Chapter 22

(Sunday, January 30, 11:45 a.m., Aurora View Fellowship Church)

It was great to have the team together again. It was wonderful to be part of a new team too. Donna made friends with Danielle Owens, who two years earlier had initiated the group Bible Study sessions that was the beginning of the church. Her father and Moe shared the Pastor duties, but it was the relaxed demeanor of the discussion groups that really appealed to people, and made the Bible something to be learned from, and not some awful book of "9001 sinful ways we can go to hell."

None of the family had Bibles other than Grif, and his was an old King James Version passed down through his grandfather. He wasn't even sure where it was anymore, since it hadn't been opened in ten years. Danielle took care of that by giving the four kids each a new NIV Bible, and Grif and Tara each a large print version to make it easier to read as their vision began to fail in old age. Tara's was what is called a Study Bible, with cross-references to other chapters, footnotes to explain things, and a dictionary of sorts called a concordance in the back.

At first, Grif joked about having to "get religion" but to each of them they found something that had been missing their whole lives, a personal relationship with the Almighty. Thus it was on the last Sunday of the month, SIX people were to be baptized. Grif had always prayed, and although he had given up on men pretending to be godly men, he never gave up on God. That Sunday, he realized that his God was always there for him, and had never given up on Grif.

The Aurora View community was made up of wonderful people, and the "Griffin" family found friends and neighbors that really cared about each other. Several miraculous things had occurred over the past five years in the area that could only be attributed to Divine Intervention, and nobody questioned otherwise.

Grif had only to look at the sequence of the events since he rescued Tracy and Sheila and their kids, to believe that people and events had evolved to ultimately bring him to that part of Alaska, where he never imagined that an opportunity to have his and Tara's own lodge with a pilot working for them. That was too involved to have been PDL, (pure dumb luck). He and Tara wanted a family, well now they had one, with another on the way. With that prayer granted they felt it only right that they worship the Lord on Sunday.

With the new identities, Grif and Tara retained all of their pilot ratings, but one notable thing was the guide ratings. Where Griffin M. Walker was an Assistant Hunting Guide, Maurice "Grif" Griffin was a Registered Hunting Guide. Thus he would be able to guide hunters on his own for all kinds of game, and hire Assistant Guides to work under him. Now all he needed was a hunting area.

Gary approached Grif about that, since initially Jesse Hawkins' father, a long-time mutual friend of theirs, now a Master Guide with his own lodge, had left Gary with only Assistant Guides to take care of his hunters. Gary didn't care to get involved in the actual guiding of the hunters, and asked Grif to take over that part. In doing so, Grif had hunters lined up to guide for the Spring Bear Season.

That thought saddened Grif a little, thinking of how Tracy wanted revenge on her bear. Gary gave him a list of the hunters so that he could contact them for details should he choose to do so. Among the papers confirming the hunts, was a letter postmarked "Blessing, Texas" from a Mrs. Theresa Samuels "requesting date confirmation on the May Bear Hunt" for she and Walter Samuels. It was from Sam and Tracy, and it said how nothing could keep her from her chance to take down the Mama Bear. This made Grif's whole week.

While coming back to Alaska was slightly risky, there was nothing at all unusual about a rich Texan coming to Alaska to hunt. They would just be two of dozens coming to hunt bears that spring. In the summer and fall the visitors from Texas number in the tens of thousands, as Alaska is a preferred destination for wealthy Texans.

Grif looked in the atlas, and learned that Blessing was about 25 miles northeast of Port Lavaca, and the ranch was just 15 miles from the coast. The homes they were building were sturdy enough to withstand a Category five hurricane, and should one come, they had their new Honda Jet to evacuate inland. Being on the coastal prairie, they could flood in a really bad storm, but it had its advantages.

Theresa wrote:

"I have never imagined that there were so many geese in all the world. Sam, Brian Shelly and I hired a guide the other day to hunt some and I think it was so much fun. The guide has a dog just like the one you and Tara had, and we bought two of her puppies. (They have a much more impressive lineage than we do). Shelly fixed some of the geese just like Mama used to fix a pot roast, only with rice and gravy. I promise you, we have had our last Christmas Turkey. Goose Season is over now, but it is something you would love to do.

"Today, I am plumb tuckered out, as they say down here, (we bought a book on 'How to communicate with Texans' in one of the stores). We just got back from deep-sea fishing, and I caught some dolphins, a cobia (I think), a jackfish, and a baby sailfish that we let go. That was fun too. Sam is having his sailfish mounted (typical Texan), and one of my big dolphins that had a square head, although I thought the normal looking ones were prettier. I learned that dolphin is what they call Mahi-Mahi in the restaurants. I look forward to trying it home cooked.

"We have a little over a hundred head of cattle, (that's cows to Yankees), ten horses, a barn full of farming equipment, and eight oil wells. I feel like we just stepped into the old "Dallas" TV show, only we don't have J.R. to deal with. Brian and Shelly are eating all of Texan stuff this up with a spoon! You should see them, cowboy boots (nice ones) and hats, western style shirts and jeans. It is a hoot to see! Brian and Shelly are taking C & W dance classes too. Sam and I started going to church, and it is a really new experience for me, but the folks are really nice.

