7 May 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2729: not a treat

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“See, when you live in Crazy Town, good things that happen are just a treat, but we don't live like that here, Glendella. You made it out just like I did, because God is good, and when you are with people that know Him real well, good living is not a treat. God is good and this is how we just get to live!”

Nine-year-old George Ludlow broke down crying and so did his ten-year-old cousin Glendella being adopted as sister with him, and the whole Ludlow family came to comfort them with there being not a dry eye over nine in the house. Ten-year-old Andrew and eleven-year-old Eleanor totally understood, and the Ludlow grandparents, who had done what they had to do to get their seven grandchildren and their little cousin Glendella to safety, were moved to tears for different reasons.

For Capt. Ludlow, gaining the safety of his seven grandchildren came at the loss of all four of their parents, two of which were Robert Jr. and Anne Ludlow, his oldest children, and although they were not the children of the second Mrs. Ludlow, Mrs. Thalia Ludlow had walked through all the grief and struggle and triumph of those same years, and had given her heart to her husband's grandchildren as he had to her children and grandchildren.

“So, how many people are in our blended family again?” she had asked him the night before.

“Well, with Joe Wainright having raised my younger two, and him having raised I don't know how many with them, and then Mosette was my daughter by step and she has three children and might be carrying no. 4, I think that we may safely say we are at the number that no man can number!”

“Bet you're not going to be kidding me about begetting that eighth child on me anymore,” she had teased him.

“That is an excellent bet,” he said with a laugh. “I have learned my lesson, even without your Lil' Sam on Zoom talking about, 'But Papa Robert, my dad says we shouldn't bet because God got us!'”

“We gotta get Lil' Sam and Lil' Robert together again – we all need that laugh!” Mrs. Ludlow said.

“Absolutely, Thalia!”

The two Ludlow grandparents, with their 'blend and extend' view of family, were tired but happy … what they hadn't known until George said it was that they had succeeded so well in giving all the children in their care a view of what it was like to be in the family of a good and loving God. About that, long after the little Ludlows were back playing in the yard with their big Lee cousins taking over the watch, the two adult Ludlows wept in the other's arms, overwhelmed with gratitude with God for the privilege of representing the goodness and love of God to their little ones. And they would have been there longer but …

“Now we gotta make sure lunch and dinner are extra good,” Mrs. Ludlow said as she wiped her eyes.

“Yep,” Capt. Ludlow said as he got up and gave her a hand. “Time to pull out the special seasoned burgers and seitan for some sliders for dinner since we know we are doing big salad for lunch – is George still going vegetarian?”

“That bit about pigs eating rats has truly spooked him – yes.”

“OK – the Spirit said season some extra seitan beyond what Amanda will eat, so, it's all good.”