"Yeah I'm okay. You know it's just my Sunday morning jitters," I said finding a smile.
"Oh you shouldn't be embarassed to sing in-front of the congregation, you've done it more than once," he said stroking my hair.
"I know that silly," I said taking a deep breath and looking forward to pastor Tim standing on the stage. Quickly folks took their places. Dad sat next to Kaleb and I along with my mom. Pastor Tim did his speech and then asked the choir to sing. Members of the choir walked up to the stage. I walked up with as much grace as God had allowed me that morning. "We will have a solo by Miss Alison Sanders," the Pastor said handing me the mic. I looked toward Oliver the piano player, he gave me the signal and the music began. I sang the words I had been taught and put my own emotion into each phrase, each word, each letter. I felt my heart fill with a love so undescribable. My eye's shut and I no longer saw the eye's on me. I only saw me. I finished the song on my high note and rejoined the choir. Applause found the room and fillled it with joy. I smiled and lifted my hands in praise.
After church. we all began to mingle. I was with my one friend who had stayed in town while the others went off to college. "Greta performance," Marybeth said to me taking a donut from the tray. "Thanks," I said looking past her at a guy standing and talking to Pastor Tim. I had never seen him before. And I swear I knew ever person in Sunny Valley. "Who's that?" I asked Marybeth curiously.
"Oh I don't know," she said shrugging it off.
"Well I intend to find out," I said walking past her to pastor Tim.
