- Speaker #0
Welcome back to Promise Hill. This is Chapter 5, The Secret Room. Hello, I'm Kimberlee Herman, your host. If this is your first time tuning in, welcome. So, what is Promise Hill? It's an unfolding mystery mixed with soul care. I'm an outside-the-box, pastoral counselor and find that stories hit home better than textbook teaching, but that's just me. You're going to hear chapter 5 now and afterwards I will come back to sit with you and talk about the chapter. Since this is an unfolding story, I highly recommend starting with episode 1. In our last episode, The Bluebird, Mira was able to spend intentional and quality time with her mom Ruth. Ruth gave her a Bible and a journey to find a a secret room inside their old house. Today we follow Mira to her childhood home, not knowing exactly what she'll find, only that something long buried is beginning to surface. I'll meet you on the other side of this fictional narrative with reflections, action steps, and prayer. Let's listen in.
- Speaker #1
Mira sat in her car keeping dry as she stared at the house she had grown up in.
- Speaker #2
Look at that. They painted the shutters sage green and added more flowers around the house. Dad would have liked it, I think.
- Speaker #1
It had been five years since her dad passed away, and about six months since they sold the house.
- Speaker #2
Will they even let me in?
- Speaker #1
With a steadying exhale, she stepped out of the car, covering her head with her jacket and holding the journal. She made her way to the front door. Standing under the roof on the porch, Mira knocked with courage. A middle-aged woman with a short blonde bob and kind blue eyes opened the door.
- Speaker #2
Can I help you? Hi there. My name's Mira. My family and I used to live here. I helped my mom sell her home to you. Sorry, this is so awkward. I'm here because my mom just told me she left something in the attic before she moved. I know this is a strange request. But I was wondering if you would let me look for it.
- Speaker #1
The woman hesitated, glancing back inside.
- Speaker #2
I promise I won't take much of your time.
- Speaker #1
The woman studied her for a moment with cautious curiosity.
- Speaker #2
There wasn't anything up there when we moved in. Are you sure?
- Speaker #1
Mira nodded and opened up her mom's journal.
- Speaker #2
She says there's a hidden room. I have no idea if it really exists. But she drew this to show me how to find it.
- Speaker #1
Mira handed her the open journal. The woman's expression softened. She looked at the drawing, then back at Mira with a big smile.
- Speaker #2
This sounds like the beginning of an adventure. I'm going to let my husband know what's going on. I'll be right back. Thanks so much.
- Speaker #1
As Mira waited, she glanced down and noticed her small handprint pressed into the cement of the porch all those years ago. The sight stirred a rush of memories. Birthday parties in the yard, the day she got her first car, and her father's return from long business trips. The woman returned.
- Speaker #2
I'm Claire, by the way. Come on in.
- Speaker #1
Mira smiled.
- Speaker #2
It's very nice to meet you, Claire.
- Speaker #1
She stepped over the threshold, stomping off the weather onto rain mats. She walked into the house that once held the heartbeat of her childhood. But time had changed everything. New floors and fresh paint. A familiar shell with a different soul. As they made their way up to the attic, they shared pleasant, surface-level conversation. Nothing too deep. Just enough to keep the silence at bay. The attic greeted them with the scent of aged wood and dust. Mira's heart beat louder in her chest as she took in the space.
- Speaker #2
So many memories. Hide and seek, tea parties, my mom yelling for me for dinner. I would get lost in play up here. Sounds like a wonderful childhood. I love to hear about what echoes these walls hold. I think I found something. Look here Just as my mother described, it's the hidden button. It's camouflaged in the wood panel on the side wall.
- Speaker #1
Her finger paused above the wooden seam. Some instinct whispered that the moment she pressed it, something long forgotten would stir. She took a slow breath and pushed the button. A concealed door swung open slowly. A light flickered to life inside the secret room.
- Speaker #2
I can't believe this was here all along.
- Speaker #0
What a lovely little space.
- Speaker #2
Me too. It explains why I had to play outside when my dad was home.
- Speaker #1
Mira stepped inside, awe settling over her like a blanket. A green leather recliner sat on a soft beige and blue rug. On the other side, a tall lamp. And a wall clock frozen at 3.16.
