Free Pierced by Love by Laura L. Walker Page A

the awkward silence that pervaded their ordinarily easygoing friendship.
    Everything changed for him that day. Even though he stuck his mission out, something within him had died and he no longer felt he was an effective missionary.
    “Pierce, I know it still hurts you to think about that time, but this is a little different,” his mom said gently. “First, we haven’t talked about getting married. We both understand that there are issues we need to work through. You’re right in implying that his son might not like me, although his daughter seems to be okay with her father dating me. We have decided to take it one day at a time and if it is the right thing to do, the Lord will show us how to proceed.”
    “You have more faith than I have, Mom,” Pierce replied cynically.
    He could hear the regret in her voice as she said, “Honey, I’m so sorry that your dad’s and my marriage fell apart while you were serving your mission, but it was a long time in coming. I was afraid of letting him go. But I couldn’t move on until I did. I’m just sorry that it took me so long to reach that conclusion for myself. And I know it had a negative impact on you boys.”
    It was true. His brother Craig had married a girl from Utah in the temple only to find out that they had some issues to work through. Fortunately for them, they’d resolved those issues and they now had two children to show for it. And his brother Gage, who had just received his mission call when the divorce became finalized, had backed out from leaving on his mission and had fallen into a hole of inactivity.
    “Pierce.” Sarah Logan’s voice held all the gentleness and compassion a mother’s voice could. “I love you so much. And I know you’ve been avoiding having this conversation with me for a long time. Divorcing your dad was a very painful thing that I never wanted to go through, but some good things have come from it. Your dad was being pulled into the ways of the world, and I couldn’t seem to pull him back. I didn’t like the person I was becoming. My heart had hardened against him and the Lord. I was becoming resentful and cynical, much like I think you are becoming now. I saw the way you and your brothers were starved for his attention and though I was grateful when other priesthood leaders in the ward reached out to you, I hated the fact that your father wasn’t filling that role.”
    “I didn’t like seeing you so unhappy, Mom,” Pierce admitted. “There were mornings when I felt bad about leaving for school because I knew that you’d been crying the night before. But you always put a smile on your face for us.”
    “Oh, Pierce,” she said sadly. “I wanted us to be an eternal family. I was trying to put on a brave face. And I still want that for the three of you. Craig has a good wife and they are raising a beautiful family. But, like every couple, they’ll have to work on keeping their marriage strong. Gage has some obvious challenges and I worry about him a lot. But I worry about you, too, because this seems to have stunted your growth in ways that you aren’t willing to admit.”
    “Like what?” he asked harshly.
    “You’re afraid to take a chance on love,” she replied without hesitation.
    “Why would I want to put myself through that when I’ve seen how badly it turns out?”
    “Pierce,” she chided gently, “you don’t know what will happen. And besides, every person has his or her agency. Whether we seek higher education or take a job or get married and raise children, we can only decide to do our best and leave the rest to the Lord. Two people who are dedicated to each other and the Lord will make a successful marriage.
    “But at some point, every person faces a trial that is precipitated by another person’s actions. Mine just happened to come from my husband. We made sacred covenants in the temple, and, oh, it hurt like heck when he turned away from the Church, but sooner or later, every person comes to that