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His Eye Is On The Sparrow: A Short Story

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The stillness of the empty church shattered as fifteen-year-old MaryAnn Levin brushed the ivory organ key with her fingertip. The worn burgundy bench creaked as she sat upon it and poised her fingers above the keyboard. The eerie shrill of the organ resounded through the creamy walls of Bethany Lutheran Church and the mellow tune of “His Eye is on the Sparrow” drifted around the vacant pews and over the crimson carpet.The words of the melody, which were singing in her heart, brought comfort to her flustered heart. It was October of 1945 and the Second World War which had been raging among nations for the past six years had been brought to a screeching halt just a month previous. Troops were streaming back to MaryAnn’s hometown of St. Helens, many of them leaving their humanity on the battlefield with their slain comrades. Though MaryAnn didn’t have any close family or friends who were in the service, her heart still ached for the pained, heartbroken and lonely. She didn’t like to see people torn. She wanted to help them; she wanted them to know that His eye was on the sparrow, and that He would watch out for them. MaryAnn was born on August 30th, 1930 in St. Helens, Oregon to Swedish immigrants Gunnar and Anna Levin. St. …show more content…

They would gather weekly for “Luther Leagues”, a time in which they would have a Bible Study and games. One evening when MaryAnn was in high school, a teenage boy who attended the church, Rolf Larson, brought his cousin, Bill Hammerbeck, to “Luther Leagues”. Bill was a Baptist, and in those days, the Lutherans were none too partial to the Baptist congregation. But because of the aura of inclusivity the church held, they welcomed Bill pleasantly and encouraged him to continue to come. MaryAnn took special notice of this newcomer- she thought he was quite good-looking- but she kept her thoughts to herself and observed this athletic, trouble-making chap from a

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