Tess's Tidbits: An Email from Ella

I'm so happy, I hardly know what to write! Hailey and I have heard from our sister! :) 

It all began yesterday, when I was checking Mama's Gmail account (sometimes Maggie and I get fan mail there as well, so Mama has given us permission to check it when we have time).  There were only a few emails today, but one of them made me nearly jump out of my seat!  The sender was Ella, and the title was "Hi, Tess and Hailey!" 

I almost clicked on the email and read it, but then I decided that Hailey should read it with me.  Before I could change my mind, I hurried down the hallway towards our room. 

"Hailey!" I told her excitedly.  "You have to come see this!"

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"An email," I grinned.  "From Ella!"

Hailey's face lit up.  "I'm coming!" she laughed.

We both raced back to the dining room, where I'd left the laptop.  When we were both comfortably settled on the chair, I clicked on the email and read it out loud:

Dear Tess and Hailey,

Hi!  How are you doing?  I miss you soooo much!  I'm sorry I haven't written before this, but I've been really busy.  There also isn't a computer that I can get to very easily.  But I read your post a while back, and I felt bad that you were missing me so much and hoping I was okay.  So, I'm okay! :)  I've been having a great time here.  I love trying on new dresses and helping my new Mama (I call her Mama 2) sell them.  I've made lots of friends and get to meet all sorts of different people.

I still miss both of you terribly, of course, but I'm very happy other than that, so please don't worry about me. :)  I've enjoyed keeping up with you through the blog (when I get a rare chance to be on the computer). 

Good to talk to you...please write back soon! :)

Love,
Ella

I smiled as I finished reading and glanced over at Hailey.  She was wiping away happy tears. 

"I'm glad she's okay," she said quietly.  "I still miss her a lot, but it helps knowing that she's happy."

I nodded and put an arm around her.  "Should we write back?" I asked.

"Of course!" Hailey grinned.  "Let's do it right now!"

I clicked "reply" and we got started.  It took a while to get our message worded just right (personally, I would have made it a bit more formal, but I had to adjust my style to Hailey's).  Here's what we came up with:

Dear Ella,

Thank you so much for writing!  It's great to know that we don't have to worry about you.  We're glad you're enjoying yourself.  We've been missing you a lot, but hearing from you helps. 

It sounds like you're having a wonderful time there.  How exciting that you get to help your "Mama 2" sell dresses! :)  That must be so fun!  You'll have to share some of your stories with us sometime.

We hope you have a great weekend.  Write us again soon!

Love,
Tess and Hailey


Later that night, as I climbed into my bed, I felt peaceful knowing that my littlest sister was okay.  I would always miss her, but at least now I didn't have to worry about her. 

I glanced across the room at Hailey.

 

She was already fast asleep, a slight smile on her face.

Thank you, Lord, for the email from Ella, I prayed in my head.  It was just what we needed.  Help us to trust you even when we don't understand why things are happening.  Amen.

With that, I rolled over and fell asleep myself.  I couldn't help wondering what tomorrow would bring.  Little did I know that more changes were on the way.