Marcus Lucianus Valerian made his way through the streets of Ephesus. Was it just him or did the streets seem particularly crowded on this day? He was returning from the docks where his ships were housed and loaded. In addition to bringing food and supplies, Marcus had rebuilt the entire structure of his enterprise by organizing daily meetings which would bring about safer conditions for everyone.

This day, however, he had been driven to the point of distraction. Thoughts of his young Hadassah kept coming to him. He knew she took great pleasure in what she did each day - accompanying his mother Phoebe while taking their own goods to the widows of sailors who had perished at sea on his ships.

Normally, Marcus would have pushed through the throngs of people cursing them to the gods. Oh how the past year had changed that! Making his way around the crowds, he was thrust into thoughts of the past year. Stepping aside to let a mother with two children go before him, Marcus continued onward as he neared his villa.

His heart was still a work in progress, but he had made so many leaps since everything had changed. His wedding to Hadassah had been a grand affair with workers and wealthy alike attending. He had wanted no distinction among the classes. But in fact, all he remembered from a night of greeting and feasting was the face of his new bride, his eyes never leaving her until he lifted her into the sedan chair which would take her to their villa. Knowing the wedding of the wealthiest merchant in the empire to a former slave would bring talk amongst everyone in Ephesus, Marcus whisked Hadassah to his country estate.

Here, he told her she would rest from the ordeals she had endured over the past months. Marcus Valerian had been known for his quick temper and had been feared by his slaves in the past. His new faith had led him to free them all. When they found out they could stay on, receiving a pension and serve the loving Hadassah as the lady of the household, everyone stayed.

Days at the country for Marcus and Hadassah could not have been more like a dream. They took late breakfasts on the balcony of their bed chamber. Hours were spent walking through the gardens. Marcus had never known such a feeling of joy in his soul. Things which had once held importance now meant nothing. He and Hadassah spent time in prayer morning, noon, and night which had only served to bring them closer together.

Early one morning Marcus had taken Hadassah for a ride in the chariot through the countryside. She marveled at the beauty and regaled him with stories of her girlhood in Galilee. Yet her eyes never fully left him. At one point in their journey, Hadassah made a sharp exclamation.

"Marcus!"

He pulled his eyes to see why she was so taken. They were alongside of a field of lilies. Hadassah gently put her hand on Marcus' arm.

"May we stop here?" She asked, eyes alight.

"Anything you wish." Had been his reply. They spent the next hours warmed by the sun, enjoying the beautiful scent and splendor around them.

"I feel so close to God." Hadassah whispered. "New life and the beautiful colors speak to me and always remind me that His hand is in all creation."

Marcus loved this about his wife. She found pleasure in even the simplest things. Although he adorned her with the most elaborate wears tailored to her slender frame, she never asked for anything. Her strength and humility were why he had fallen in love with her so long ago. Taking her hand, he spoke softly,

"Let us pray and give thanks that the Lord reveals himself to us as He does." Wrapping her small fingers in his, they began to pray.

In the next months, the couple returned to the field frequently. Hadassah preferring its seclusion and tranquility. Soon after, Hadassah began to grow restless. "God has given me rest and filled my soul. Now, I must return to help those in the face of triumph to seek His name." To their great joy, soon after they had returned to Ephesus, Marcus and Hadassah had discovered her to be with child.

Drawing himself from his thoughts, Marcus approached the large villa. A servant took his cloak as he entered. At the gate, he had noticed the special cart which had been custom made for Hadassah so she could easily get in or out with her bad leg. A pang rose in him as he went to the peristyle to make sure she was alright. He found her on her favorite marble bench. Sitting beside her, he exclaimed, "You are well."

Turning her face to him she brushed her cheek against his.

"Helena and her mother accepted the Lord today! I have been telling them of the Gospel for a year. They have joined in His name. Aquilia's son Galleo is healing from the fever he had from the winter. You will remember young Drusa who lost the use of her hand after an infection? Praise God that with His healing and prayer, the poultice and herbs have given her use of it again."

She was always like this when returning from her daily visits. Some days were better than others. On those days she would spend long hours to herself in prayer. Today, however, she was glowing with exhilaration. God was at work all around them.

"The Spirit seems to move wherever you go." Marcus exclaimed.

"My purpose is that I serve as one of His disciples, as He asks." Hadassah replied quietly.

"Let us seek Him and give thanks for these blessings which you have witnessed today." Marcus answered. "Then, we will dine."

After prayer, Marcus called a servant to bring the dinner trays to the triclinium.

