"They were almost to the crest when it happened.
" 'Oooh! Ouch!" cried the boy. He began hopping around madly on one foot while clutching the other.
" 'Take a deep breath now,' Joshua said. 'And look up to the sky where that bird is circling.' When he was sure that the boy was distracted, the shepherd pulled a thorn out of the tender pad of his foot.
" 'There now, it's all gone,' the shepherd said. He rubbed the foot to make it feel better. The boy felt warmth coming from the shepherd's hands.
"Elizabeth moved in to brush David's hair back from his face and wipe aawy his tears.
" 'Why?' the boy asked her. 'Why am I punished? I said my prayers this morning and did my chores.'
"Elizabeth did not believe that the boy's suffering was the result of something he had done wrong. Perhaps his father's constant scolding had led David to adopt a bitter view of life. She was eager to substitute a brighter one.
" 'Look at those storm clouds,' she said, pointing to the dark cumulonimbus gathering off to the east, 'They may fill our roads with mud today, but their life-giving rain will still make the crops grow. Could it be that all things happen for the best?'
" 'But this thorn,' said the boy. 'What good does it do me?'
" 'Perhaps it will teach you something, make you stronger,' she answered.
"He nodded and smiled at his sister, who always spoke the truth in love and loved the truth."
