Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash
Dear Aunt Hattie. Grandmother, aunt, preacher, teacher all tied up in one.
Aunt Hattie’s first prayer in Angel Sister:
Pray with me right now, Aunt Hattie. For Victor. And the girls.” Kate’s 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.”
Aunt Hattie meets Jay Tanner and tells him a thing or two in Small Town Girl.
“You thinkin’ the Lord can’t use you?” Aunt Hattie stood back and put her hands back on her hips to give Jay a fierce stare.
“I’m thinking he wouldn’t want to. I’m not good enough for that.”
“Ain’t none of us good enough. We’s all broken vessels that the Lord can make whole to do whatever he intends us to do.” Aunt Hattie narrowed her eyes on him. “You just keep in mind, Jay Tanner, that the Lord can hit a mighty straight lick with a mighty crooked stick.”
Aunt Hattie had a way of raising her eyes toward the sky and talking to God like she could see him sitting right there on his throne chair, bent down listening.
In Small Town Girl, the family asks Aunt Hattie to pray after they first hear the news on the radio about the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Aunt Hattie raised her skinny arms with palms flat toward the ceiling as she looked up and began praying.
“Dear loving and gracious and understanding Lord. I’s knowing you is lookin’ down on us with loving kindness. And we thank you that you is right here with us during this hard time. We know your lovin’ arms is reaching out to us wantin’ to draw us close to you so’s we can lean on your strength and not our own. We has trouble with that, dear Lord, time and time again. Not trustin’ you the way we should. We’s for sure gonna trust you now with this evil happening and all the evil happenings that’s been overtakin’ this old world. But we know you is in control and that in your good time you will make things right.”
Aunt Hattie paused, but nobody said anything. They knew she wasn’t through until she came out with an amen.
“We’s some of us got a feelin’ of fear down here. We’s scared of what we’s looking at the same as we were back when our boys went off to that other war when you took my Bo on to his heavenly home. Now here we are again. Trembling and shakin’ afore you. Protect those boys over there in that Pearl Harbor where bombs is falling. Give them and us here too, give all your children the courage we is gonna need in the dark days ahead. Let us know that not even the deepest darkness can keep your lovin’ light from shining through to us. Amen and amen.”
Aunt Hattie didn’t jig around the truth. (Truths she shared with Kate in Love Comes Home.)
~Aunt Hattie’s voice was in Kate’s head. Katherine Reece, you is always overthinking ever’thing. Leave a few things up to the Lord. And accept the plenty of blessings he rains down on you.
~“You has always wanted to hold everybody in your hands and be the strong one.” Aunt Hattie shook her head a little. “But there is times when each and ever’ one of us has to realize how weak we really are. That’s when a body learns to lean on the strength of the Lord. Compared to him, we is all weak as kittens.”
Truths she shared with Tori in Love Comes Home
Aunt Hattie’s voice whispered through her thoughts. Ain’t never no use a-worrying. Praying, that’s what you’s need to be doing.
But prayers sometimes just floated away into the dark nowhere and weren’t answered. If Aunt Hattie heard her saying that, she’d give Tori a real talking to. Prayers aren’t like being in a candy store where you’s can pick out your answer like choosin’ your favorite sweets. Prayer gets you through when you’s thinkin’ there is no way through.
She opened Clay’s eyes to a different way to pray in Love Comes Home.
The minute Aunt Hattie walked into a house, she brought calm with her. Clay’s mother said Aunt Hattie had healing hands, but Clay wondered if it wasn’t her healing prayers that mattered more. The first time he heard her pray was a revelation to Clay. He didn’t know a person could just look up and start talking to the Lord. His mother prayed, but she did it in her quiet corner. And he never heard his father pray out loud, although he was a churchgoing man. But when Aunt Hattie prayed, it was like she pulled up a chair to the Lord’s kitchen table to ask him for a few helpings of mercy. Helpings she had full confidence of getting.
Aunt Hattie could out preach most anybody.
Amen and amen.
I wanted to share more about Aunt Hattie in this week when I’m re-visiting Rosey Corner. Some readers think I have too much praying, too much Scripture in my stories, but some like the stories because of the Scripture and prayers. I hope you do too and that you enjoyed walking through a bit of the stories with Aunt Hattie. She could say a prayer. It’s a good thing to just look up and start talking with the Lord.
Remember if you leave a comment on this post or last Sunday’s post, you get an entry in a drawing to have the chance to win a copy of Angel Sister or one of the other Rosey Corner books, Small Town Girl or Love Comes Home. You get another entry if you commented on Sunday’s post and now comment again. It’s a fast giveaway. I’ll draw for the winner Sunday.
