A Cool Wind or Hot Air? - Episode 25

“Well I’d like us all to bow our heads and wait on the spirit,” Josey said in a hushed voice. She knew this would cause a stir, since they didn’t often call upon the spirit unless there was a big job that needed immediate prayer.

Now, all eyes were upon her, which is where she wanted them. To draw the suspense out a little longer, Josey appeared to riffle through her Bible. When she knew she had everyone’s attention, she licked her lips, folded her manicured hands and raised her eyes upward.

“Lord, now You know we are not here to judge, we are here to help those in need. If that means calling down fire and brimstone to bring correction, then that’s what we have to do, for the good of the soul. And since this involves someone of the clergy, we know what a heavy burden we carry in praying for the deliverance and correction of those you send to lead us.”

Now Josey knew she had them intrigued. Though their heads were bowed, they were fairly twitching, in anticipation of the name she would reveal.

“Lord, as head of the prayer group I know you let me see a lot of things others don’t, since this is the only way I would know how to pray for these lost souls. Right now I lift up Mandy Brennan to you.” She waited for a second as she saw all the obedient heads nod in unison.

“Yes Lord,” they all recited.

“Now I don’t want to go into it that much Lord, because You know what I am referring to. But Lord, we all know drinking is lascivious behavior and one that is not looked at lightly by You, especially for the wife of a man of the cloth. Help her dear Lord and bring her deliverance from this addiction. Thank you for allowing me to be a vessel of honor before You. And thank you for giving me eyes to see, so I can bring special needs to this prayer group. We pray Lord, just show her the errors of her ways. And her, with two little children,” she whispered, as she shook her head and tsk’d tsk’d.

Josey really believed that without the intervention of the prayer group, Carington just could not survive. In her mind, if the weekly prayer warriors did not assemble themselves and run interference for all the sinners in town, Carington would be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorra of old.

As if on cue, strains of “Bringing in the Sheaths” crept through the closed door, reminding all who were present that it was their job to gather all the lost, and present them clean and spotless before the Lord. A new sense of urgency welled up in Josey as music filled the air around her.

“Do you feel that?” she asked.

“What?” the members softly gasped.

“That cold wind. Be real quiet now, I believe it’s the spirit. Remember the Bible talks about the mighty wind coming in while they were all praying. Be real still now, so we don’t go and chase it off.”

Unbeknownst to Josey, Percy Putnum had slipped in the door to adjust the air conditioner thermostat. He’d had complaints about the size of the church’s electric bill, but he believed that if they would just replace the old model for a more efficient one, then the money problems would be solved.

Mertis could not hold back the sneeze that erupted.

“Now look at that, it’s gone,” Josey said, shaking her head as the cool blast was replaced with a dank smelling stillness.

Percy silently let himself out the door and braced himself against the wall as he laughed. Finally he had found an avenue for his old Army skills. He was quite amazed that he still had it in him to stealthily enter areas and leave without making a sound.

“Lord,” he prayed, between his laughter, “if that’s the best You’ve got for prayer warriors, we’re in trouble down here. I think we’d do better with that talking mule Nehemiah was on.”

Glenda Jackson sat on the Chamber of Commerce board and always had a wealth of information as to what was happening on the political side of things. When she spoke, everyone was quiet. She hurriedly opened her eyes to see what everyone else was doing, and saw that all eyes were still closed. Probably waiting for the return of the spirit, she thought sarcastically.

She cleared her throat. “Lord, we come before you, a group of women devoted to serving You and our community. We accept the responsibility You have given us and relish the opportunity to be a vital part of bringing change to the lives of those around us. There is a little issue that is causing strife in our community, and I would like to lift it up to you before it hits the Buzz Bee.”

Now she had the curiosity of the group. Anything important enough to get in the paper was their concern, and rightly so. They felt they should be made aware of all matters, prior to any of the other town’s people. Glenda waited just long enough to create some additional suspense, and when she felt the members would surely pop from anticipation, she began again.

“We have formed our own Homeland Security committee right here in Carington.”

Stay tuned for the next episode!

