In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

Epilogue

The family found a village more tolerant than most and claimed some land a little way out of the village where a steep hill gave them some privacy. They built a house and the day it was finished, Charity announced that she was with child. We, their descendents, live there unto this day. In fact, today, nearly the entire village is populated by either descendents or relatives.

Constance bore a son, and he was named Ezekiel the Younger. Then Charity bore a son and he was named Moab (after the son of one of the daughters of Lot) — to the quiet amusement of everyone within the family though to the rest of the village it was a name from the Bible and therefore a name as good as any other. Then Constance bore another daughter and Charity bore another son and this went on until there were ten children in the family and the house had to be extended twice to accommodate them all. And they were all named as Ezekiel's children and they were all raised with two mothers who both fed each child at her breast so that each child would bind to both of them. And they were all brought up to walk with God in their hearts. And, by God's Will, every one of them lived to adulthood.

And when the other people of the village asked Constance and Charity who this Ezekiel was and where he was, they were told "He is our husband and their father and he lives within the Grace of God."

The villagers would walk away puzzled but they would shake their heads and get on with their lives for they had learned that Samuel's family were a little different and seemed to live by different rules. And the villagers knew that sometimes Samuel's family were a little brazen but they were good people and Godly people and they were generous and kind and loving people. So the villagers forgave them their eccentricities and accepted them as members of their community.

Samuel was quickly appointed as an elder of the village and he had much to say about what teachings should and should not be taught — which is to say, he questioned everything that was taught by the other elders and challenged them to justify their teachings. And when he took his turn at the pulpit as a lay-preacher, instead of a sermon, he would ask questions like "What does God expect of each of us?" and "What is the difference between a child and an adult?" and "What tasks may a man perform that are forbidden to women?" and "Does God expect us to change our ways from time to time or to always do the same thing?" Then he would stand there and say nothing while the villagers thought about the question and when he decided they had thought for long enough he would conclude the service without ever giving his own opinion. And the villagers would spend the entire week discussing his question as they sat in their homes or worked in their fields or passed each other in the road. And so Samuel fulfilled his duty to God as an elder by leading his people to a deeper understanding of God's Creation and their place within it.

Over time, some things Samuel's family did were adopted by others in the village. So it came to pass that the women of the village put aside their bonnets (except for when attending church) and they wore their hair in long braids — even when out in public. And no one looked twice at the sight of a women wearing trousers while pushing a plough or digging in the dirt or climbing a frame to hammer nails during a barn building though they would all wear dresses at other times.

Charity became quite a talented doctor. And in this way, she fulfilled her desire to find her own path but to remain within the bosom of her family. First Constance and later Moab worked with Charity as nurse and secretary. And Moab learned how to be a doctor by working at her side and continued as doctor for the village when Charity retired. And one of Moab's nieces continued the family practice after him. And I, your dutiful scribe, now practice beside her and shall continue when she retires.

And when the times changed and it became needful to have a family name, there was only really one choice, though nobody had ever heard of Ezekiel being used as a family name before. Poor Ezekiel the Younger caused some confusion with the name Ezekiel Ezekiel, but nobody who mattered was too concerned for, to them, he was simply Ezekiel the Younger — and he remained so until the day he died at the age of 51.

And occasionally, within the family home — or at family gatherings — Momma Constance would go away and "Uncle" Ezekiel would make an appearance and play with the children for a while before withdrawing into the back room with Momma Charity where the two would spend some time alone together before coming out with flushed faces and shy smiles. Then they would sit with the children and teach them about their father Ezekiel and how every person had duties that God expected them to fulfil. Then when the children were old enough to understand, they told them the full story of their father, Ezekiel, and who Grace was and how it came to be that their father lived within the Grace of God. And Samuel and Isabelle would sit in their chairs with their greying hair and nod to the wide eyed youngsters and confirm that every word of the story was true.

And in time, their children were told the same stories. And they told those stories to their children. And so on, to this very day. And so Ezekiel and Grace are remembered and honored within the family.

And that is why, when a grandson of Moab grew up 'a little strange,' my family recognized me for who and what I was. And so I became Grace — the second within the family to take that name. And I have lived a life much longer and fuller than the first. A life which is not yet over. But that is an entirely different story.

Walk always with God in your heart.

Dr Grace Ezekiel, March, 1775