Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Decoration Day Some call it Homecoming, but it was always called Decoration Day at the small church in our community. Decoration Day at the church was the highlight of summer in my world. The church house was just pews and pulpit, white boards with a wasp-infected high ceiling. From the time school closed in the spring until it resumed in the fall, the church was the core of our social life. We endured the fire-and-brimstone preacher until the last Amen; then the fun began. The congregation met only once a week, and each time was an event. In the last week of scorching and simmering July, a week-long revival service began, not necessarily because we needed reviving but because that was the week revival meetings were held. Decoration Day was the fourth Sunday in July, a glorious day that kicked off the revival events. Early in the day, the adjoining cemetery exploded in red, yellow, and blue crepe paper flowers. Everyone came, even folks from the Church of Christ congregation who did no...

I know you have heard them. They are widespread in Alabama and the rest of the southern states. They sing from treetops, power lines, and rooftops. The mockingbird's scientific name is Mimus ployglottos , which means 'many-tongued mimic'. The naturalist John Borroughs called it "the lark and the nightingale in one". The mockingbird can imitate other birds' song so accurately that only electronic analysis can detect the difference. They can have hundreds of songs or noises that they imitate, in addition to songs of their own. They have been heard imitating gate hinges, dogs barking, whistles, calls of frogs and insects in addition to various bird songs. It is rather plain-looking, this mockingbird, this most remarkable songbird. Perhaps he mimics the songs of other to make up for the fact that he is plain, gray and white with no splashes of blue, yellow, or deep red to brighten the landscape. Maybe he just doesn't like his own song, thinking it inadequate w...

Everything is a choice. If we say, "I'll decide later", we have made a choice. If we say, "I'm not responsible for the hungry", we have made a choice. If we say, "I don't care about sin if it doesn't touch me", we have made a choice. Choices are not something we can control; they are as much of our life as breathing in and out. What if we could choose to be anyone we wanted to be? It could be Miss America, with outward beauty, crowns, boardwalks, people cheering as you pass, children begging for your name for their autograph collection. It could be sports star, with strength, money, fame, people clustering near the front of the crowd to get a glimpse of you, children clamoring for something you have touched, wearing your face on their bodies, your name on their shoes. Another choice would be a media star, with salaries in nine digits, thinking you are your own god with your own rules, with subjects who worship you. It might be a pa...

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Melody Beattie More reasons to be grateful: 301. Another birthday 302. Celebrating with family in my favorite restaurant 303. Gifts to cherish 304. Getting to spend time with my little sister 305. Giggling at bedtime Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1 306. A warm front that melts the icicles 307. Sharing our blessings 308. Teaching tradition 309. Stories around an antique quilting frame 310. Collards in my garden Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1 311. Huge mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows 312. Finishing a quilt that's been long in the making 313. Sounds of childre...

Obviously, some habits that saw us through the millennia are proving hazardous in a modern context: for example, the yen to consume carbohydrates and fat whenever they cross our paths, or the proclivity for unchecked reproduction. Barbara Kingsolver In my opinion, the Atkins diet is possibly the most dire thing that has happened to our weight-obsessed nation in my lifetime. To be successful with the Atkins diet, one must consume copious amounts of meats and fats, and very little of anything else, especially carbohydrates. Nutritionists long ago established minimum requirements of food groups needed for a healthy lifestyle, including at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. According to the Atkins diet, that would be lettuce, carrots, lettuce, lettuce, and lettuce. I fear that soon we may see massive casualties due to carb-deprived diets. Our ancestors clawed and gouged their way to the top of the food chain, giving me the right to eat anything I want. I have no problem...

People, young and old, rich and poor, are suffering today. The earth quakes and buildings crumble. Some lives are gone, the rest are changed forever. We are covered with blessings that become commonplace, and we forget. Bombarded with pictures of destruction, I remember. 276. I wake up in a clean, warm bed. 277. I have shoes to slip on when I arise. 278. I walk a few steps to a sanitary bathroom. 279. I have soap. 280. I have clean water to wash my hands. 281. I have clean towels to dry them off. 283. I have privacy as I dress for the day. 284. I have clean clothes to dress in. 285. I have a kitchen to walk to. 286. I draw clean water from the kitchen sink. 287. I fill the coffee pot with ground beans. 288. The coffee pot is turned on, and wonderful electricity makes it work. 289. A mug, one that makes me smile, is filled with dark coffee. 290. Except for the hum of electrical appliances at work, it is quiet. 291. I have no fear for my safety in this house. 292. I walk to my office wit...

The book Where is God? Finding His Presence, Purpose, and Power in Difficult Times by Dr. John Townsend tackles our doubt and unbelief when we suffer through hard times, and expect God to answer our prayers and make everything right again. For those suffering with a terminal disease, dealing with the break-up of a marriage, or other life altering situations, it sometimes seems God is far away and doesn't hear or answer our prayers for deliverance. The organizing principles of this book are: God is for you, your experience matters, and the Bible is our source for understanding God's ways in hard times. The book is full of examples where Dr. Townsend successfully applied his principles in his private practice. Some chapters were rather long and I had difficultly staying focused on what he was saying. Other chapters, especially Chapter 12 (Hard Times are the Access Code) and Chapter 13 (Expect the Good) are so full of wisdom that they are worth buying the book. As I read the book,...