The answer is written on an old tablecloth.

An old tablecloth is located in the rich area of a small town, where there is a once glorious old church. But now, the town is getting more and more depressed, the economy is in trouble, and the church is in disrepair. At that time, a young priest was assigned to work here. Although the church has lost its former charm, the priest and his wife can still be excited and excited about working here. They believe that they will restore the church to its former glory.

19481At the beginning of October, the pastor officially took over the overall work of this church. So, he and his wife immediately began a comprehensive renovation of the church. They painted the walls and repaired the utensils, trying to restore the original appearance. They will make this ancient church look the most beautiful and splendid on Christmas Eve.

However, the weather is unpredictable. Just two days before Christmas, a storm suddenly hit this area, and the rain poured down, with more than an inch of rainfall. The old church also suffered losses under the erosion of this storm. On the roof behind the altar of the church, a crack suddenly opened, and the rain penetrated from the crack and flowed down the lime wall. The lime wall absorbs enough rain like a sponge, then becomes fluffy and peeling, and finally falls off the wall layer by layer, leaving a big and deep hole on the newly painted wall.

Looking at the mottled and ugly wall, the priest and his wife were extremely depressed. Obviously, it is impossible to repair the wall before Christmas. Nearly three months of hard work was ruined. However, the young couple thought all this was an act of god, silently accepted these losses and began to clean up the wall skin that fell from the wall.

That afternoon, the depressed couple went to a charity auction for the church youth group. At the auction, the absent-minded priest browsed all the items at will. Suddenly, an old tablecloth with gold and milky white lace and a length of 15 feet came into his eyes.

Almost at that moment, a flash of light flashed through his mind. He decided to take down the tablecloth and hang it behind the altar just to block the mottled wall. So he did not hesitate to bid the highest price of $6.50 and won the tablecloth.

The day before Christmas, the whistling north wind was flying all over the sky with snowflakes. That afternoon, when the priest opened the door of the church, he noticed an old woman standing in the snow, waiting for the bus at the nearby bus stop. He knows that the next bus won't arrive for at least half an hour. So he invited the old lady to the church to keep warm.

When she entered the church, the old lady told the priest that she didn't live in this area. She came so early because a wealthy family nearby wanted to recruit a tutor. She's here for an interview. However, because she is a war refugee and her English is not good, she failed to get the job.

After entering the church, the priest went directly to hang the tablecloth behind the altar. And she sat in the chair in the last row and bowed her head and prayed silently. After the prayer, she looked up and saw that the priest had hung the tablecloth. Suddenly, she stood up and rushed to the altar.

"This is mine!" She exclaimed, "This is the tablecloth I used to use for banquets at home!"

Hearing this, the priest was shocked at once. He turned his head and stared at the excited old lady in front of him in confusion.

Then, the old lady excitedly told the priest all the stories about this tablecloth, and she also pointed out her initials embroidered in the corner of the tablecloth to the priest.

It turns out that she and her husband live in Vienna, Austria. Before World War II, they had participated in the struggle against Nazi rule. Later, they decided to flee to Switzerland. However, her husband said that they had to run away separately because there would be a greater chance of running away. So she left Vienna first and waited for her husband at the appointed place. But there is no news. Only later did she hear that her husband died tragically in a Nazi concentration camp.

After hearing the story, the priest was deeply moved. He insisted that the old lady take this commemorative tablecloth away. However, after a moment's reflection, the old lady politely declined. She said that she didn't need this tablecloth any more, and besides, hanging it behind the altar looked really beautiful. Say that finish, she will leave away.

On Christmas Eve, the candles in the church are brightly lit and swaying. By candlelight, the tablecloth hanging behind the altar looks even more gorgeous. Milky white lace is dazzling in the flickering candlelight, while the golden silk thread that shuttles between it shines like the dawn.

When the congregation left the church, they all praised the worship ceremony presided over by the priest, and they also praised how beautiful the church had become.

When people dispersed, the church became quiet. However, an old gentleman has been wandering in the church, looking at the tablecloth, as if enjoying and remembering, and refused to leave for a long time. After a long time, when he finally decided to leave the church, he couldn't help pointing to the tablecloth and saying to the priest, "It's incredible! There should be such a coincidence in the world. I remember many years ago, my dead wife and I had a tablecloth like this. However, she only uses it on some very special occasions. We were still living in Vienna. "

Hearing this, the priest could hardly believe his ears. "Is there really such a coincidence in the world?" He thought excitedly. At the moment, the temperature at night is getting colder and colder, but the young priest doesn't feel the chill at all. He tried to suppress his excitement and try to calm himself down. Then, he told the old man that the old lady had been to church that afternoon and that this tablecloth was her family's.

"Really?" The old man was surprised and tears welled up in his eyes. "Is she really alive?" How can I find her? "

The priest doesn't know where the old lady lives, but he remembers the family that the old lady interviewed. So the priest called the family and asked the old lady's name and address. The old man standing by was already shaking with excitement.

Next, the priest drove his old car and took the old man to the other side of town to find the old lady overnight. When they came to the door of the old lady's apartment, they knocked on her door together. The moment she opened the door, she was shocked, her lips mumbled and she couldn't say a word. Tears of excitement suddenly blurred her eyes. ...

At this time, the young priest quietly stepped aside, with tears in his eyes, watching the sad and happy reunion of the troubled couple. ...

For the above story, some people may say that this is really an extremely lucky coincidence. It is precisely because of the hole in the church wall and the urgency of Christmas that the priest took ingenious and flexible remedial measures, covering the hole with an old tablecloth, which also led to the later events. But the combination of this series of events is too complicated to be described only by "coincidence".

Imagine that if the whole process of this matter is regarded as an interlocking chain, then as long as any link in this chain is broken, the old couple may never see each other again. If there is no storm before Christmas, if the roof of the church doesn't crack, if the priest doesn't go to the public auction, if the old lady doesn't look for a job, if she doesn't show up at the bus stop at that moment ... In fact, such "ifs" will never end.

In fact, all this is just an act of god. As the saying has been said countless times, "He always arranges the fate of his people in a mysterious way."

Author: Wei Li