Reuben worked dawn to dusk in the fields beside the other men and they moved from field to field, harvesting corn, wheat, potatoes, and barley in such abundance that more buildings were quickly constructed to contain it all. Often the men would stop at the end of a day and stand with their hats in their hands while the sun set in the west, and sing together of God’s goodness and blessing.
As the fall turned toward winter and the chill mornings began to take their place in the stream of things, Jerusha began to look forward more and more to the birth of her baby. The harvest was in and the fall weddings had taken place and now Jerusha was in the last days of her pregnancy. She had put on weight and she felt awkward and unlovely, but Reuben paid more attention to her than normal and saw to it that she was comfortable and cared for. Most of all, he expressed his love for her in a hundred simple ways; from helping with housework to bringing her small gifts. One day she found a wonderful handcrafted cradle set beside the bed. It was made of clear pine and detailed beautifully and she realized that Reuben must have worked on it for months. So life proceeded toward the event that would change their lives forever. Jerusha and Reuben simply let the days carry them along in their current, content with the simplicity of their life and settled into what they believed would be the rhythm of all the days to come.
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