Prayer Requests or Picked Over Lives? - Episode 24

The room was silent as each woman struggled within herself. They all had so many needs, but they also knew, to verbally tell this group was like taking an ad out in the Buzz Bee paper. So they continued alone, week after week in their own private hells, struggling with the details of life, and the isolation of having no one to talk to. It was really very comical. Here they all religiously gathered every week to pray and reach the heart of God, yet no one felt enough trust within the group to ask for help. So as always, they projected their prayers outside of their own lives, and set about bringing order to those in Carington who needed a dose of the spirit to bring them to their knees.

They kept an ongoing list of their targets. As long as the list continued to grow, the member’s fiery tongues were averted from lashing out at their own individual secret demons. They called out names of local residents they had seen or heard of committing some kind of sin, and woe be onto that person who landed on their prestigious list. With all their holy power, the group had no doubt that Michael the Arc angel himself would make a guest appearance at the home of whoever graced their list that week.

One by one, people’s private lives were openly discussed, as the committee decided on what would be the best way for the Lord to bring correction to the misguided souls. This week was no different as the women raised their voices to heaven, though unbeknownst to them, their prayers were so laden down with judgment, they never went any higher than the yellowed cottage cheese ceiling.

“Well I don’t know about you all, but I am concerned about Karen Foster. Why is it that the pastor’s wife doesn’t attend these prayer meetings? It just doesn’t seem right, and the whole town is talking about it. I think we need to ask the Lord to convict her. She just can’t seem to see the error of her ways,” stated Tootsie, as she remembered how Karen had treated her that morning.

“Amen, Amen,” murmured all the women.

Aunt Birdie always sat at the end of the table with her old gnarled hands quietly folded. As a child, her waif like appearance had earned her the nickname Birdie and it had stuck, but it was her daily feedings of wandering geese that conjugated in her backyard that had carried the name along. The women liked to discount her presence. Long ago they had labeled her an old timer, one who couldn’t quite keep up to speed with the changes that had been enacted in the church over the last forty years. Since her life was as dented and crinkled as the pages of her old Bible, they had chalked up her hard life as one who had some hidden sin. Otherwise, what excuse could there be for one who so faithfully followed the Lord? Got to be hidden sin somewhere, they thought.

Her eighty-seven years were as disposable as a baby’s diaper and just as offensive. Her weekly attendance was a constant reminder to the group of what was in store for them all as they silently examined her wrinkled skin, her Mrs. Magoo eyesight, and her white, receding hairline…and the members didn’t like it. They overlooked her prim, freshly starched lace collars, dainty cameo broaches and sweet gray eyes, but more importantly, they overlooked her standing with the Lord.

If anyone could open heaven’s doors, it was Aunt Birdie. Her arthritic knees had worn away the shellac on her old pine wood floors alongside her bed, as she sought His voice and direction for her beloved Carington. She didn’t take to talking about others, and surely did not approve of gossip, which is what the weekly prayer meetings had turned into. Still, she came as regular as the postal service, always delivering some kind of good news to the group.

“Well I wanted to thank the Lord for another beautiful day,” she said. Several of the women rolled their eyes at each other and took turns acknowledging her comment, as if she were a child.

“Yes Aunt Birdie. Forgive us, we were dealing with more important items, but yes, it was a beautiful day,” Josey said, giving Tootsie a nudge.

“Oh Lord yes,” piped in Tootsie, “such a pretty day, which is why I can’t figure out why in the world Bloomers wasn’t open today. I wanted to get some of those yellow daisies for my flower boxes and when I drove by, they were closed again. I think the Zukerman’s are having some marital problems, and from what I’ve heard, we need to pray for them. Seems Jay has gotten a roving eye, and Thelma is too busy watching those day time soap operas to notice.”

Aunt Birdie shook her head and jotted down the Zukerman’s name to pray for. She knew they were on a well-deserved vacation, and if she didn’t send up some prayers on their behalf, waggling tongues would spew seeds of destruction around town that would overtake the beautiful life they had created together.

Josey was literally vibrating from the news she was trying to contain, so as to present the “hot flash” as a prayer request, versus just gossip, which would incur a lifted eyebrow from Aunt Birdie. Finally she could not hold it one more minute and she didn’t want Glenda stealing her limelight with other trivial items.

Stay tuned for the next episode!

Symphonies and Silent Prayer - Episode 23

Dusk was falling on Carington. Lights slowly lit up the quaint little town as children wandered home for dinner, fathers plopped down into recliners and mothers bustled around kitchens. Cornbread Corner was serving chicken and dumplings and the cars parked out front signified there was a crowd tonight. One of the streetlights hummed as it tried to turn itself on and crickets began their evening symphony.

