~19 YEARS EARLIER ~
In Northeast France, along the border of Compiegne and Lorraine, a beautiful village lies next to the Meuse River, by the name of Domremy.
“MOTHER, I CAN HEAR FATHER AND HIS MEN RETURNING,” ten year- old Jacquemin yells.
“Are you sure that it is him, Jacquemin?” she questions.
“Yes, I’m very sure. When I heard horses coming down the road, I ran to the window to make sure. I saw the standards that father and his men fly.”
Excited, Isabelle yells, “HE’S BACK, MY SONS. YOUR FATHER IS BACK!” Running out the front door, Isabelle sees that her husband has survived yet another battle.
“JACQUE,” she yells waving her right hand over her head, and holding her very pregnant belly with her left, as her husband rides toward their cottage.
Getting off of his horse, the strong, six foot tall, physically fit Jacque, quickly walks over to his petite wife. Gently pulling her into his strong arms, her head rests on his strong chest, just under his chin. Jacque holds Isabelle as if someone is going to tear them apart. “Isabelle, I’ve missed you so much,” he says with unbridled emotion.
Looking up at her husband, Isabelle is going to reply, when at that very moment, she hears small footsteps running toward them from their cottage. Turning around, she sees their three sons running toward their father.
“Father, I knew it was you,” Jacquemin states proudly.
“FATHER!” both Jean and Pierre, three and four years old, yell each picking one of their father’s legs to grab on to.
“All of my family looks well and happy,” he says with pride as he looks into his wife’s bright, shining, blue eyes.
After he rubs each son’s head, and looks at them with a smile, he turns his complete attention back to his wife. Softly rubbing her extended belly, he asks, “And how is our youngest child doing?” Feeling a foot push out with a kick into the palm of his hand he comments, “This one sure is strong.”
“Yes, Jacque. It’s very active. We only have a couple of months left until we can see if it is a boy or a girl.”
“I just want this child to be as healthy as our other ones have been.”
“From the strong movement and kicks that it gives me, I don’t think we have to worry about that,” Isabelle assures him.
“Father, would you like me to take care of your horse?” Jacquemin asks.
“I would appreciate that very much, Jacquemin. I can’t wait to sit down on something that is not moving!”
Jacque puts his right arm around his wife’s shoulders and he pats Jacquemin’s head, as his son takes his horse. With Jean and Pierre now sitting down on the tops of their father’s boots, Jacque and Isabelle slowly walk into their cottage.
“Jean, I don’t think that father knows we are sitting here,” Pierre whispers to his brother.
Quietly laughing, Jean leans over to Pierre, “I know.”
After a few steps Jacque smiles, “Isabelle, my feet have become a lot heavier. What have you been feeding our sons?”
Walking into their cottage, she answers, “They want to get as big as their father, Jacque.”
As soon as the door is closed, Jacque grabs both Jean and Pierre with his strong arms, and says, “If that’s what they want, then that’s what they will get.” And he begins to tickle his youngest sons. Jean and Pierre happily laugh, as they try to run from their father.
“Jacque, they are going to be too tired to eat,” Isabelle cautions.
“Ah, then all the more for me,” he laughs, as he continues to tickle them.
Jacquemin returns from taking care of the horse. He looks over at his father, smiling and quietly laughing he helps his mother put food on the table.
“It’s ready Jacque,” Isabelle states, loving the laughter that is in her home.
“Boys, mother says that dinner is ready.” Turning around, Jacque starts to walk to the table. Jean jumps onto his back, as Pierre grabs one of his legs. “I guess you’d rather wrestle than eat. Is that so?”
“Of course, Father. Mother never wrestles with us.”
“Mother is going to have a little brother or sister for you. You don’t want her to get hurt, do you?”
“No, of course not, Father. We wouldn’t want to hurt mother.”
“Well then, let’s do what mother has asked us to do, alright?”
Adding to what her husband is saying, Isabelle states, “Can’t you smell those wonderful rolls? Jacquemin, Jean, Pierre, you all love them.”
Grabbing her around the waist, Jacque says, “What about me, my love? They are my favorite also.”
Looking back at her husband, Isabelle says with a twinkle in her eyes, “I thought that I was your favorite, Jacque.”
“Now, that goes without saying. But the boys and I have something in common, and that is a love for your famous rolls. So let’s eat….”
Sitting down with his family for the first time in several weeks, tears unexpectedly come to his eyes. Holding out his hands to each child sitting next to him, he says, “Before we eat, let’s thank the Lord for everything that we have…..”