I can't really write much because of you know what, but be assured that we enjoyed our last visit to your fine lodge, and look forward to many more in the future. (You should use that for a quote in your brochure!)

Thanks for everything,

(Signed) Theresa Samuels"

When Grif shared the letter with the kids they were happy that their mothers were okay. Bonnie made a point to tell Tara, "I know it all happened for a reason, but I now know that it was God's will that we become your family, and you our parents. You and Daddy Grif are an answer to every prayer we ever prayed."

Tara hugged Bonnie and kissed her forehead, "And you are the best little girl a mom could want, even though you aren't so little anymore. I want to say now that I am pleasantly surprised and feel blessed, that you aren't the spoiled rich kids I though you would be. We love each and every one of you."

Carol confessed, "Yes we were, but when we saw how much we meant to you, and Daddy, well my mom wasn't too bad, but she could have done better. I know she did what was best for us, and I don't ever want to go back to what we had before."

Tommy added, "I never had anyone take the time to teach me stuff like my new Dad does."

Donna admitted, "I was a holy terror to my mother, but I won't be to you. Something has changed me, and all of us since we have known you. I know you wanted a baby, and that was God's gift to you. It was also God's gift to Carol and I, because well, without your being a role model for us in a backwards way, it could have easily been us, only without someone there to care for us."

Tara looked at them with a cautiously disapproving expression, and Carol added, "We have seen the error of our ways so to speak. Both of us have changed, and me especially. I never knew God had so much to tell me until we started Bible Study."

"Neither did I," Grif agreed. "So, how will it affect you seeing your mothers when they come? We need to discuss it sometime."

Tommy answered first, "I will be thankful that she cared enough to let us be with someone that will be a real family with us, but I have a real mom and dad now. I will always have a place for her in my heart, and maybe sometime we can go visit and hunt geese, but right here is my home."

"I think it is so awesome that when we moved here it has six bedrooms," Bonnie pointed out. "We all get our own room, and that includes the baby. It is like God planned it that way."

"You are forgetting Chris," Donna pointed out, "and when the Baby comes, we will have to double up."

"I guess we could share a room," Carol offered, "with either Donna or Bonnie. They are big rooms."

"I can room with Chris," Tommy replied reluctantly, "He's okay."

Donna said, "Like Mama says, 'Time to come to Jesus!' I will be eighteen in March, and Chris has asked me to marry him. I accepted. That is if it is okay with both of you?"

Neither Grif, nor Tara looked surprised. Tara said, "Well, you still need to finish school, and Moe's daughter got her Associate Degree online, so as long as you are sure, you have our blessings."

"We plan to stay here and do all we can to help you run the lodge," Donna promised. "That still includes helping with the baby. Did he say what he thinks it is yet?"

Tara replied, "I didn't ask, and I don't care as long as it is healthy. I go back the day after tomorrow, and I thought if you all wanted to join us to do some shopping, we could make a day of it? We will take the King Air, so Chris can come too. Oh, my, I just realized that we own a house in Anchorage, and two Lincoln Navigators."

Grif noted, "That means that we can stay overnight and not have to worry about daylight plus the weather."

Carol asked, "Can we go to that real nice restaurant?"

Grif replied, "There are a lot of real nice ones there, besides the Chena Too. We want to steer clear of there, but we can go out to eat. I imagine that the food in the refrigerator is out of date, but we will take care of that while we are there."

The meeting broke up and the kids went happily to their rooms. They all had computers and e-mailed the friends in the village that they met at church and the lodges. It was news when someone was going to Anchorage, because they might pick something up you wanted. Even with the AVWCC online shopping list, there were some things that one didn't get without actually seeing it first.

Since the founding of the AVWCC, most of the employees had new vehicles, big TV's, DVD players, family computers, often more than one, High-speed Internet, better homes, three had bought airplanes and learned to fly them, and many other things that they could only wish for before. Thus, when they went to the church to thank God, they meant it!

(Feb. 2, Anchorage, Alaska)

Once they arrived at Merrill Field, Grif and Chris put the BKA 350 in the hangar, while the ladies brushed the snow off the Navigator and Tommy changed the license plates out while it was warming up. Fifteen minutes later, Grif and Chris came, and everyone piled in. Grif drove to Sheila's (now Shelly Dennis) house, and stopped in front. The driveway and sidewalk were not shoveled.

Tara suggested that the kids do the driveway while she went for her doctor's visit, and stopped by the Super Center after. They could all go to the mall in the other Navigator, if they stayed together and were back by 1:00. The catch was, they had to shovel the driveway first and the sidewalk.

Doc Frazier said Tara was doing just great, and offered to tell her what she was having. Tara said she only wanted to know if everything was okay. It was, and Doc Frazier proclaimed it to be a baby boy. He was very pleased with Tara's progress considering her age, and suggested that after the seventh month checkup that he sees her every two weeks, and within two weeks of the due date, he wanted her in Anchorage. They made the next appointment, and went to the store to pick up some food.