Pastor Eric said he needed a female with a strong voice. Of course, I volunteered. I am a female with a damn fine voice. He said he would email me about the December 26th service. I didn’t hear from him, but no worries. I’m a professional. I could wing it at the service, meet my sister afterward, and we would hop on the plane to Chicago to see my niece.

When I arrived Pastor handed me the binder and said we would be sharing gospel readings. He would read 5 and so would I.

As the service started I felt strong. I read about the House of David and the prophets. Then came my 3rd reading: The Annunciation. As I read Mary’s conversation with Gabriel, I started to see her as a 14 year old child about to receive an immeasurable burden. Wait.

She was 14! Like my sister when she learned she was pregnant with my niece. She had to be terrified. Like my sister, terrified at what was about to happen. I saw both girls trying to conquer fear with faith as my strong voice, broke.

Two readings to go.