- Speaker #2
Look at this built-in bookshelf. It still has a few old books sitting here. It feels like a retreat, a sanctuary frozen in time.
- Speaker #1
Beside the chair sat a banker's box that read, Ruth Only. It was taped closed. Mira crouched beside it. Her hand hovered over the tape, but something in her chest hesitated. This wasn't hers to open. Not yet. Instead, she lifted it carefully into her arms, feeling the weight of the box and the weight of memories. Coming here was much harder than she anticipated. Mira turned to Claire, needing to leave. The weight of grief was settling in.
- Speaker #2
Thank you for letting me do this, Claire. I really appreciate it. But I need to leave.
- Speaker #0
Of course, Mira. This must be a lot to take in.
- Speaker #2
I'll walk you out. You're welcome back anytime. If I find anything else that belongs to your family, I'll let you know. Would you like to leave your number?
- Speaker #1
Mira nodded as they landed in the entryway. She scribbled her number on a notepad.
- Speaker #3
Thank you again, Claire.
- Speaker #2
I appreciate your help. It was so nice to meet you.
- Speaker #1
Claire smiled and gave Mira a hug. Mira drove just around the corner before pulling over to take in what she'd just experienced. The box sat on the passenger seat, silent but weighty with unspoken mementos. She rested a hand on the lid and wondered.
- Speaker #2
What could be sitting in this box that Mom wanted to keep private?
- Speaker #1
Mira sat in silence as she drove back to the care home, remembering Charity's advice to be grateful for the moments with her mom and experiencing them as gifts. Mira ran through the rain with the box. When she arrived to her mother's room, she found Ruth sitting up in bed. When Ruth saw the box, her eyes widened slightly.
- Speaker #2
Hey, Mama. I found the box you asked for. It was right where you said it would be, and I brought back your journal, too. That secret room is pretty neat. I can't believe I never knew about it.
- Speaker #1
Mira kissed her mom on the cheek and set the box on the coffee table in front of them and set the journal on her table. They tore off the tape and then opened the box together slowly, carefully removing a few old items from the top, college letters, family photos, journals. And then Ruth's breath caught as she pulled out a yellowed handkerchief. She slowly unwrapped the object, revealing a small wooden carving, a tiny bluebird with wings outstretched.
- Speaker #3
Look, Mira, my bluebird. Your father gave it to me after the Bill the Bluebird experience I told you about last time. It was a funny family memory. But it was also to remind me that he loved our family and would be flying home to see us.
- Speaker #1
Mira looked up to see tears forming in her mother's eyes.
- Speaker #3
He was gone so much. Did I ever tell you he was in special forces?
- Speaker #1
Mira shook her head slowly, stunned.
- Speaker #2
No, you told me he was in sales and had to travel the world selling vacuums to moms who needed one. That didn't make sense when I got older, but you both never wanted to talk about it.
- Speaker #3
He couldn't tell us where he'd been, and we weren't sure how to explain that to you. But whenever he returned, he never came empty-handed, a stone smoothed by water in a distant lake, lace from some faraway land. Something small, carefully chosen. He said it helped him feel like he was still part of our everyday life.
- Speaker #1
Ruth looked down at the box.
- Speaker #3
Do you remember the toys he brought home for you?
- Speaker #2
I have some memories, but I really remember just wanting him to stay home. Everyone else's dad was around. I thought he didn't like us enough to stay.
- Speaker #3
I'm sorry, dear. That's not what happened. He had an important job to do. It was complicated.
- Speaker #1
Mira's eyes misted as she glanced at the growing pile of keepsakes between them, as her mother took them out one by one.
- Speaker #3
You saved all this? I saved him. In my own way.
- Speaker #1
Mira sat beside her mother and reached for her hand. The moment was quiet, sacred. And in that silence, the past didn't feel so far away anymore. She felt close to her mom as she studied her face and her hands. She was grateful for these shared moments of nostalgia, and thankful to Charity, who reminded her to cherish them. But she also realized how dismissed she felt. It wasn't the first time, and it always felt confusing. Her mom was so kind, but didn't seem to understand her feelings about her dad. He was gone all the time, months at a time. It hurt, deeply. As Mira's fingers traced the edge of the box, her eyes caught a delicate, worn piece of lace with the initials GL in the middle. It was a remnant of another time, laying on top of an old necklace with a pink stone.
