In our home it was natural to fear our father . Even our mother was afraid of him. As children, my sister and I thought every family was like that. Every family had an unpredictable dad who was impossible to please and a praying mom who was there to protect the children. We were good children. Mom was always telling us we were, even if Daddy couldn't see it . part of this was because we didn't dare to do anything. Then came the day we found something new and fun to do. We worked at drawing with chalk on our wooden front door and making lots of pretty pictures all over it. We had a great time. We thought Mom would love it and praise us. The praise we expected did not come. Instead, Mom was mad. We did not understand why, but we knew we were in big trouble!  Off we ran to find a place to hid. In our wooded yard it was not hard for two small children to find safety. Together, we hid behind a tree and did not move. Soon we heard the frightened voices of Mom and our neighbors calling out to us. The sun set and it began to get dark. Those around us became more anxious, and we became more frightened. However, we still didn't move. As we clung together in the dark, we became aware of yet another voice, one we recognized with great fear: our daddy. But there was something strangely different about it. In it we heard something we had never heard before: fear, agony and despair. Then came his prayers in tearful voice. Our daddy was promising God that he would give his life to him if he would safely return his girls. Nothing in our lives had prepared us for this kind of shock. Neither of us remembers making a decision to come out. We were drawn to him like a magnet , our fears disappearing into the forest. We didn't know yet if we actually took steps or if God somehow moved us out and into Daddy's arms. What we do remember were those strong, loving arms holding us and crying, hugging us like we were precious. Things were different after that.  _ . Our whole family was changed by a piece of chalk. The children's drawing on the door  _  .
brought them great trouble gained their mother's praise made their father very angry failed to meet their mother's demands