Brother's keeper

by Dave Jackson

Our best friends are Jim and Janalee Croegaert. We've gone to the same church together for ten years, cared for each other's babies, commiserated with each other as our older children became teenagers, and shared meals when someone in the family was sick.

Not so long ago, Jim and Janalee really needed a car. Their old one was giving out in ways that couldn't be repaired. From time to time, we loaned them our car when they needed to take a trip--even though their family was a little larger than could fit easily.

They had been saving money slowly until Jim, who is a musician and songwriter, sold one of his songs to Meadow Green. The song, "Morning Like This", became the title song for one of Sandi Patti's albums. Finally, our friends had the funds to get their long-awaited new car.

However, they didn't do it. Weeks went by as some of us teased Jim and Janalee about whether their old, red junker had grown roots in the driveway.

During this period, our family was in a financially tight place. Money from past writing projects was dwindling, and more work seemed uncertain. Maybe we would have to give up being freelance writers and take whatever jobs we could find--but even that was a little risky.

It was then that I discovered why Jim and Janalee hadn't gone out and purchased that new car. "We just wanted to wait until you got on your feet a little more securely. It didn't make sense for us to use up all our reserves when you might be needing some help," Jim said.

What friends!

We finally landed some new writing contracts and came out of our tight spot. "Morning Like This" continued to sell well, and soon Jim called up and said, "Can I come over and see you?" I was never happier than to see this "brother's keeper" drive up in a shiny new car just the right size for his family.

Dave and Neta Jackson are authors of many books, including the Trailblazer series of historical fiction. They live in Evanston, Ill.


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