Aunt Hattie Knew How to Pray

People photo created by jcomp – www.freepik.com

“As prayer warriors, we must remember that no matter how hopeless a situation may appear to us, God gives us power in prayer to do something about it. We may be overwhelmed by it, but God isn’t. We may not see a way out, but God can. Because of Him, we can make a difference!”― Stormie Omartian, Prayer Warrior: The Power of Praying Your Way to Victory

On Sunday’s post I mentioned that someone had asked me about favorite characters in my stories. I actually have many favorites–characters who sprang to life in my imagination and began whispering their words into my ears. Oftentimes that is a secondary character who comes along to enrich one of my stories. That certainly happened with a number of characters in Angel Sister and my other Rosey Corner books.

As I told you Sunday, the background and inspiration for many of the characters in Angel Sister came from my mother’s stories about growing up during the Great Depression. She once told me that when her father was a little boy he had a companion, a young boy who was paid to watch out for him. That snippet of information led to my character Bo and then, more importantly, to his mother, Aunt Hattie. Mom also talked about several different women in the neighborhood when she was a child. One took in laundry to make money. Another showed up to help when a baby was born. I combined those to come up with Aunt Hattie.

And could my Aunt Hattie ever pray. All through the Rosey Corner books, she shows up to pray at just the right times. That happens early on in the first chapter of Angel Sister.  So, since I was thinking about how Aunt Hattie did add to my stories with her prayers, I decided to share that first one with you. I think this scene established Aunt Hattie’s character throughout all three books as a prayer warrior.

They didn’t know she was there. Not even Aunt Hattie who just about always knew everything and had forever. After all she’d delivered nearly every baby who’d been born in Rosey Corner since the turn of the century thirty-six years ago. She especially knew about the Merritt family since she’d worked as a servant for them until Kate’s grandmother had died in the 1918 influenza epidemic. About the same time Kate’s father was learning to drink in the war over in France and Aunt Hattie’s boy, Bo, was getting killed and buried over there.

(Kate, my 14 year old main character, stays silent as she eavesdrops on her mother and Aunt Hattie even though she knows she should sneak out of the house and run back to school. When they fall silent she holds her breath and hopes they won’t hear her in the next room listening. )

Kate was up to fifty-five ticks of the mantle clock when her mother finally spoke again. “I don’t believe in drinking alcohol to hide from your problems.”

“No way you could with how your own daddy has been preaching against that very thing since the beginning of time. Preacher Reece, he don’t cut nobody no slack. ‘Specially not his own family.”

“There are better ways of handling troubles than making more troubles by drinking too much.” Kate’s mother’s voice didn’t have the first hint of doubt in it.

“I ain’t arguing with you, Nadine. I’s agreein’ all the way.”

“Then what am I supposed to do, Aunt Hattie?”

“I ain’t got no answers. Alls I can do is listen and maybe talk to one who does have the answers.”

“I’ve been praying.”

“Course you have, but maybe we can join our prayers together. It says in the Good Book that where two or more agree on something, the Lord pays attention. Me. You. We’s two.”

“Pray with me right now, Aunt Hattie. For Victor. And the girls.” Her mother paused a moment and then went on. “Especially Kate. She’s picked up some of the load I can’t seem to make myself shoulder.”

In the front room, Kate pulled in her breath.

“Don’t you be worryin’ none about that child. She’s got some broad shoulders. Here, grab hold of my hands.” Aunt Hattie’s voice changed, got a little louder as if she wanted to make sure the Lord could hear her plain. “Our holy Father who watches over us up in heaven. May we always honor ever’ living day you give us. We praise you for lettin’ us have this very day right now. And for sending us trials and tribulations so that we can learn to lean on you.”

She paused a moment as if considering those tribulations. Then she went on. “Help our Victor. You knows what he needs better than me or even your sweet child, Nadine here. Turn him away from the devil’s temptations and bring him home to his family. Not just his feet but his heart too. And strengthen that family and watch over that family. Increase their joy and decrease their sorrow. Especially our Katherine Reece. Put your hand over top her and keep her from wrong.”

Kate didn’t wait to hear any more. She felt like Aunt Hattie’s eyes were seeing right through the walls and poking into her. Seeing her doing wrong right that moment as she stood there eavesdropping on them. Kate snatched her history paper off the table and tiptoed out of the house. Once off the porch she didn’t stop running until she was going up the steps into the school.

The prayer hadn’t worked yet. At least not the part about her father resisting the devil’s temptations if that meant stop drinking.

I hope if you visit Rosey Corner or have visited Rosey Corner, that you will like or did like my Aunt Hattie. We all need an Aunt Hattie to pray for you.

Have you ever known a prayer warrior or perhaps been a prayer warrior for someone or something yourself?

If you haven’t visited Rosey Corner, now’s a great time to grab the book for less that a dollar at most internet e-book sites. It’s only 79 cents on Amazon. But the price won’t last forever. So get it now while its price is so low. Even if you have read it, 79 cents isn’t much to download it for perhaps a second reading someday. Plus, if you’re feeling generous, you could gift your e-reading friends with a book that you may have enjoyed (if you did) for a very, very low price. You can find other buy links on my website book page for Angel Sister.