From Carington Heights church, a rainbow prism overflowed from the lit stained glass windows and spilled onto the street. As the women gathered for their weekly prayer meeting, the dank halls of the church became alive with chattering voices.

The first to arrive, Tootsie huffed and puffed as she strategically arranged chairs around the table. Mertis hesitantly entered the room and quietly placed her Bible upon the table.

“Well how you doing Mertis?” Tootsie asked, as she stopped to catch her breath. “I swear, I am going to have a talk with Pastor Foster about these kids. Why is it that they cannot replace these chairs like they found them? Every Tuesday I have to come in here and put this whole room in order. The teens need to find another night to meet on. Anyway, from the sounds of the music I hear coming out of this building, I think they are conjuring up the devil himself. Rock and roll, hippity hop, chanting. I never heard the likes when I was a kid. Bringing in the Sheaths always brought in the Lord for us. Don’t know how that head bopping music they play, can bring in anything, except trouble.”

Mertis sat down and closed her eyes. The old church brought back good memories. She drew comfort from the familiar smells of paste, tempera paint and Spic N Span. The cracked old linoleum had been washed so many times, it edges had curled up along the baseboards and the dim florescent lights flickered, as they cast an artificial light on the crayoned pictures, thumb-tacked to the paneled walls.

“Mertis, hello honey. You still with us?” Tootsie asked, as she placed a large platter of brownies on the table. “Didn’t know if you were praying to the Lord or doing that new fangled meditation. You know they say that is of the devil.”

Mertis shook her head, her dull blue eyes, misting over. “I was just remembering back to when we were kids and the church held that fundraiser for this old linoleum. Do you remember? Where have the years gone?”

She was interrupted as the women converged on the two of them. Greetings were exchanged and coffee cups filled, in anticipation of the meeting. The only one missing was Josey. As Glenda Jackson passed around the sign up sheet, everyone drug out their notebooks and pens, filled their plates with goodies and caught up on the local news.

Josey took a final drag of her cigarette as she raced into the parking lot. Late again. She stomped on the cigarette butt, slammed the car door, jammed her Bible into her tote bag and gave a final smack to her lips. Her heels resounded across the street as she sauntered up the walkway.

“Well hello ladies,” she called, as she made her way to the empty chair at the head of the table. “Tootsie, can you grab me a cup of coffee hon?” she asked, as she pulled a legal pad out of her bag.

She folded her hands and bowed her head and couldn’t help but notice that several of the women had new hairdos and manicured nails, and she knew it hadn’t been done in her shop. Well what goes around, comes around, she thought, as she made it a point to change some of her own shopping habits. She’d be darned if she was going to give them her business, when they didn’t have the decency to spend money at her shop.

“Ladies, let’s start with some silent prayer. Now the good Lord knows we are all gathered here tonight and if He wants something done, He will let us know.”

As the women bowed their heads, their minds were on everything but prayer. Not to mention that not one of them actually knew what a “silent prayer” was. The ambiance of holiness was disrupted as the old air conditioner coughed and a cell phone rang. Josey looked up and her keen eyes spotted Glenda hastily turning her phone off.

“Ladies, how many times have I asked you to turn off those things before you come into the house of the Lord? Just remember, if you can’t give Him a few minutes of your time, then He’ll be too busy for you.”

Glenda gave Josey an evil eye as she placed the phone in her purse. She was bound and determined to talk to Pastor Foster about this rotation deal for the prayer group leaders. Josey was the perfect example she needed, to prove her case as to why not all were called to lead.

Josey waited until she felt the presence of the Lord. Little did she know that the presence she felt, was really a downward draft from the air conditioning vent over her head. Once she felt that gentle whoosh, she knew it was time to begin.

“Who wants to start?” she asked.

Stay tuned for the next episode!

Getting the Scoop at Stubby's - Episode 22

Finally the end of the day, thought Josey as she watched Mandy stroll down the sidewalk.

“That one is going to need some hand holding.” Slowly she pulled the cord on the mini blinds, rubbed her aching back and made her way towards the back room. Glancing at the clock, she saw she had to hustle to get home, eat, and still make the prayer meeting tonight.

