Journal of a Living Lady #236

 

Nancy White Kelly

 

            Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays give opportunity to gather with kinfolks and share memories. My side of the family does this regularly. Buddy’s side is scattered and seldom get together as a big group. One of Buddy’s Alabama cousins tried to coordinate a family reunion this last summer. It fell though. Though disappointed, this didn’t stop Cousin Sandra from having a pseudo reunion with the help of the U.S. Postal Service.

 

Sandra assembled pictures, news clippings, and typed family stories going way back. One of the most memorable ones could have happened anywhere in the South, but this episode took place in Mississippi in another era. These are Sandra’s words slightly edited for length.

 

Aunt Mary and Uncle George, then in their eighties, were still church-going, God-fearing people. Every Sunday morning, Uncle George would go to the barn and hitch the horses to the wagon. He then drove the horses to the front porch of the country house. Aunt Mary stepped directly from the big porch right into the wagon. It was their Sunday ritual.

 

Uncle George was totally deaf and had been for years. However, he faithfully attended church, studied the Bible, and prayed. He was sincere and intense in his Christianity.

 

For whatever reason, Uncle George started to “nip” now and then. A few family members surmised that he had come to know the pain of arthritis.

 

On a cold Sunday morning, Uncle George hitched the horses to the wagon taking a little longer than usual. While in the barn, instead of a few nips, he took a few snorts of booze. He picked up Aunt Mary from the porch and proceeded to church. The air was so fresh and crisp that Aunt Mary didn’t notice any distinctive smell.

 

Upon entrance to the old church, Aunt Mary, and everybody else, recognized the undeniable odor of alcohol. Eyes rolled, but nobody said anything.

 

The following Sunday, the pastor announced that the congregation needed to vote on the matter of Brother George coming to the Lord’s house smelling of spirits. A motion was made to remove Brother George’s name from the church roll. Someone seconded the motion.

 

The pastor said, “All who wish to exclude Brother George from church membership please stand.” The entire congregation stood except, of course, Aunt Mary. Totally deaf Uncle George stood because everybody else was standing. He motioned for Aunt Mary to stand up. She motioned for him to sit down. He motioned for her to stand up. She motioned for him to sit down. This continued for several minutes. Finally, Uncle George pulled Aunt Mary up from her seat. The vote was unanimous. Uncle George was “churched.” He just did not know it.

 

After arriving home, Aunt Mary served dinner and quietly washed the dishes. Later that same day, she wrote her husband a letter telling him that he had been churched. She also explained why she had tried to get him to sit back down during the service. Because of his stubborn insistence, both of them, by standing, had voted to exclude Uncle George from his own church.

 

Rage set in. The second Sunday after his spirited appearance, George was ready.  He carried pots and pans, rusty horseshoes, old plowshares, and a cowbell to the church. When it was time for the service to begin, Uncle George went into action. He drove the wagon around the church during the entire service. He banged pots and pans together. He shouted. The plowshares and horseshoes in the back of the wagon rattled noisily.  He continuously rang the cowbell.  This routine went on for three straight Sundays.

 

After that third Sunday of sabotaging the worship services, three gentlemen from the church congregation came to see Uncle George. It was 3:00 in the afternoon when they handed him an official letter of reinstatement.

 

The following Sunday morning Uncle George hitched the horses to the wagon, picked Aunt Mary up from the front porch, and drove to the church services.

 

He did the proper thing. He forgave every single one of them.

 

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nancyk@alltel.net