Leaving Yesterday Read Online Free Page A

Kurt wouldn’t call again, he wouldn’t make it through rehab, it wouldn’t last long. Maybe I shouldn’t have told Caroline anything after all. Who wanted to see her hopes destroyed?
    I turned my car toward the church and began to sing “Amazing Grace” at the top of my lungs. Maybe I couldn’t stop the internal voice of doubt, but I could at least drown it out.

    I found it hard to sit still during the morning staff meeting. The music director told of his plans for a children’s summer choir, the children’s director revealed plans for vacation Bible school, detail by painstaking detail. All these things were treated with utmost importance—and I knew they were important. Really, I did. Our church was the fastest-growing church on the central coast. We were gaining a lot of notice and it was an honor to be a member of this team. But today, I couldn’t think about anything other than my son.
    “Alisa, I know the spring women’s Bible study is well under way. I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback,” Ken Maddox, the senior pastor, said as heads nodded in agreement all around the table. “What do you have in the works for the women this summer?”
    I shook my head. “I’ve found that with kids out of school, family vacations, et cetera, it’s more frustrating than fruitful to try anything structured. I am planning a weekly meet-atthe-beach event for mothers and their children, and a couple of family movie nights throughout the summer.”
    Our programs coordinator, Beth Williams, shook her head. “You know, now that our attendance is averaging over a thousand, you might want to reconsider. If not right away, at least by the end of the summer when construction should be complete on the new Family Living Center. I’m thinking we should take full advantage of the facility as soon as possible— use our talents, that sort of thing.”
    I pretended to write a note on the pad in front of me. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind, Beth.”
    Ken Maddox cleared his throat. “There are a couple of other things I’d like to discuss with you. First of all, American Christian magazine wants to do a feature on our church, and they want to spotlight you in particular.”
    I looked at him in shock. “Me? Why?”
    “Well, our women’s ministry department is flourishing, and someone on their staff was present at the last Living With Grief seminar we hosted this winter. They were impressed.” He looked down at his notes. “Speaking of, I understand you are planning to speak at the upcoming seminar next month.” He smiled toward Beth. “And of course, Beth will be there to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
    She bobbed her head, as if in time to some unseen music. “That’s my gift.”
    I sighed. “Yes, it definitely is.”
    Organization was Beth’s gift, there was no doubt about it. But she was so Type A that she was overbearing to work with for any length of time. I tried to avoid doing so as much as possible. I looked toward Ken. “I wonder if we should be looking to feature someone else next month? I could help plan the event.”
    Beth broke in. “I told her that was completely unacceptable. I can organize these things just fine, but people come from miles around because they want to hear Alisa’s story. She does such an amazing job.” She looked at me as if God himself had just spoken. Then she began to trace her notebook with her finger and added demurely, “To tell you the truth, though, I wish you would avoid answering the questions about the effect on your family in such detail. Especially the part about Kurt. It just seems so depressing and hopeless, especially after your talk has been so uplifting.”
    I had come into this room with no intention of telling what was happening with Kurt. But Beth, in her usual way, riled me up enough that I blurted, “Not anymore. I guess I have a new chapter to add to my story.”
    The room went dead quiet. Everyone at this table knew the story of Nick’s