Batesville Bliss

8/29/30 My daughter tells me that I am "old school," though I’m not sure of her exact definition. If I am, I have a friend, Carolyn who is “old school” with me and that’s a real comfort. We are both small town girls; she still lives in one. We grew up with a sense of safety and security. Not sure if that was directly related to town size or just the era---probably a combination of both.
We both know how to burp our Tupperware®, (She recently replaced my green lettuce crisper for me.) We old school gals can stuff an egg with the best of them, have food splattered recipe cards that call for ingredients that no longer rest on grocery shelves and share great jello recipes with each other. (Hers are better.)
Growing up, for both of us, meant MYF on Sunday nights, church camps each summer and even Camp Junaluska (NC) in 1963---a fact we didn’t know until 40+ years later.
Today I got to spend a blissful day in her hometown of Batesville. I sat in the balcony pew of the First Methodist Church on Panola Ave in a sanctuary surrounded by familiar stained glass window scenes. Her twin grandsons, Chris and Matt were even acolytes. How serendipitous was that!!

I listened as she and 14 others in the handbell choir accompanied the hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” But my favorite was their rendition of “Lily of the Valley” with just the handbells. Ah, there’s just nothing better that a bell choir. I wonder if handbells are "old school" as well?

So much of the service from ritual to familiar and meaningful hymns was such a perfect fit for me today. Even scripture from I Samuel 12:23 that I once prayed for my brother Buddy was pertinent as now I once again have sensed that urgency---a desire to remember to not only pray faithfully for others but to teach them the good and right way as well.

It was indeed a blissful day for me because my friend is such a servant. She does so much for so many. She takes Luke 10:37 to heart. When Christ spoke of those who show mercy, He said, “Go and do likewise.” She’s not only an “old school” kind of gal but a “likewise” kind of girl as well. Therefore she is a blessing to many, me included.

I’ve decided that Molly must be using the term, “old school,” as an endearment of respect for a bygone era----more blissful in connotation than pejorative. At least it was for me today.