In the Shadow of His Wings Read Free

from effortless for Hilda’s family. They had settled in Manitoba and the weather there was harsh for the farming life they had chosen. Each year was a constant struggle. Hilda wanted desperately to escape the life style her parents had chosen. She had no desire to spend the rest of her days milking cows!
    Hilda often rode with her father when he delivered milk or cheese to some of the local businesses. One of her favorite stops was a fancy hotel in the city of Winnipeg.
    She would often slip away from her father while he was conducting business, and explore the grand lobby with its beautiful shops. She imagined what it would be like to afford such luxuries. To stay in a place like this, would surely be grand!
    One day Hilda was gazing up at the fancy light fixtures, dreaming of a day when she might travel and stay in a hotel like this one. Harold, the son of the owner, noticed her from where he was working behind the lobby desk. He asked her to join him in the dining room for a coffee and a quick friendship grew.
    When Hilda learned that Harold and his family were soon moving east she convinced young Harold Bloone that she would be a good wife for him and packed up moving with them. Hilda had married into a very ambitious family. The Bloone’s Winnipeg motel was doing so well they decided to branch out and open another hotel in different area. Their next acquisition was in Niagara Falls, a popular tourist spot. They were certain another one of their hotels could thrive there. Hilda and Harold settled in the Falls, with a lovely home and started a family.
    Their first two pregnancies resulted in miscarriages and then Gerhard was born.
    Five years later Christine came along. Two years after that Hilda was pregnant again.
    Another little girl was born, her name was Elizabeth. She was beautiful with red hair and freckles. Sadly she died of crib death when she was just seven months old.
    Hilda’s heart broke with each miscarriage. The birth of Gerhard and Christine brought her back to life but after Elizabeth’s death, a part of her died that seemed gone forever. She had lost her joy of life. Sadness and tears became her constant companions.
    Gerhard was a precocious child who constantly tried to think of ways to make his mother laugh. He would make up plays, often playing several characters at once, running back and forth changing into different costumes. Usually making up the lines as he went along, sometimes borrowing books on skits from the public library. He would perform puppet shows, trying to get his younger sister Christine to help. The two children would practice for hours in their rooms before bringing their ‘performance’ to their mother. Gerhard would tell jokes and riddles, some borrowed from books, some he would make up himself. His mother sat and watched her children perform and occasionally she would force out a smile but most of the time she would send them outside to play so she could watch ‘her shows’ on TV. All Hilda could really feel was the deep hurt and bitterness that caused her heart to harden. Sadly she was blind to the two beautiful children who loved her and tried so hard to make her laugh. Hilda tried to soothe the ache in her heart with sweet treats. Over the years while watching TV she grew to be a heavy obese woman.
    By this time they were living in a rather large and beautiful home, built for them on the Niagara Parkway. A long road along the Niagara River below the escarpment and the Falls, it was a house to be proud of. There were many beautiful homes on that road.
    The Bloone house stood on several acres of land and was surrounded on three sides by a variety of trees. The fourth side faced the beautiful Niagara River. The Niagara area was known for its variety of fruit. Hilda Bloone loved to eat fresh fruit throughout the summer. She insisted Harold plant a mixture of peach, apple, cherry, and plum trees.
    They also had a large garden with strawberries, raspberries, and an assortment