Holding hands and bowing their heads, Jacque begins, “Father in Heaven, while I was in battle, I saw so many people who had very little to sustain them. Please watch over them. Protect them and help them to have the things that they need…. I want to thank you for my wonderful sons, and for the new little one that will shortly join us…. Father, thank you for helping me to find such a wonderful wife…. Thank you for watching over her, and over our little family. Thank you for this food and for everything that you have seen fit for us to have, in the name of Thy Son, Amen.”
Without a moment to spare, everyone begins passing the food around the table, filling up their plates. Everyone is happy to have father home. While they sit as a complete family, eating the wonderful food their mother has made, each one takes their turn talking about everything that has happened while their father was away.
Time goes quickly. Noticing that the fire has begun to flicker, Jacque adds more wood. After they finish their meal, he asks, “Jacquemin, would you like to play our war board game?”
“Yes, Father. I’ll go get it.”
“While you get the game, I’ll take your brothers to their beds, since both of them have fallen asleep at the table. Isabelle, look. Pierre has rolled his face over into his food.”
“Usually, it’s Jean that does that, Pierre must really be tired. Before you put them in bed, I’ll clean their hands and face.”
“Do you mind if we get Pierre first? I wouldn’t want him to start eating in his sleep,” Jacque jokes.
After Pierre is cleaned up, Jacque lifts him up and takes him to his room while Isabelle cleans up Jean.
After both boys are in their beds, Jacque looks over at his wife, who is now washing the dishes.
Noticing how hard it is for her to stand close enough to wash the dishes with her fully extended belly, Jacque suggests to Jacquemin, “Before the game, why don’t you and I clean up the dishes since your mother made the meal?”
“Yes, Father.”
Taking Isabelle’s hand, Jacque leads her to the rocking chair. “I want you to sit here while Jacquemin and I take care of this for you.”
“Oh, it’s nice to have my man home again.” Isabelle sits down.
“You just rest and watch your belly move from the robust little one that you are carrying.”
Isabelle watches her husband and son clean the dishes and her cooking area, as she rocks back and forth with her hands on her belly. Soon the dishes are done, and the war board game is put on the floor in front of the fire place.
“Jacquemin, make sure that you always have someone looking down from the highest vantage point so that you will be aware of where the enemy is. The only way that you will win a war is to know where your enemy is, how many there are and where they are going.”
Throughout the evening, Jacquemin and Jacque laugh as they move their troops around, trying to best each o
ther in battle.
“I won this one, Father.”
“You did Jacquemin. You’ll have to tell me how you did that.”
“It was simple…my lookout high on that mountain over there told me where you were.”
Smiling and proud of his son, Jacque complements him, “Ahhh, the highest vantage point….” Good job, you have learned a very important lesson tonight.
The embers in the fireplace begin to cool once again. Looking up at his wife, Jacque whispers, “Look, Jacquemin, mother has fallen asleep. Maybe it’s time for all of us to go to our beds, son.”
“I am getting a little tired, Father.”
“Fine, I’ll take mother and put her in bed. You go to your bed, alright?”
“…Alright.”
Picking up his wife, Jacque walks softly trying not to wake her up, and puts her in their bed. As she is lying on her back, Jacque notices that the child in her belly is moving back and forth, pushing with both its arms and legs.
“…Calm down, little one. It’s time to go to sleep,” Jacque whispers, as he softly puts his hand on her belly. Slowly the movement stops, and Jacque covers his wife with a blanket.
As he gets into bed, he expresses to himself, “It feels sooooo good to sleep in a nice soft bed. I love these blankets; they are big enough to cover me completely so that I can finally get a warm night’s sleep.”
Soon, his nice soft snoring sends a rhythm throughout their cottage.
With the morning sounds of their animals, Jacque and his sons wake up. The smell of breakfast being cooked fills their cottage making their stomach’s growl.
Walking into the cooking area, Jacques stands for a short time watching his wife prepare breakfast. “It’s like watching a dance when you cook, my love.”
“Yes, well wait until you taste what I am cooking. You’ll feel like you have been to the King’s Ball.”
“Does the King have a Ball?”
“Not one that we have been invited to. But, if we were, this is what it would taste like.”
“Actually, Isabelle, not one of the King’s Chefs could cook as well as you do.”
“Now you see, Jacque,” Isabelle states, as she points a wooden spoon toward her husband, “that’s why I love you. No matter what I do, you never criticize me.”
“That’s because there’s nothing to criticize, my love…. Is that the only reason that you love me?”
“No. That’s just one of many reasons,” she says with a smile. “Now sit down and eat. You’ve been gone a long time, and there is a lot to do to get this place back in shape.”
As the boys walk in from their room Isabelle states, “Sit down my sons we have a lot to do today.”
