On the first Sunday of each month we have communion at our Presbyterian church here in Gainesville. We take communion by intinction. That means we line up to take the bread and the wine ( grape juice in our church ) from the first pew in front to the back. When I was a child and until adulthood the preferred method was for an elder to prepare the juice in small glasses which held about one tablespoon . These little glasses were placed into a large silver, deep plate with a cover which had lots of openings for the glasses to rest in. The elders served the congregation as they sat in their pews. First however, they served everyone with small squares of bread or wafers, then the wine. Some churches have the participants hold the host (consecrated wafer) until the wine is served. In other churches this sacrament is called the Eucharist and real wine may be served.
The celebration of Holy Communion has always been an emotional time for me as I am remembering the many times my father served communion to me. For as long as I can remember he served as an elder in the same church, which is still alive and well back in Harlan, Ky. It took a little adjustment on my part to become comfortable taking communion by intinction.
Today my friend of long standing, Lou Germain was sitting in front of me with her husband. She was in line in front of me today and I could not resist tapping her on her shoulder when I stepped into line. She had gone before me and did not know I was there. She turned her head and smiled at me, as only she can smile. Lou is one of the true blue southern ladies of the church and she came all the way from Michigan years ago to become a true southern lady. It gave me great pleasure to take this sacred ceremony right after Lou. You see, we have a bond of long standing. We taught first graders for years in the same school, on the same hall, and right across the hall from each other.
Our friendship grew from that time we spent working together for the training of the young charges given to us each year. One day she told me that she was planning on moving to the area where I lived. I told her that if she would join the church where I worshiped we could see each other every week. Well, bless her heart, that is just what she did. She has been active in our church in the choir, teaching our circle class and engaging in many more activities.
Lou has a wonderful way of telling stories and when something is amusing she has a delightful giggle to accompany the story. Most people just "guffaw", or at least I do, but Lou has a little girl giggle and it is most pleasing. I once saw a picture of Lou and her husband when they were very young. He was in a sailor uniform from the second world war time. I could see why he fell in love with her. She was petite and pretty and no doubt had that little girl giggle.
A lot of emotions came to the fore this morning for me . Remembering past communions, past experiences with Lou and being with a body of fellow Christians. to make the morning even better, as I was leaving the sanctuary a friend came over to me and said she had something for me. It was green tea someone had given her, far more than she could use, three tins of it. So she was sharing it with me. When I got home the first thing I did when I entered the house was to put on fresh water to boil. I had a choice of tea pots and I picked up one which makes individual cups of tea. It was given to me by a hostess at Alexis Gardens at Toledo, Ohio where my sister was living. It made a fine cup of green tea which I enjoyed immediately.
The other thing that made enjoying this tea special was the tea cup I used. Years ago, my friend who had just given me the green tea, had given me a special cup. It has pretty flowers painted on it and bees flying around with the words on it "if it is to bee, it's up to me". That is a great message to adopt as a mantra. So often we think we need someone else to take the first step in a friendship.
It is said that a smile is contagious. I think that is true. Only this morning I was in the nursery when our newest member, three months old,was brought in by his mother. He was looking all around and his eyes fell on me. I smiled my biggest smile and said something soothing to him. He burst out in a huge grin and wiggled his whole body. That is another happy moment to complete my day of Christian fellowship.
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Dating in the 1940's
For a reason I do not know, a tune came into my mind this morning. Deep Purple. It was popular in the early 1940's. When I was sixteen I had been invited to a party given by two sisters whose father was a dentist in our small southeastern town in Kentucky.
At that party was a young man, quite handsome, the son of a doctor in a neighboring town. He played the trumpet and for some reason had brought it along. I had never met him before this evening. I am sure he meant well but for some reason he targeted me with his music. Getting quite close to my face he proceeded to play "Deep Purple". I winced and edged away, for he was entirely too close with a trumpet sounding so close to my ear. Looking back on this incident he was just being obnoxious as boys will be toward young ladies when both are in their teen years.
I do not recall the next time I saw this young man but he had a car and could come and go as he pleased, sometimes he had his younger brother with him. He would come to my house and do all sorts of gymnastics with his little brother, picking him up and tossing him into the air. He would just show up at my house and we began a friendship which lasted for quite a few years.
He was an active boy scout and was friends with the man who kept the boy scout camp, which was located between his town and mine. We went there on numerous occasions and he would visit with his friend who was like a family member. I came to know the camp through him and when I went out with him it often was a visit to this camp. There was a stone dam holding back a lovely lake which the scouts put to good use. We would walk around the lake, take pictures and enjoy being out in nature.
One day when we were walking there through the trees a huge spider appeared in front of us. My friend picked up a rock and with deadly aim hit the spider. That was the end of the spider, but her progeny, at least 100 in number fled in all directions. Now, that was a sight to remember. I doubt he knew and I certainly did not, that the spider carried her young on her back, thus the "fat" appearance.
