Halfway to forever by Karen Kingsbury

The rest of them stood and faced Mrs. Landers, their arms
around each other. Grace snuggled in the center, smiling from ear
to ear.
Matt gazed at Grace, then back at her grandmother. "What's
that?"
Mrs. Landers took Grace's hands, her wise, old eyes brimming
with love and tears. "Her smile." She looked at each of them. "She
has her smile back."
With that, Hannah's heart soared, despite her tears. They
would never have to wonder about this little lost daughter, where
she was living, how she was doing, who she was with.
Or whether she was still singing `Jesus Loves Me." Grace was theirs for good now
They were a family, without any missing pieces, whole and
complete, back together as only God could have fixed them.
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he breeze from the Pacific Ocean was warmer than usual for April, and jade was grateful. The sun
warmed her face and filled her heart as she gazed at the blue sky.
It was the only appropriate backdrop for the party that afternoon.
It had been six months since she woke from the coma, six
months since little Grace had come home to be with the Bronzans
forever. There was no place any of them wanted to be but there at
the beach, together. The way they always wound up eventually.
Jade drew a cleansing breath and smiled at the scene below her on the beach. Matt and Tanner, tossing a
Frisbee down on the shoreline. Not far from them, Jenny, Ty, and Grace worked diligently on a sand
castle that already boasted turrets and tunnels and intricate shellwork.
She shifted her gaze to the stroller beside her. Inside, Maddie was sleeping, her face washed in peace.
Jade touched her daughter's fingers and marveled at her tiny perfection. Maddie had come home the day
before Thanksgiving, and though she was small, she'd thrived every day since.
The door opened behind her, and jade turned. Hannah came out, Kody on her hip. He was eight months
now, six weeks older than Maddie and twice her size. Hannah sat down, cradled Kody in her arms, and
put a full bottle in his mouth. "Feeding time." Jade laughed. "When isn't it?"
The sound of their families playing and laughing mingled with the pounding of the surf, and Hannah eased
her head back. "I never get tired of the miracles around us these days."
336 K I N G S B U R Y
"It's amazing." Jade turned toward Hannah. "Did I tell you about my doctor appointment?"
Hannah shook her head and grinned. "Good?"
"Better than good. They took pictures of my brain again, and
there are no detectable signs a tumor was ever there."
"Oh, Jade..." Hannah's eyes danced. "That's wonderful." "You know..." Jade shifted her gaze back to their
families. "There was a time when I wondered what God was doing to us." She paused, breathing in the
sweet, salty ocean air. "I mean, here we were, all of us, halfway to forever, and suddenly everything that
could go wrong, did."
Hannah looked at Grace and nodded. "You're right."
"But you know what?"
Hannah adjusted Kody's bottle so she could see jade better.
"What?"
"I realized something that will stay with me forever, something