the right time, God got
her attention and showed His love for Elaine and her
daughter Laini, in some very unusual ways.
We think we can run our own lives, but eventually we
run wild. We think we are in control but sooner or
later everything comes to the light.
It is at the point when we lay our baggage down,
casting our cares on Him, that we are free to live the
abundant life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483670553

Cricket Kirkbride Thrash

Cricket Kirkbride Thrash is a retired teacher of forty years in the public schools. She has taught Sunday school over the last fifty years and numerous Bible study groups. Following the death of her late husband, she started a grief support group, which met in her home. Presently, she is leading the second grief support group in her church. Presently married to her husband, Mike, she is the mother of two grown children and grandmother of four grandchildren. She is the stepmother to eight children and step-grandmother to ten grandchildren. She has seen the hand of the Lord in her life and knows it is a powerful guide.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Elaine stood behind her daughter and glanced into the mirror as she brushed Laini’s beautiful auburn hair. For the first time, Elaine realized just how much she and Laini looked alike. This was a common statement from the folks in town. Everyone said they looked enough alike to be sisters. But today, Elaine saw the similarity.

Perhaps it was because Laini was now a young woman of twenty-two years, a college graduate who was ready to begin her professional career.

Both women were stunningly gorgeous. Elaine’s hair was blondish brown, which she wore pulled back, away from her face. This allowed her glowing complexion to shine as well as her blue-green eyes and her perfectly arched brows to show.

Laini allowed her hair to bounce gracefully on her shoulders, which matched her bouncy personality.

Elaine preferred the more casual look, which afforded her the luxury of working around the ranch. She had been doing more and more of this since the death of her father.

Laini, however, preferred surprising her viewers with a vintage mixture of clothing and was always involved in a different from everyone look. After all, her momma had always taught her to be herself.

One of Elaine’s favorite things to do, since Laini had been a little girl, was to brush her daughter’s gorgeous hair. The two women were very close, never fussing over each other and having escaped many of the normal mother-daughter troubles. They were accustomed to sharing almost everything, every little bit of information, sometimes finding the silliest little thing to laugh about for hours. Yet there was a deep respect between them. Their real beauty was internal.

Laini was constantly concerned about Elaine’s love life. She was always trying to fix her momma up with someone, usually as a joke—it would be one of the townsmen like Mr. Matthews, who was at least eighty years of age, had poor eyesight, and was a nonstop talker. To make matters even worse, Mr. Matthews was sweet on Elaine, even stopping her in the middle of the street to shake hands and see her sweet smile. Elaine assured Laini that she was quite capable of finding her own date; however, she rarely ever did. Laini could count on one hand the number of times she had seen her momma on a date.

A penny for your thoughts, Laini said as she noticed Elaine stuck in the moment. What are you thinking about, Momma?

Elaine gave Laini a big hug around her shoulders. I’m thinking that I am the most fortunate woman in the world to have such a smart and beautiful daughter.

Oh, Momma, Laini said, you’re the one who is smart and beautiful, but after all, I look just like you.

Then as sudden as a summer’s rain, Laini asked about her father.

Elaine did not appreciate the fact that almost every conversation recently had turned in this direction, but to keep Laini happy, she always tried to tell her just enough to satisfy her curiosity about her father.

Do I have my daddy’s eyes? Are they green like mine? Did he have a beautiful smile? Do I have his chin? Don’t you have one picture of him? Laini begged for the least bit of information.

Elaine interrupted before more questions could roll out. No, Laini, you are a true Morris, through and through. You look like my side of the family. Remember how beautiful Mam was?

Yes, said Laini, let’s ride out to see them today. I want to tell them good-bye before I leave.

The mere mention of Mam triggered Elaine’s thoughts to return to a time long ago. So as Laini polished her nails, Elaine remembered.

Chapter 2

Mam and Papa were Elaine’s mother and father. They had lived on the ranch for over sixty years. The ranch was the only home Elaine and Laini had ever known. When Elaine became pregnant at the young age of sixteen, it was Mam who kept her close. Papa wanted to send Elaine to a private home for girls, but Mam said no. So Papa just kept his distance. It was as if he simply didn’t know what to say to her.

Elaine hoped that Papa still loved her, and she missed their time together, but he could not bring himself to talk to her. So Mam prayed, and when Papa saw his new granddaughter Laini’s beautiful, tiny, perfect face for the first time, he cried like a baby. He cried and smiled, and smiled and cried and prayed. He would tell everyone that God must have worked overtime on his precious granddaughter. He simply fell in love with that child. That tiny baby was the instrument used by God to increase Papa’s faith. He apologized to Elaine for the way he had treated her. Elaine forgave him, and they had a close relationship once again from that moment on.

Mam was the giant of faith. She firmly believed that every child was a gift from God, regardless of the details of their birth. Whether by rape or by two parents who were caught by surprise, or by a young sixteen-year-old daughter, she believed that every child was fearfully and wonderfully made, knit together in the mother’s womb. Mam never discussed the question of Laini’s father although she just knew it had to be Jax, Elaine’s best friend and true love. And Elaine was positive that Mam knew her secret and thought that, someday, the subject would be discussed.

Mam had enough on her hands taking care of Elaine’s roller-coaster emotions as Elaine found herself as a young mother now. She prayed that this would be a growing in faith time for Elaine. That was always Mam’s concern. Every crisis, every event, and each trial found her praying that God would use the event to draw the person closer to him. She believed that God makes no mistakes in the breaking process. She firmly believed that God blesses those who endure temptation and only he knows how much pressure we can take. He is always in the