When I left to go to college in central Kentucky, my friend went to a college in a nearby town. It was in Berea Ky. and was called "Berea". It is a world famous college which has a work program. You must work if you attend Berea. During this time I continued to see him as he would drive home to visit his family and stop by my college, pick me up in his A model ford and drive me to visit my family also.
Once he came by to see me and brought me a corsage of pink camellias. I do not remember the occasion but I do remember wearing them on a black dress which had a scoop neckline with a ruffle around it. No doubt my mother had made it for me as she made most of my clothes. I have loved camellias since that time. It was my first introduction to them.
On one of his visits to the college we went strolling through the town of Richmond. The streets were lined with elegant old homes which invariably had large trees in front with sprawling branches extending out over the sidewalks. My friend was in a "poetry" mood and he was extolling the words of some poem along with arm gestures. Just as he was eloquently saying "Oh, bird, speak to me", his arm was extended upward. At that moment a bird perched up in the tree responded in bird like fashion, right in front of us. It could never have been timed as perfectly by any movie producer. We both were laughing so hard we had to sit down right there on the sidewalk and laugh it out !!
About that time he was inducted into the army and worked as a medic. They put him right to work allowing him to assist in some surgeries. Once he proudly gave me a large picture taken during surgery and pointed out which hands were his assisting. It was all good experience for him as he went on to become a surgeon, distinguishing himself as one of the first doctors to reattach a hand lost in an accident.
Looking back on this time, it was a great, wholesome friendship. When it came to marriage we both chose other mates, but we were friends at a time when courting was innocent and casual and helped to prepare us both for a lasting bond with someone else.
At that party was a young man, quite handsome, the son of a doctor in a neighboring town. He played the trumpet and for some reason had brought it along. I had never met him before this evening. I am sure he meant well but for some reason he targeted me with his music. Getting quite close to my face he proceeded to play "Deep Purple". I winced and edged away, for he was entirely too close with a trumpet sounding so close to my ear. Looking back on this incident he was just being obnoxious as boys will be toward young ladies when both are in their teen years.
I do not recall the next time I saw this young man but he had a car and could come and go as he pleased, sometimes he had his younger brother with him. He would come to my house and do all sorts of gymnastics with his little brother, picking him up and tossing him into the air. He would just show up at my house and we began a friendship which lasted for quite a few years.
He was an active boy scout and was friends with the man who kept the boy scout camp, which was located between his town and mine. We went there on numerous occasions and he would visit with his friend who was like a family member. I came to know the camp through him and when I went out with him it often was a visit to this camp. There was a stone dam holding back a lovely lake which the scouts put to good use. We would walk around the lake, take pictures and enjoy being out in nature.
One day when we were walking there through the trees a huge spider appeared in front of us. My friend picked up a rock and with deadly aim hit the spider. That was the end of the spider, but her progeny, at least 100 in number fled in all directions. Now, that was a sight to remember. I doubt he knew and I certainly did not, that the spider carried her young on her back, thus the "fat" appearance.
When I left to go to college in central Kentucky, my friend went to a college in a nearby town. It was in Berea Ky. and was called "Berea". It is a world famous college which has a work program. You must work if you attend Berea. During this time I continued to see him as he would drive home to visit his family and stop by my college, pick me up in his A model ford and drive me to visit my family also.
Once he came by to see me and brought me a corsage of pink camellias. I do not remember the occasion but I do remember wearing them on a black dress which had a scoop neckline with a ruffle around it. No doubt my mother had made it for me as she made most of my clothes. I have loved camellias since that time. It was my first introduction to them.
On one of his visits to the college we went strolling through the town of Richmond. The streets were lined with elegant old homes which invariably had large trees in front with sprawling branches extending out over the sidewalks. My friend was in a "poetry" mood and he was extolling the words of some poem along with arm gestures. Just as he was eloquently saying "Oh, bird, speak to me", his arm was extended upward. At that moment a bird perched up in the tree responded in bird like fashion, right in front of us. It could never have been timed as perfectly by any movie producer. We both were laughing so hard we had to sit down right there on the sidewalk and laugh it out !!
About that time he was inducted into the army and worked as a medic. They put him right to work allowing him to assist in some surgeries. Once he proudly gave me a large picture taken during surgery and pointed out which hands were his assisting. It was all good experience for him as he went on to become a surgeon, distinguishing himself as one of the first doctors to reattach a hand lost in an accident.
Looking back on this time, it was a great, wholesome friendship. When it came to marriage we both chose other mates, but we were friends at a time when courting was innocent and casual and helped to prepare us both for a lasting bond with someone else.
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