“Come on Corky, time to go home baby,” she said, fumbling for her keys. She snapped the lights off, pulled the door to and checked to make sure the burglar alarm was set. Giving a nod in Bud Taylor’s direction, she walked to the small parking lot behind her building. Settling into the warm seat of the car, she gave an exaggerated sigh.

“Goodness Corky, now just settle down,” she said, as she adjusted her sunglasses and shot the volume up on her radio. County music blared as she lit a cigarette.

The short drive home gave her a few minutes to think about the meeting tonight. “Good Lord,” she said into the wind, “I’ve been so busy today, I forgot to go over my prayer list. But with all the sin in this town, I don’t think we’ll have any trouble finding someone to pray for. What do you think Corky?”

Corky gave a nod of understanding and then went back to chewing on her old sock that Josey kept in the car for her. Josey sang along with “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town,” as it blared on her radio and just as she was about to reach the crescendo, the announcer broke through.

“Folks, I hope all of you out there are paying close attention to your local weather reports. Hurricane Charlotte is quickly building in strength. . .”

Josey subconsciously turned down the radio as the announcer’s voice droned on.

 “Interrupting my song for that kind of nonsense. Hello, Mr. Announcer,” she said, as she irritably turned the dial, “we are in the middle of the state here. One last stop darling,” she said to Corky, as she wheeled into Stubby’s Drive Thru Liquor store. She pulled forward and noticed the car ahead of her, waiting to pull on to the highway, blinker flashing. Honey colored hair caught her attention.

“What the heck, Corky, you see that baby,” she sputtered.

Her mind was working so quickly she could hardly speak. “Why I don’t believe my eyes. The pastor’s wife, at the liquor store? I knew there was something about that one. What the . . . why I’ve got to let Tootsie know about this.” She began to rummage through her purse for her cell phone.

Pulling forward, she gestured with her hand to Stubby. He was familiar with her hand signals. It meant the usual order, a carton of Virginia Slims 100’s, a bottle of gin and two six packs of beer, whatever was on sale. Stubby couldn’t help but laugh to himself as he watched Josey flailing around with her arms, as she spoke on the phone. She always reminded him of one of those dogs you see in the back window of cars. The ones where the dog’s head rotates back and forth with the movement of the car.

Josey nearly gasped, as Tootsie’s voice boomed through the phone. “Hey Josey, what are you doing? Do you know what time it is? I’m in the middle of getting ready for the prayer meeting.”

“Hush up for one minute, Tootsie. You are not going to believe what I just saw. You know that new preacher’s wife, Mandy? I just spied her leaving Stubby’s Drive Thru. Can you believe that? I told you there was something going on with her. What? I don’t give a hoot and a holler what anybody has to say in this town. Just because I am head of the prayer group does not mean I have to change my life. The Lord wouldn’t have put me in this position if He didn’t think I had something that group needed. I didn’t call to be preached at by you.”

As usual, Tootsie was lecturing Josey on how she should not be frequenting Stubby’s in the light of day. As he handed Josey her change she covered the phone with her hand and whispered, “Stubby, you know that car ahead of me? Who was that?”

Adjusting his pants and rolling the tobacco in his jaw, he smiled and said with a big yellow grin, “Why Josey, I do believe you are wanting some info from me. Now that might just cost you something.” He had been trying to get a date with Josey for eight years.

“Go on, you know I don’t date divorced men. You all carry too much baggage for me,” she said, as she adjusted the volume on her phone.

“Well for your information, that little lady bought a small bottle of brandy. That was one hot looking woman. I haven’t ever seen her before, but she can cruise through my drive through all day long. She had a northern accent, that’s about all I can tell you. You going to need some extras with the storm coming?” he asked, as he handed Josey her purchases and gave her side door a slap.

She gave him a wave and continued her conversation with Tootsie.

“Well Stubby just told me he sold her a gigantic bottle of bourbon. Now what would a preacher’s wife be doing with bourbon?  I can hardly stand this. Just when I was in hopes the Lord was sending a shepherd to bring correction to this trash heap of a town, I find out the shepherd’s wife is fleecing the flock. Well I gotta go now. See you in about 45 minutes. Time I drop Corky off, touch up my face and have a little prayer time, I’ll be good as new. I feel like the Lord is going to do something mighty tonight.”

