Amber's Writings

A Day to Remember

The hot wind brushed her face.  It made her blink, and gave the small bird she was chasing a chance to escape.  The ground beneath her bare feet was warm, and her tunic was almost unbearably hot.  How she wished she could fly, cool and free, like that bird!

"Severiah!"  Her Mama called from inside the hut which her Papa built for them.  He was a fisherman before they moved farther away from the Sea.  Now, he was gone.  He did small work for anyone who asked him to repair things, and often was not at home.

"Daughter!"  Severiah turned and ran inside.  "Daydreaming again?  Well, you are nine summers old now.  It's time you learned more about the real world.  Please go to the town market, and buy a sack of flour, and as many eggs as you can with what money you have left."

"But, Mama!"

"Hurry child, or you won't be back before sunset."

Very reluctantly, Severiah slipped out and began the journey toward the town.  Halfway there, she realized that she had not brought anything to eat.  At the market, she bought a small peice of cheese, flour and eggs.  The trip home  seemed to take much longer than before.  Suddenly, Severiah saw a bird and followed it without thinking.

She found herself in a field, but she couldn't see anything but people.  The whole town must be here!  They were listening to a man teach.  All at once, the whole crowd sat down.  Severiah could now see the man who had been teaching.  He was blessing two fish and five small loaves of bread.  Surely he didn't think that such a small amount of food would feed so many people?

"Severiah!"

The girl jumped.  It was the man!  But how did he know her name?

"Yes, Sir?"

"Are you hungry?"  She nodded.  "Go home, get your mother, and return here."  Severiah ran.

She was closer to home than she had thought at first.  She told her Mama the story, and was scolded for telling a lie.

"But, Mama, he knew my name!"

Mama's curious nature got the better of her, so she followed her daughter back to the field.  Sure enough, they were fed fish and bread, all they could eat.  From those two fish and five loaves, there were twelve baskets of leftovers!

That day, Severiah and her Mama came to believe that the Man, named Jesus, was the One who had been promised to their people.

That was a day to remember!

To read the Bible story of "The Feeding of the Five Thousand", look up Mark chapter 6, verses 30 through 44.

Copyright 1995 Amber M.  Steenbock