The Garden of Second Chances
by Hayley Archer (age 13)
Rosie walked down the driveway to her new home with her backpack fastened tight. She carefully followed behind Ms. Kate. Ms. Kate was helping Rosie find a forever home through adoptive services. Rosie tugged down the pink shirt that Ms. Kate had given her. Pink was Rosie’s favorite color, and she loved this shirt with all her heart.
Rosie was nine years old and kind to everyone she met. Though she was born an orphan, she always dreamed and hoped of having her own family — a mother and father to call her own.
Rosie took a deep breath as Ms. Kate rang the doorbell.
“This family is great, Rosie. I truly think you will love them,” Ms. Kate told her.
Rosie nodded and took a deep breath.
A tall woman opened the big doors with a smile. “Hi, you must be Rosie! Come right on inside!” she said. “My name is Julie.”
Rosie’s eyes grew big as she looked around. The ceiling seemed to be endlessly tall. There was a chandelier overflowing with diamonds. The smell of lavender filled the house. It seemed as if Rosie had fallen into a dream, and she was lost in her thoughts. This was the prettiest house she had ever seen. It had beautiful, large bay windows leading out to the backyard. A pretty painting of two ballerinas in white caught Rosie’s eyes. The girls in the painting looked Rosie’s age.
“Jim, where are you? Come downstairs and meet Rosie,” said Julie.
Rosie watched as an important and busy-looking man came down the marble steps. “Rosie! Welcome! We’re so happy to have you here, Julie and I have been counting down the days,” he said.
“Thank you,” Rosie replied. Could Jim and Julie be like a mother and father to her? The thought was overwhelming.
“Would you like to see your room?” asked Julie.
Rosie nodded.
“I’d better get going,” said Ms. Kate as she gave Rosie a hug. “Rosie dear, I’ll see you in a week.”
“Goodbye and thank you!” said Rosie.
Ms. Kate headed out the door.
Rosie walked up the stairs and counted the steps in her head. Down the hallway, Julie opened a door. “I hope you like pink,” she said. The room was painted light pink, and the bed set was pink too. There was a dollhouse in the corner, and a bookcase filled with books. Rosie couldn’t believe this beautiful room was all hers.
“Do you like your room?” Jim asked. “We do hope you’ll be happy here. Julie and I have been praying for a child to join our family, and we believe you are the answer to our prayers, Rosie.”
Rosie hugged Julie and said, “I love it.” Julie looked at Jim and gave a sigh of relief.
“Let’s give her time to get unpacked and settled in,” Jim said.
“Of course,” replied Julie.
Rosie took out her stuffed animal dog, Hazel. She carefully placed her backpack in the closet. Next, she sat down on the bed and hugged Hazel tightly. She looked over at the shelf again, where a book was sitting. As the curious nine-year-old she was, she walked towards the bookshelf.
Rosie flipped to the first page carefully. “Dedicated to Rosie,” the page read.
Further down the page, she read, “Love, Julie and Jim.” Rosie had never seen such a big book before in her life! She decided she’d come back to read it later. She wanted to find her new family.
“Hello?” Rosie called out as she peeked outside her door. She slowly went down the marble steps searching for Jim and Julie. She looked outside the big bay windows to the willow trees in the garden. There was Julie seated on a bench below the tree. Rosie went outside to talk to her.
“Hi Rosie! You can come sit by me. Isn’t today a beautiful day?” Julie asked.
Rosie nodded. “Yes! Your home is so nice.”
“It’s your home now, too,” Julie told her.
“May I ask you a question. What was that giant book on my shelf?” asked Rosie.
Julie’s eyes sparkled. “The Bible? It’s God’s love story to us — how He sent His Son Jesus to rescue us and make us part of His family. I’d love to read it with you,” she said.
Rosie couldn’t wait for Julie to read to her. She skipped back inside, carefully picked up the Bible, and brought it back to the garden bench. They began reading together. All of this was new to Rosie. Julie read aloud how God created everything — the sea and sky, animals and humans, and called it all good. Rosie looked around the garden as she listened. The flowers were just beginning to bloom. The sky was a deep blue. The branches of the willow tree gently swayed in the wind.
Rosie couldn’t help but think the God who made all this was good. She wanted to learn more about God’s plan for her life. She had dealt with heavy loss, but God had brought her to this new, beautiful place with Julie and Jim. Rosie looked back at her new home. Rosie couldn’t help but believe Julie and Jim loved her and cared for her, even though they had just met.
This was her new family. Julie and Jim were going to be her forever parents.
That night, Rosie thought about the Bible and placed it on the nightstand by her bed. Rosie prayed she’d get to stay with Jim and Julie. She thanked God for bringing her here and asked to learn more about Him. Rosie fell asleep with Hazel in her arms, dreaming of a bright future.
About the Author
Hayley Archer is a 7th-grade student at a Christian school who attends Gospel Community Church. She loves playing sports and writing in her free time. She also loves spending time with her friends and family.
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Image: “Lady seated in a sunlit garden” by Octave Denis Victor Guillonnet. Public Domain.