 Stay tuned for the next episode!

Just a Touch of Sweetness - Episode 21

Mandy shuddered. She’d been the object of too many welcoming committees. Too many towns and cities had given them the right hand of welcome and the left foot of fellowship. All she could think of was a group of nosey women strolling up to her front door, inspecting every flower and weed in the yard, and checking to see if the windows had been washed.

She had never grown past the feeling of being violated. It was worse now, since she had the kids. Mandy figured it must be her motherly instinct that caused her hair to stand on end. When that horde of women would surround her kids, cooing and clucking over them, it took everything she had not to slap their gnarly fingers from her children’s sweet cheeks.

“Honey, you doing okay?” asked Josey. She noticed that Mandy had gotten real quiet.

“Now don’t let that Tootsie scare you. She’s got a heart as big as the moon and she means well. If Tootsie takes a liking to you, you’ve got a friend for life, believe me.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” said Mandy, as she relaxed under Josey’s soothing hands. “It’s just a little overwhelming. What with unpacking, two kids, a new church, and being so far away from my family, you know.”

“Well, I can’t say as I do know, because this town is all I’ve ever known,” said Josey, as she dried Mandy’s hair. “And kids…well if the good Lord has a plan for me, then He better jack some guy in the head, because I’m not getting any younger. Not to mention, if my eggs sit any longer, they’ll be hardboiled,” Josey said with a laugh. “But my, my, I do love children. Always wanted a whole yard full of them. Now though, it seems like I’ll have to settle for just a pair.”

Mandy watched as Josey whipped the blow dryer out and began methodically drying her hair, section by section. The warm air soothed her and she closed her eyes. It was so seldom Matt had time to watch the kids for her that she was determined to enjoy every moment of the pampering. Besides, with her eyes closed, hopefully it was a signal to Josey that she was finished talking. She had enough to digest with just Tootsie and Josey. If they were any prelude to what awaited her, then Lord help her to get through meeting the entire congregation.

Josey had enough experience doing women’s hair to know when a woman just wanted to relax, so she used the time to study Mandy. She found herself envious of the young woman, and for Josey, that was unusual. There was something about this one that seemed to be bursting with sweetness . . . a goodness that was not seen too much in Carington.

  

Maybe it was the monotonous lives, the sameness, the going nowhere for so many people in town, the only way they had to bring drama into their lives was to create it. Constant sniping, griping and backbiting was a way of life, and they had all grown accustomed to it. Without it, what in the world was there to talk about? thought Josey.

She pulled her brush through the silky strands and gave the ends a little flip. The hair just rippled through her fingers. Josey had forgotten what it felt like to handle such pretty hair. She undid the towel around Mandy’s neck and spun her around to look at her handi-work. Mandy shook her head and the honey waterfall floated around her shoulders and down her back. Her cheeks were flushed from the blow dryer, giving her an unusually healthy glow. She smiled at Josey in the mirror.

Josey once more ran her fingers through the shiny locks. “Now, don’t you look pretty. You just keep your head up high and don’t let the folks in this town get you down. If you believe the Lord sent you here for a purpose, then you and your husband hold on to that. Give Him time to work on some hearts and everything will be all right.”

“Thank you Josey, that is so sweet,” said Mandy, as she fairly bounced out of the chair. “How did you know I needed to hear that?” she asked with a little laugh. “And I am going to take your advice. It was so nice meeting you, and I will be back, you can bet on that. Now if I can talk Matt into babysitting for me more often, I may even get extravagant and take time for a manicure and pedicure. Can you tell me where I can get some stamps and the best place for groceries?”

“Well you’re talking to the right person about stamps,” laughed Josey. “They call me the sweepstaking queen around here. The post office is right down the street on your right and the Piggly Wiggly is where you want to go for groceries. Make sure you shop on Wednesday mornings though, because that’s when all the sales start. If you’re not there at the crack of dawn, Mertis Taylor and Glenda Jackson will clean off those shelves.”

Tilting her head Mandy asked, “What do you mean sweepstaking?”

“Never mind honey, that’s for another day. Call me anytime for an appointment.”

She watched as Mandy gently opened the door, poked her head out and looked back.

“Go on girl, you go get em,” Josey said, as she flicked her wrist, her thumbs pointed upright, in a sign of victory.

Stay tuned for the next episode!