1. A Rude Awakening
Romana stood in front of her bathroom mirror and pondered whether to wear the blue necklace her grandma had given her, or rather the turquoise, modern one. She had been looking forward to this evening for some time. She planned to thoroughly enjoy the live musical Cats at the local theatre with her two co-workers.The blue one matches better; she told her mirror image with a mischievous wink. She quickly tossed her long and slightly curly blond hair back over her shoulders.
At age 35, she did not wish to continue to dress like a twenty-year-old. She would leave that up to her two younger friends.I wonder if they will be on time today. Once again Romana caught herself having motherly feelings for her two co-workers. At the hospital where they worked together as a team of nurses, she kept a watchful eye on the two young women. She actually enjoyed looking after and helping them. Since she was gifted in this area, it was a joy rather than a burden for her.
Romana was quite satisfied with her life. She loved her profession as a nurse, and it allowed her enough free time to actively participate in her church. Next to her job, this volunteer work was important to her. She helped with the 4- to 6-year-old children s Sunday school, and regularly volunteered to serve in the church cafeteria.
Romana left the bathroom and, as she entered the hallway, looked at her brother s family photo which she had hung there two weeks ago. The photo showed her brother Daniel, who was two years older than she, his wife Susanne, who was the same age as he, their 7-year-old son Rick, and their 4-year-old daughter Antje. All of them were dressed up in Santa Claus costumes on the photo. They lived in the suburb in a modern and tastefully furnished house.
Her brother was energetic, tall, and physically fit and enjoyed a very successful career as vice director of an IT company, where he was designated to become successor to the company owner. He was a gifted leader who quickly detected when something was wrong in any organization. He had frequently identified such deficiencies when Romana related certain incidents at her church or her work which she couldn t make sense of.
Thinking about her brother and his family always evoked mixed feelings in Romana.
On the one hand, she very much enjoyed their company and spending time with them. On the other hand, however, it bothered her that her brother openly showed his aversion to her convictions concerning her faith. Contrary to her, Daniel and his family were completely worldly , and there was no indication whatsoever that this would ever change. This caused Romana quite a bit of frustration. She had repeatedly tried to lead them to Christ, but so far all of her efforts had failed. Her brother would listen without interrupting her while putting on a superior smile which infuriated her and often caused her to lose her train of thought. When she was finished talking, he would present the same points of criticism she had never been able to refute. Sometimes these points of criticism had caused her own faith to waver. Out of frustration, she had given up her efforts to convert her brother and his family about six months ago. This resulted in a definite reduction of tension in their relationship.
I really have to go now, or else I will be the one arriving late, she said aloud and interrupted her thoughts about her brother s family.
She hurriedly put on her shoes and coat, made sure she had h