Free The Memory by Barbara Kaylor Page A

Olivia stranded without any regard for her.  He rubbed his thighs as a plan formed in his head.  It wasn’t one he liked, but it was unavoidable.   “I’ll return to Orlando and meet with Olivia.  Maybe I’ve been seeking answers in all the wrong places.  Maybe this memory I have means nothing at all.  You and I didn’t mean anything to each other in Orlando.   You’ve made that clear.”
    Geneva’s heart shattered into a bazillion pieces as she listened to Elliot.  His tone reeked with heartache and finality.   The joy they’d just experienced together, talking about the lake and beach, was lifetimes away.   She’d ruined the moment for the sake of reality, a reality neither wanted to face. 
    Elliot walked Geneva back home, but didn’t accept her invitation to come for dinner or return to the evening service.  She’d given him too much to think about.  All the way back to his cabin, Elliot mulled over the one quality in his memory of Geneva that pointed to more than just the firing.  His profound feelings for her. Something stronger than the memory itself was struggling to get out, and he wanted desperately to find out what it was.
    On their way to church, the Palmers stopped by Elliot’s cabin.  Winnie had fixed him a turkey sandwich.  Elliot was appreciative and ate the entire thing even though his appetite was weak.
    With nothing but his troubled thoughts to keep him company, Elliot reached for the Bible Perry had loaned him.  Several pages were dog-eared.  He flipped to them first, hoping to find an inspiring message. The marked passages were uplifting, but not relevant. Every block of Scripture Perry had underlined spoke of living with joy or obeying God.  Elliot wanted something that addressed his particular needs.
    After a while, disappointment overwhelmed him.  He closed the Bible and walked back out to the lake.  The sky over the water was a calm, pinkish hue.  It filled him with peace, but no answers.  He stood still, letting the evening breeze mess his hair.  Wavy strands brushed his forehead.  He pushed them back. His hair felt bushy and unkempt.
    Elliot trembled. Why do I feel like that? He remembered being more cleaned-cut, but the memory turned to dust in the breeze.  He glanced down at his clothes.   He wore a polo shirt, khaki work trousers, and loafers with no socks.  The outfit didn’t trigger any unsettling feelings.  Elliot sighed.  The amnesia wore him down.  Nothing jogged his memory. 
    He slipped out of his shoes and strolled along the water’s edge. A whippoorwill’s song across the lake echoed Elliot’s loneliness. 
    God, help me, he pleaded silently.   He’d prayed that same prayer over and over since waking up without his memories.  It’d been three weeks, and he was more confused than ever.  Geneva was right. He needed to spend more time with those he knew well, people who were in his life. What was he accomplishing being in Holly Park?  Nothing!   It came to Elliot like a whack on the head. 
    He remained outside until the stars came out.  When he returned to the cabin, he picked up the Bible one more time before getting ready for bed. 
    There has to be an answer in here, Elliot told himself.  I just haven’t found it yet. He thumbed through the pages again.  Verse after verse brought some peace or joy or hope, but he wanted more.  Then it hit him. All the Scriptures were familiar to him.  He hadn’t given it much thought until that moment.  He’d been so hungry to find the one verse that would speak to his specific problem that he hadn’t realized he remembered what he was reading and where to look. 
    Elliot shook himself.  He’d been a Bible reader in the past.  He knew God’s word.  Without hesitating, he turned to 2 Corinthians 12:8 - 10 and read Paul’s words out loud.
    “I begged the Lord three times to take this problem away from me. But, he said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you.  When you are weak, my