A Dropped Stitches Christmas by Janet Tronstad Page A

give the journal back to her now. I wonder if the reason I’m so determined to see Carly have some stage time is because she seems so upset about Becca. It’s hard to tell because when Carly is upset she becomes even more poised than usual. But, when I look in her eyes, I can see she’s hurt.
    When I think about it, the Sisterhood should have paid more attention to Carly. We should have known that she was worried about something besides her cancer. Maybe Carly should be mad at us instead of Becca being mad at her.
    If you’re reading this, Carly, I want to say I’m sorry I didn’t notice before that you were upset when you mentioned your family. You’ve certainly stood by me. I’ll stand by you no matter what. Just tell us next time and we’ll be there.

Chapter Seven

    “Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.”
    —Pearl S. Buck

    O ur counselor, Rose, brought this quote to the Sisterhood one evening when most of us were about halfway through our chemo and we were so very tired of everything. We all tried to figure out if we had a private place like the one Pearl S. Buck mentioned where we could go to renew ourselves. Lizabett said she had too many brothers to ever have to worry about being really alone. Rose said she thought the place was more mental than physical. Becca said her mind was too busy for a place like that. Only Marilee and I seemed to have any sense within ourselves that we had a place like Pearl Buck mentioned. Not that my place was very refreshing. Some days it felt like it drained me more than it renewed me.

     
    This is Carly. I’ve been to several rehearsals for the play and I’m looking forward to seeing it on the stage. I’ve seen how hard the cast members are working on their roles and I’ve decided I’m proud to be part of the cast even if I never set foot on the stage when there’s an audience in front of it.
    This play made me think of that quote Rose brought to us. Something about the nativity story reminds me of the place of renewing that Rose was talking about. I started to read the New Testament last night so I know more about Mary than I did even after reading the other books.
    Mary seems like a person with a quiet place inside of her. The Bible says she kept the things the angel told her in her heart. The place in Mary’s heart sounds like it was a warm and secure place like the one Rose was describing. I wonder if Marilee has a place like that in her heart now that she’s going to church.
    It’s Wednesday morning and I’m sitting in class again. I’m having a hard time paying attention to the professor. I haven’t talked to Becca since Sunday, but I know she’s busy with her internship. It’s not unusual for her to go for a few days, or even all week, without talking to me. I left a message on her phone yesterday and she hasn’t responded. Ordinarily, she would have at least talked to one of us in the Sisterhood, but neither Marilee nor Lizabett have made any mention of calls they have received from her. No one has even mentioned an e-mail.
    The professor assigns us a report to be written on a book from a different culture. We’re supposed to read the book and compare the culture we find in the book with our own. I wonder if the nativity story from the Bible would count. They certainly had a different culture back then. And since people are still making play adaptations from the Bible, the professor would have to classify it as literature.
    Speaking of the play, I’ve heard rumors from the other cast members that a couple of big television producers are going to be watching on opening night. One’s working on a new prime-time comedy and the other is putting together a reality show. I knew when I heard those rumors that there would be no way the actress playing Mary would get sick and let her understudy go on. She would be there if she had to hide a broken leg under that long gown she’s going