Uprooting the Kingdom: A Novel

It rained throughout the following day, so there didn't seem to be a good enough reason for most people to do anything but to stay inside. Of course, Yaaqov is restless. He keeps looking outside and wondering aloud when the rain will stop. Eliezer smiles, and reminds his son that the winter rains are needed to ensure that they will have an abundant crop later in the year. He understands that, in nature, changes are happening, even when they aren't visibly obvious to anyone.

Miriam knows that her father is thinking about the cycle of seasons, and about plowing, planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting. She asks him, "Abba, since Imah died, have you ever considered marrying another woman? Wouldn't it be helpful if you had another companion to help you to deal with the changes in your life?"

Eliezer thinks about this briefly, and then replies, "Miri, I have thought about that sometimes, but I don't think that anyone else should take the place that your mother has in my heart, and I think that I would feel disloyal if I ever tried to do that."

Miriam responds, "Abba, the relationship that you and Imah shared will always be special. No one else could ever change that. But perhaps you should open yourself to the possibility of experiencing a new relationship with another woman that will carry you into your future in a similar, but different way, than your past was with Imah. Continuing to deprive yourself of the joy of intimacy does not honor the memory of your deceased wife; instead, it denies the importance of intimacy itself. I believe that Imah would want you to be happy. There is no disloyalty in that."

Eliezer becomes quiet and he thinks about what Miriam said. Finally, he says, "Thank you for caring enough to speak to me in this way. I will think about what you have said. Changes are all around us, and each of us should be open to the future that the Lord is preparing for us. But for now, even though it is raining, I'm going to take myself for a walk."