Mayberry Afternoon

Chapter 50
The sun shone brilliant and clear on Sunday. It was a perfect September day.
Driving home from the Riverwood church service Sam and Simmy talked about the teaching that P.T. had introduced.
"I really agree with what the pastor said about living out ones' life in the authenticity of Christ. Jesus approached every situation with individual, specialized love. You can't find a neatly wrapped up version of 'Christianity 102' in the Bible. I've believed that for a while already. It sure was good to hear the Pastor say it."
"Think of Giovanni. Remember when he came and stood at the end of our driveway. He had been diagnosed with cancer and he didn't want to have the surgery because he would have been restricted by the results. He told you, in his broken English, that he would consider having it, if he was young, but because he was almost eighty he didn't want to experience all that pain and then be physically restricted."
"You know what he said to me? He said, 'Maybe God will help.' I hugged him, we both cried and I told him that I would pray for him and that definitely, God would help."
"What DID you pray for him?"
"Lots of things. Firstly, I prayed that God would heal him, physically."
"Do you remember the Sunday morning he jogged past our house after I prayed for... I can't even remember anymore... energy or something miraculously cool! I laughed and laughed in pure joy! Most eighty year old men would not be asking God for the ability to jog but I thought he might like to feel young and carefree. I love asking God for the most fabulous. Why not?"
"Has it been three or four years since that day?"
"I don't know exactly but he's told a few people, I think. Some people wave at us when we ride our bikes through the neighborhood. I think that couple with the chihuahua must know Giovanni. They sure like us."
"You said you wanted a Mayberry kind of neighborhood."