- Speaker #3
Mama, who's GL? That's for another day, Mira.
- Speaker #1
Mira was surprised, but let it go.
- Speaker #3
Look at all these old letters and my wedding photos.
- Speaker #1
She pulled out a photo album she had never seen.
- Speaker #2
I don't remember this album. Who's in this?
- Speaker #3
Mira, give it to me right now. Some of these things are for another day.
- Speaker #2
Okay, Mama.
- Speaker #1
The last thing buried at the bottom was a manila envelope labeled Private. Mira reached in and pulled it out, the weight of it unexpected in her hands. Before she could open it, Ruth's hand shot out and snatched it away.
- Speaker #3
That's not for now.
- Speaker #1
Mira blinked, startled.
- Speaker #3
But not now.
- Speaker #1
Ruth clutched the envelope to her chest as she stood up and walked to her bed. Mira gently got up, laying the lace with the strange initials on her mother's desk, her heart thudding with questions, holding back tears.
- Speaker #2
Okay, Mama. I'll be back to visit in a few days.
- Speaker #1
Mira left with tears welling in her eyes. She sat in her car, staring out into the darkness.
- Speaker #2
I wonder what could possibly be in that envelope. And why did she get so agitated about it?
- Speaker #1
She glanced once more at the care home before turning the key when her phone vibrated. One new message. The number was unknown. No contact image. No thread history. The message read, Amira, is that you?
- Speaker #2
Who's Amira? And why does it sound so close to my name?
- Speaker #1
Some boxes hold more than objects. They carry memory, mystery, and meaning, wrapped in dust and quiet hope. Mira didn't just find a hidden room. She uncovered a piece of her family's soul. Join us next time in Promise Hill, where every discovery brings us closer to the beginning. Take it away, Kimberlee.
- Speaker #0
Let's walk that story home. Do you find yourself in a similar situation, watching a loved one walk through challenges, going back in time to feel what surfaces? Today I have three reflections and three action steps for you, but before that, did you notice how Mira recognized that her feelings were minimized by her Mom Ruth. It can be very confusing when we love someone and most of the time they're wonderful. But sometimes when we're being vulnerable, our feelings are pushed to the side. It's perplexing and painful. Why do people do that? Mainly, because they don't know how to handle your feelings, let alone their own. Reflection number one. The hidden rooms we don't know exist. Sometimes the most important parts of our story are hidden in plain sight. Mira grew up in that house and never knew there was a secret room. Could you imagine? In the same way, she grew up in her family and never knew the full truth about her father. That's real life. We think we know our story and then one small discovery shifts everything. Hear it and hold it. Psalm 121 verses 1 and 2. I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. When a hidden room appears, it can shake the storm. story we thought we knew. Yet the psalmist, King David, reminds us that our help doesn't come from what's discovered, but from the Lord who already knows what's there. God isn't startled by what we find. He meets us in it. Here's what I want you to know. The room in the story represents hidden information about Mira's past. We all have hidden rooms in our story. Some hidden rooms need the support of a trained therapist to help you walk through it. Other hidden rooms might hold information we did not know about, like Mira and her dad. Or smaller, difficult situations, like kids being mean to us at school. Hidden rooms don't discount your life. But because we're too young, too innocent, or too protected to see everything clearly, situations and events might get swept up into compartments. And when we discover something new about our past, it doesn't mean our whole life was a lie. If a hidden room opens, bring Jesus with you. Now, I'm in no way suggesting that you go after hidden rooms in your past, unless you feel you're ready and have the appropriate support. And please remember, if there is severe trauma in your childhood, or you think there might be, please find someone that's trained and has experience working with childhood trauma. It is a very specialized field and really needs someone that's trained in it. And do this because you're worth it. 2. Childhood meanings aren't always the whole story. As a little girl, Mira thought her father stayed away because he didn't want to be home. I wonder how many of us had similar thoughts about our loved ones. That quiet belief shaped the way Mira saw herself for years. But truth has layers. The same story can look differently in fuller light. Hear it and hold it. Matthew 11 verses 28 and 29. Come to me. When Jesus invites us to come to him, he meets both the ache and the need to understand. Healing asks us to look again, to name what happened and what it meant to us, and then taking it to Jesus so he can remove the pain. This is a process called inner healing, and it's super powerful. And this is the main tool that I use with my clients when we're walking through painful experiences. or triggers. Number three, some truths are revealed in stages. The envelope labeled private, the lace with initials, the mysterious text, and Ruth says, not now. That's uncomfortable. We don't like waiting for answers. We don't like being told we're not ready. Hear it and hold it. Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1. There's a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. Some answers take shape slowly. What feels like a delay might be mercy in disguise. When Ruth says, not now, it echoes something sacred, the rhythm of how truth unfolds. God reveals what we can carry when we can carry it. The pauses are not punishment. They might be preparation. Waiting seasons shape the heart that one day will hold the answer. So if clarity hasn't come, it may still be ripening beneath the surface. When it's time, it will open right on cue. Before we move to practical action steps, take a breath. Let what you've just heard settle in for a moment. Hidden rooms, old meetings, waiting seasons. Each one invites a kind of participation, not a task list, but as a way of staying present to what God is doing beneath the surface. These next three steps are small actions you can carry into the week ahead or into your whole life. Choose what works for you. Let's begin. Action number one, create a small sanctuary space. Mira discovered a hidden retreat, also known as the secret room in this chapter. There was a chair, a lamp, a clock frozen in time, a place set apart. This week, create your own tiny secret room or cozy space. Not a remodel, just intentional. A chair in the corner with a blanket. A candle only you light when you sit there. A bible, journal, or devotional waiting quietly nearby. A lamp instead of overhead lighting. The goal isn't aesthetics, it's association. When you sit there, your body learns, this is where I slow down. This is where I meet God. And this is where I can breathe. Consistency can build safety. Number two action step. Practice gratitude for one positive memory. Instead of revisiting hard history, find one small tender memory and write it down. This could be a meal someone cooked for you, a funny habit bit your parent had, a drive, a song, a small kindness. Don't dissect it, just honor it. Feel how grateful you are for that memory. Gratitude doesn't erase pain, it gives balance. Our stories hold more than sorrow. They hold beauty scattered in ordinary moments. Number three, practice the quiet hold. Not everything heavy needs to be solved right away. When something heavy needs to be solved, If something stirs, a thought, a realization, a wave, a feeling, pause and name it softly. This matters. Then hold it without rushing towards an answer. This is also known as not making a decision on impulse. For example, I have a family member with a challenging situation. When I get information about that person, I used to start spinning, like badly. But what I do now is acknowledge their choices, name what I'm feeling. Usually I'm feeling out of control. I surrender control to God and ask for his peace and wisdom for this person and for myself. I always ask God to help this person too. Stillness is not avoidance. It's trust in progress you can't see. Let the thought breathe in God's presence before you respond or decide. Some clarity arrives only when the heart has been quiet long enough to receive it. Each of these small actions, creating space, remembering gratitude, and practicing the quiet hold, works like gentle breathing for the soul. When we open hidden rooms or face memories that shift meaning, we sometimes need a place to rest before anything else. These rhythms give your heart that space. Let's close together in a short prayer. Dearest Father, I lift up every heart hearing these words today for your love to shine on their souls. Thank you for the gentle way you meet them in a flower, a song, or through others. These hearts can struggle to hold safe space for themselves and tends to be critical of their feelings. Remind them that you gave them feelings to connect to life and you meet them in all those spaces. Help them to see you in the smallest things, in sweet memories, a stranger's kindness, and in a friend's wisdom. And remind them that nothing meaningful is ever truly lost. It is just waiting to be found again. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Thank you for spending time with us today, friend. Remember to subscribe to be notified of Chapter 6, The Bruise, where we start learning how to address heart wounds with Grandma Eden and continue to learn a little bit more about Mira's story. Until next time, may you find peace in the presence and hope on the hilltop. This is Kimberlee Herman, cheering you on from Promise Hill.
