Part 146 (1/2)

a damper on development to the detriment of the entire

town. Although she would print some of the better written

letters in the paper, she tried not to take them too seriously.

228Melody Carison

It was natural to think that some people were simply venting

their frustration due to a lack of snow and the subsequent

loss of business from an unopened ski season. Even this

morning, Rosa had patiently explained how this hostile

atmosphere would instantly disappear the very same

moment when the weather began to cooperate. Maggie had

heard on the news that the ski resort reported it would only

take about fifteen more inches of snow to open their chairs,

which, they a.s.sured with optimism, could literally happen

overnight. Oh, if only...

On Sunday Maggie and Audrey and Spencer went to

church. It made Maggie sad to think this would be their last

Iday of meeting in this beautiful building with the fantastic

mountain views (although today the mountains were corn-

pletely shrouded in a thick blanket of cloud~ven more so

than yeserday!). She wondered if she would ever again expe-

rience another church that was so aesthetically pleasing as

this. She thought of the times she had sat on the rough-hewn

benches and been relaxed and refreshed as she looked out

upon the mountains. And yet, she also remembered one of

Jed's sermons where he said they could look to the hills for

strength without finding any, for strength only came from