Sheila Berry had stood in church singing the old hymn, "Great is His Faithfulness." It took her back to her childhood. Her father had been a church organist, in part as a distraction: as a complement to or to contrast his thriving, challenging, oft times brutal corporate business interests and so, due to proximity, and it just stood to reason, that she would pal around with the sons and daughters of the ministers. Her experience confirmed the stereotype, that the greatest hellions were preachers' kids. From pea shooters in the bell tower to lady fingers tied to the tails of old nags. She never would have learned to cuss or smoke or lie if it weren't for the tutelage of children of men of the cloth. She thought back to the games of spin the bottle back behind the Congregational Church.
Attending church meant so many truths to so many people. For Sheila, it was like a speeding ride in a roadster's rumble seat. She smiled. She could put faith in that, in the precarious and rambunctious nature of life that bred a feeling of exhilaration.
The hymn ended. She remained a bit confused by one of the scripture readings, like a refrain in history, she struggled with the universal truth, that Jerusalem was the city that killed its prophets. That puzzled and pained her, pained her more than the loud tenor a few pews up, a quarter tone too high.
Warhaven neither stooped to the role of false pretender to be a welcomer of prophets nor the destroying, subsequent turncoat. This was a town that welcomed all, that seemed to be pretty successful at fostering hard working citizens. Those who were lost to ambition mostly moved on, although the neighborhood historically always had its representation from deadwood, scavengers, and connivers.
Over coffee following the service, Sheila made small talk, attempting to simultaneously build her train of thought, without appearing indifferent or rude. It was a craft, this apparent duplicitous mindedness. During her stint as Warhaven's mayor, she needed the ability to dwell both in the present and the future, like any parent. At council meetings in her convening and presiding, Sheila Berry had to keep a constant eye on the various possible permutations of what might be. One pregnant sentence, one ill chosen adverb, could drive a poorly conceived motion to movement.
"We are all jugglers," she thought, as one of the widows of the church touched her arm.
"Sheila, I was wondering if you could help polish the silver someday this week?"
Juanita Hyde was pretty much thee Altar Guild. It wasn't the most popular committee at church, and Juanita was pushing 85.
Sheila knew the reason for the request, and felt the small glow within of trust and honor passing. The following Friday the church would host a service for Fern Marie, a contemporary of Juanita's, who had recently passed on.
Sheila didn't hesitate. "Juanita, give me a day and time and I'll be here with my polishing mittens!"
Juanita sighed. "With my arthritis I just can't do it, at least, not up to Fern Marie's standards. My, up to the end she had a grip like a choke setter. She was the one who made our communion ware gleam."
They both nodded. Sheila looked into the patient, calm eyes of Juanita, still crisp and blue and full of compassion. The woman had buried her husband 20 years earlier, two of her five children, and one infant grandchild, and no telling how many friends, neighbors-and pinochle, bridge, and canasta partners she had survived.
The elder smiled. "It's all so hard, Sheila, trying to learn if we should accept some shallow truth for peace, for peace of mind, or continue to trudge on, following the path for the path's sake, for the sake of the spiritual exercise."
"Well," Sheila replied, "As long as there's silver along the path, I'll be there!"
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