So, do you like characters in the stories you read to pray or remember Scripture?
Did you like meeting Aunt Hattie in my Rosey Corner stories or here on this post?
Comments 22
I do like hearing the prayers of others. Aunt Hettie’s prayer just lifted me up. Oh, to pray like that. Also, when Scripture is quoted.
Author
I’m glad you were lifted up by Aunt Hattie’s prayers, Lisa. Sometimes it is difficult to let go of our inhibitions and simply be present with the Lord. I think that was how I tried to make Aunt Hattie. Someone who walked hand in hand with the Lord.
After the events of this week in Afghanistan, and all the other turmoil in this world, Aunt Hattie’s prayers are just what I needed to read. I can’t seem to rid myself of anxiety right now, and I know I need to pray. Thank you for putting scripture and characters who pray in your books.
Author
World events can be upsetting, Sharon. When we feel helpless to do anything to change a situation, whether that something happening close to us or far away, we can turn those worries over to the Lord in prayers.
Glad Aunt Hattie’s prayers helped you.
I think Aunt Hattie is very interesting . Prayer and scripture is part of what she is all about. I enjoyed hearing her, it certainly made her very real and an important character in the stories.
Author
I think you must have gotten to know Aunt Hattie pretty well, Connie. She was all about prayer and depending on the Lord. Glad you enjoyed her character in my stories.
I love your characters, prayers, and scriptures! Abundant blessings to you always, Ann!
Author
Thank you, Lauren. I so appreciate your kind words and I’m so glad you’ve taken my characters to your heart.
Wishing blessings back to you.
I absolutely love Aunt Hattie’s prayers & preachin’.
Please keep giving us this great tool of Truth & courage through your books. It is so needed ‘for such a time as this’.
Praying is communicating with the One Who created us & loves us the most. What a joy & comfort it is to talk to our Heavenly Father (Who knows even the number of hairs on our heads) and read His Word…His Truth…that can bring answers to all of our questions & meet all of our needs…spirit, soul and body.
(Isaiah 53:5 is a great example.) Thanks for continuing to write such encouraging and character building books!
Author
You’re pretty good at sharing the word too, Connie Rae. Those are some good truths you wrote for us there. Aunt Hattie was a great character and just what they needed in Rosey Corner from time to time throughout all three stories.
Thanks for your encouragement. I do love writing stories.
Yes, I LOVE the prayers and the Scripture. They encourage me and point me to the right path. That’s why I read Christian fiction almost exclusively! Thanks for sharing the Lord with me in that way!
Author
There are so many great stories in Christian fiction these days, Suzanne. It’s fun to be able to pick up a book and know you won’t have to wade through bad language and scenes you would rather not imagine. Not that there aren’t good stories in the general market and that some Christian fiction finds a way into the general market too. Not as much as in the past when books like The Robe made the bestseller lists.
I loved the Rosey Corner books and also the prayers, it seems as Aunt Hattie is in the same room as I am it is so real to me, thank you for writing them.
Author
She seemed real to me too, Donna Jean. But when I was doing the narration for Love Comes Home, her voice was the hardest for me. I don’t think I ever got it right. But I was still glad when she grabbed a few minutes of the story and shared her wisdom with my characters and in turn, with me.
Love the prayers and scripture in your books ! I find your reference to the BIBLE and heart felt praying to be inspiring . Thank you for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the characters in your stories .
Author
Thanks for your encouraging words, Nancy. I never set out to include this or that Scripture passage or have this or that character pray. Those both just flow out of the storyline. I’m always grateful when suitable Bible passages or stories pop into my head at those times.
The prayers and scriptures in your books are what makes them so special! Thank you for sharing your faith through your stories!
Author
Love that you think so, Judi. Thank you so much for those kind words. Much appreciated.
Oh, Ann, your praying characters and scripture references give your stories strength. They provide an avenue to share God’s love. You never know when a reader’s faith will be strengthened or when a seed of redemption is planted in someone’s life.
Author
Thank you for those sweet thoughts, Becky. I like including the faith journeys of my characters in with the story. I think many of my readers have that same need to lean on the Lord’s strength that I sometimes let my characters have.
I love the scriptures and praying in your books.I loved Aunt Hattie in your Rosey Corner books.This world could use more paying Christians right now.
Author
You are so right, Lisa. Many of us, including me, could do better at being prayer warriors for our friends and family, our communities and churches, our country and our world. I am thankful for friends like you and pray the Lord will continue to bless you with good check-ups.