After breakfast, Jacque and Jacquemin take the sheep to graze. Pierre and Jean stay close to home with their mother, feeding the chickens, and drying the food that they have been able to harvest from their garden.
Walking to the common grazing area, Jacque says to his son, “Jacquemin, look at the beautiful sun.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Have you noticed that it’s different every day?”
“Different…?”
“Different!”
“Father, everyday it’s round, bright and warm.”
Finally arriving at their grazing area, Jacque continues their conversation as they lean against a huge boulder.
“Every day is a new day son. It may look the same, but it isn’t. Each day the Sun has a new personality. One day, the clouds come between the Sun and the Earth, making it look like they are covering it. Other days, the clouds are white, and the sky is the brightest blue, making the Sun look even brighter. The clouds are different colors on other days, as the Sun peeks through them. Yet, on another, it’s so hot we are looking for some type of shade. That’s kind of how it is today, isn’t it, Jacquemin?”
“Yes. I’m glad that this boulder is bigger than I am. I can get in its shade.”
Jacque adds, “Have you noticed, that on some days, we are so busy that we don’t even notice that the sun is up. We just take its light and warmth for granted, but the sun never lets us down. It appears everyday heralding a new beginning. It encourages us with its warmth throughout the day, giving us light to make it possible for us to be able to do our work. Then it leaves so that we can rest. But like a good friend, we can count on it to come the very next day.”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that Father.”
“It’s an amazing gift that everyone on this Earth has been given….”
Hearing horses approach, Jacque commands, “Jacquemin, hide behind the boulder, and don’t come out unless I tell you to.”
As Jacque turns around, he notices that the riders have an English standard that they are carrying. They look like they have traveled a great distance from the dirt that is on them and their horses. Their tired expressions show that they are not ready to fight, but will if they have to.
“What can I do for you, Captain?” he asks.
“My men are hungry. If you will give me two of your sheep, we will not cause any trouble in your town,” the English Captain promises.
“Is that an English man’s promise?” Jacque questions knowing that an English promise could not be trusted.
“This is a promise between men, Sir. We are on our way back to Paris. With full stomachs we will have a good night’s sleep, and in the morning we will leave your area,” the Captain promises.
“Then take what you need Captain, and safe journey to you.”
“Thank you, Sir, may your future be promising.”
“The same to you and your men….”
As the English leave with the two sheep, Jacquemin slowly comes out from behind the boulder. “Father why didn’t you fight those men, you could have handled them.”
“Jacquemin, this is a good lesson for you to learn. One must learn to choose their battles.”
“He was English, Father! We are French! I thought that we were supposed to fight with the English,” he says still angry that his father let the English get away without a fight.
“We are to fight with the English when we need to protect ourselves, Jacquemin. In this situation the Captain wasn’t here to fight. He was looking for food for his men. He was only going to fight if he had to, to get food. There was no reason to fight since we could spare two sheep. Remember, my son, choose your battles!”
“So we don’t have to fight all the time, Father?”
“No, Jacquemin, only when we have to protect ourselves, our families, our homes and land, our animals, crops and in my case, my troops. But I want you to remember this. When it is a choice between your home, land, animals, crops and your family? Your family always wins!”
Throughout the rest of the day, Jacque watches his son and his sheep, making sure that they are safe from wandering English troops who are looking for trouble.
Arriving at their cottage in the evening, Jacquemin runs to tell his mother what happened between the English, and his father.
“I am glad to see that you are both all right, Jacque,” Isabelle states.
“I am glad to see that nothing happened to our village, and that the English Captain kept his word, Isabelle.”
The winter snow begins to get high enough that creativity is used to get the chores done. Pierre and Jean are so small that they need to be carried on their father’s shoulders every time they help him take care of their animals.
After the chores are done, Jacque sits with a book in his hands in front of the fire, reading to his children. Looking up at his wife, he comments, “I love the winter time, Isabelle. As soon as the snow comes, the fighting slows down, and there’s more time to spend with my family.”
“What I love is that the English don’t like to come this far east, and our town is free from those insufferable marauding English troops. They are so crude, and always at least half drunk. They don’t even remember the pain and havoc that they cause others. OR… maybe they don’t care. That’s why I love the snow, bec
ause it keeps the English away. And,” walking to her husband, she puts her arms around his neck, “it keeps you here, Jacque.”
While still holding the book, he puts his left hand up on her arm. They both lovingly watch and laugh, as their children begin to play the war board game on the floor. Jacquemin, Pierre and Jean play their roles as soldiers and commanders, moving their men around, winning and losing wars throughout the day in the warmth of their cottage.