March 24, 2026

After The Story | Episode 17

After the Story - Choices Like Rivers Episode 17

This podcast discusses each chapter of Choices Like Rivers and each episode is posted directly after the book episode. This corresponds to Chapter 7 Section 1.

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Wow what a scene this is. Packed with so much emotion and questions, some answered and some not.

First we see Sharon revisit the pain of baby Evan as she pulls out the tiny stocking she had made for him so many years ago. Another object that when revisited, brought pain.

This would be the first Christmas since then that Sharon had a reason to truly celebrate the holiday. Yes, Christmas is fun, but with children it truly has joyful purpose.

Sharon has no idea what Christmas had been like for Molly Sue. She does find out that indeed they did celebrate the holiday.

We do see though that Molly Sue did not know what Santa was and the man in the bright red suit was a surprising novelty to her.

When Sharon explained that he brought children gifts on Christmas Eve, Molly Sue knows instantly what she will ask for, her mommy.

Of course Sharon is embarrassed but also assaulted with her blatant hope that Molly Sue would be hers forever. She is confronted with a true struggle here.

She has grown to genuinely love Molly Sue in the only way she knows, but is her genuine love still a very selfish love? Can the two coexist?

She knows that to hope her mother does not return is not truly loving Molly Sue. That is what the girl wants and needs and for Sharon to hope for different is hoping against the girls best interest and is not love, and she knows this in her heart.

I had to put the little Charlie Brown moment in there with the small strangely tree, but we may yet see the real reason this is the tree Molly Sue selects.

But, the real surprise in this section is when Sharon drives by a life-size nativity scene and Molly Sue nearly hyperventilates to get out of the car.

She immediately starts yelling for baby Jesus. She knows what the nativity scene is unlike Santa. When the car stops and she gets out, her approach is slow and reverent. Her little mouth is formed in an ‘O’ of awe.

It is evident that the baby Jesus is just a doll, but not to Molly Sue. To her, he is baby Jesus and she reveres him.

She prays and becomes exactingly confident that baby Jesus will bring her mother back to her and will take care of her in the meantime.

Sharon is shell shocked. She doesn’t know how to respond to Molly Sue’s actions and confidence. Once again she is thrust into dealing with her conflicting desire regarding Molly Sue.

At home she is distracted by decorating the tree. And as she is watching Molly Sue design, decorate, and create the angel, she sits once again curious about her upbringing.

The angel is done far beyond what a normal fine year old usually does which means she has spend abundant time coloring and creating.

Then instead of using the scissors to cut it out, she skillfully and painstakingly tears the angel out in tiny rips. Sharon is confused and in awe at the same time.

Once the tree is decorated we see Sharon retreat from a tumultuous and emotional day. Her retreat is to alcohol. It is a habit she had practiced for years. And as the book says, the only thing she knows that can mask the pain.

She ruminates on how confidently Molly Sue prayed to baby Jesus and how she had once prayed and that prayer had seemingly been denied. Sharon had prayed for a child and it had been taken away, and so on.

Her confidence in prayer had diminished and she had grown hardened and cold. She had shut the idea of God out of her life. Alcohol had become her only comfort.