"I will not be eating this night." Hadassah said calmly.

"You are not fasting? You have seen much rewards and it is not good for the baby, I fear." Hadassah's expression did not change. She did not answer. Marcus searched her face more carefully this time and saw her flinch ever so slightly.

"What's wrong?" he asked candidly. At first Hadassah did not answer. Then she spoke slowly.

"My time is near."

Marcus made a sharp inhalation. "So soon?"

"The pain is greater now. It will be soon."

"How long have you known this?" He asked, perplexed.

"I have been feeling the pain all day."

Marcus let out an exhalation, biting back a curse.

"Lord, forgive my quick tongue. All day?" he questioned again. "Why did you not speak sooner?"

"I was not certain of what it was until now. I was so caught up in the happenings of the day. I suppose I just did not pay attention." That was Hadassah. Always putting others before herself. He swiftly picked her up and was up the stairs in three strides into their bed chamber.

"Even God allows you time to yourself, little one." He said, brushing her dark hair from her now pained face.

Once the physician came, Marcus settled himself in for a long night.

Hadassah gave birth to their son quickly and easily. The new baby was being wrapped in swaddling clothes when Hadassah cried out in pain.

"What is it?" Marcus asked his wife.

"The pain," she breathed, "it is worse than before." Marcus addressed the physician who had begun to put his leather case away.

"What's wrong with her?" The tall man turned slowly and began examining Hadassah again. After a moment he spoke,

"There is another baby. It is not ready yet. So, we must wait."

"Are you going to let her suffer? Give her something for the pain!" Marcus shot accusingly.

"The baby is not yet in position to be birthed. The pain is part of the natural order. She will have to be awake."

"You better make sure nothing happens to her." Marcus argued back. "If it does, it will be your career."

Marcus immediately regretted his hot-tempered reaction. As he sat holding his wife's hand, he bowed his head in prayer. Hadassah would not speak so sharply to anyone.

"Curse my past ways and forgive my sharp tongue. I am the clay in Your hands, Lord, and you have but molded me. Speak on my behalf. Have mercy on my Hadassah. Bring her through this ordeal and let me take her pain if I must."

It seemed like hours that Marcus spent in prayer holding Hadassah's hand trying to coax her through her pain. At the first light of dawn, a gentle breeze began to blow through the large archway of the balcony. The wet tendrils of hair on Hadassah's forehead blew slightly. Finally, the doctor looked at Marcus.

"She is ready. It is time."

After a brief time, Hadassah gave birth to a dark-eyed baby girl. Marcus immediately requested the children be taken to their nurse where they would be fed and cared for. Hadassah raised a weak hand.

"No, the Lord placed these children in my womb to be born of my flesh. And so, I will nurse them."

Outside the villa, news of Hadassah's newborn children spread quickly. Those she had helped came to the gates of the villa out of respect. They did not have much, but many brought homemade gifts. Hadassah's chamber was filled with flowers and all sorts of offerings for her and the baby. Lavinia, a servant girl, brought Hadassah a cloth blanket with a woven design, holding it for her to see.

"There is nowhere else to put these things, my lady. Shall I dispose of it?"

Hadassah gasped in disbelief.

"These gifts were made with love. We will throw nothing away."

"My lady, you have a nursery with silks and the finest linens which Lord Marcus has had prepared for the children. You will have no use for these things once you see it." She argued.

Lavinia looked to Marcus who had not left Hadassah's side.

"It will be as she says. These people mean the world to Hadassah. She knows each one by name and can recognize the patterns they weave. She will have what she desires. Now leave us so she and the babies can rest. Make sure anything else brought is taken to her nursery."

"Yes, my lord." And with that, she exited the room. Lavinia did not know how Hadassah and Marcus could value things which came from such depravity when they had everything.

Marcus and Hadassah named their children Mark after Hadassah's older brother, and their beautiful daughter with eyes like Hadassah's Lea, after her sister who had died in captivity during the siege. As Marcus sat with his wife and children, everything he wanted was in this one room.

It was no shock that Hadassah settled into motherhood so easily. Even more, that her hands did not remain idle. As busy as she was being a new mother, Hadassah began crafting dolls and drawings for the children of the widows. When the twins were a few months older, it was not uncommon for Hadassah to venture out once a week with her children in tow to visit the widows and their families. Always on the days Hadassah visited, throngs of children gathered around her cart as she held her babies so she could tell those stories of a man who defeated a giant and one who survived a lion's den.