Sunday, May 12, 2019

A Mother's Day Tribute '19

Summer 1948 - I love my Mother's dress.  

My Grandmother and mother holding me; both courageous women. I miss you both and sorry you missed out on so much.   

A Mother's Day Tribute: The woman that was most mother to me was my grandmother. Due to my mother's illness and an early passing, the role of being my mother fell to my grandmother. For this, I am forever grateful. My grandfather and grandmother ran a very successful general store and both were highly respected in our little town. On this Mother’s Day, here is a story that speaks volumes about her.

While attending church with my grandmother, I literally had a front row seat to a religious freedom discussion. Time - the early 60's. Blacks under strong leadership were exercising their rights and letting the Jim Crow south know that discrimination was wrong on many levels.

That Sunday morning the question put before the congregation was, "What to do if a black person enters the church during a service and takes a seat?" As it was called back then, “desegregate” the church. The consensus plan was to sing the closing hymn and everyone stand and leave. Thus, not acknowledging the “intruder”. This was until my grandmother stood and stated that not respecting someone (any person) was not Christian. She then read to the congregation Acts 10:34-35:
 (34) Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism (35) but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right'. (New International Version -NIV)

That ended the discussion and the church decided that day to welcome all entering with open arms. I have never been more proud of my grandmother and still am.

I love you mom and love you so much Granny. 


  1. Seems that the Evangelicals have typically been on the wrong side of social issues Jerry Farrell Sr. preached against integration


    Let's not forget the whole purpose of the first southern baptist convention was for southern baptists to meet and cherry pick scripture to establish biblical justification for slavery. As northern Baptist churches had become abolitionist.


  2. Your Grandmother was a brave woman that could not have been easy.