Free Holiday Illusion by Lynette Eason Page A

Anna. The praising song.”
    Anna blinked. The praising song? Then she remembered. The song she’d sung for him a couple of times while he’d been lying in the hospital. She’d translated it into Portuguese and he’d seemed to relax each time he heard it. “English or Portuguese?”
    â€œEnglish,” he whispered, “so Andy can understand the words, too.”
    So, she held his hand and sang, “‘Your name is blessed in all the land, your beauty unsurpassed, your faithfulness never ending. I call on you as I praise your name…” Closing her eyes, she let the words wash over her, opened her entire being to the worship. That indescribable feeling filling her heart, her very soul, with the peace she could only find in her Lord. His presence flooded her, joy nearly choking her as her eyes filled with tears “…you find me when I’m lost, wandering through the darkness, flailing to find You when I can’t see…I turn to you praising your name…”
    Â 
    Lucas stood in the doorway to Paulo’s room, watching the most beautiful—and unbelievable—thing he’d ever seen. Anna sang in a sweet perfect pitch, praising her God. He listened to the lyrics as she sang about the path she traveled, blessing God’s name even in the midst of her torment.
    How? How could she do that? What kind of God did she serve that allowed her to feel the peace that practically oozed from her every pore when it seemed like everything in life was going wrong? Paulo slept as she sang. Andy’s eyes were heavy, drooping, fluttering open, then closed.
    Stuck, Lucas felt like an intruder on such a private moment. He wanted to leave yet felt compelled to stay. He wanted to kneel down beside her and share in her worship. He wanted what she had.
    Her voice filled the small room but there was no mistaking that Anna wasn’t there. She was somewhere with her God, the one she worshipped, had faith in and trusted unwaveringly to get her through the hard times.
    Lucas felt the presence behind him and jerked around, his finger to his lips. It was Lindsey, the nurse. He wondered how long she’d been there but then realized, from the tears standing in her eyes, she’d been there long enough.
    And then there was quiet.
    A soothing stillness that made him want to savor every blessed moment.
    â€œOh, hi,” Anna said, her words a little breathless. Seeing her audience, she seemed flustered. “Um, Paulo wanted me to sing to him.”
    Lindsey sniffed. “Whoo, girl, that was beautiful. Better than any church worship service I’ve ever been in.”
    Anna swiped at her face then reached to grab a tissue from the box beside Paulo’s bed. Giving a chuckle, she said, “God shows up at the weirdest times and sometimes the strangest ways. I’d planned to just sing for Paulo, and, instead, I ended up singing for Him. I love it when that happens.” She giggled again. Lucas wondered at the joy that lingered, the aura of peace that still surrounded her. If he thought he could have that…
    â€œHow’s Paulo?”
    Glancing back at the small boy in the bed, she shrugged. “I think he feels a little better. He had some color in his cheeks when I walked in a little while ago, but he got tired real fast. Andy, too.”
    â€œYou two need to get on home.” Lindsay shooed them off. “It’s getting late. Don’t you worry, I’ll be keeping a close eye on these two all night long.”
    Footsteps sounded behind him and he turned to see Mark Priestly coming toward him. “Hey there, how’s it going?” The serious expression on his face sobered Lucas. “What is it?”
    â€œPaulo just moved into the number-one spot for a heart.”
    Which meant the person previously in the number one spot had just passed away. Pressing his lips tight, Lucas gave a short nod and Mark turned on his heel to head back down