The old church was a lovely peaceful place to worship with its great acoustics: wood plank floor, white plastered walls, oak pews, and vaulted wood ceiling.
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| Many worshipers found peace here.... |
Sounds bounced around that sanctuary. Music, whispers from the back row, giggles from teenagers, and even the crinkle of a candy wrapper were heard by the congregants.
A young family found a spot in the third row from the altar. Coming late made the front pews the only ones open. The three children settled in for the sermon. The oldest girl went to sit with a friend, while the mother took the fussy baby girl to the adjoining nursery where she could hear the sermon through the intercom.
The father smiled benignly through most of the sermon before dropping off to sleep. This was not uncommon, but usually the wife gave him the elbow jab. Not today.
That left the three-year old boy who found enjoyment with his double-jointed fingers and his imagination. Fingers could become galloping horses or speeding race cars. Today his fingers were alien spaceships. They were engaged in a fierce battle.
My husband is legendary is his ability to drop off to sleep in church.
As the struggle for space domination heated up, the boy stood up to use the back ledge of the second row pew to help better stage the drama.
Sweet Grandma House always sat there in the second row pew. People who visited the church often commented on this saintly woman with her fluffy white hair and lovely pink hat. Bless her heart; Grandma House was blind, and nearly deaf. She could just hear the sermon if she sat in that spot, with her hearing aid cranked up high.
The little boy situated himself directly behind her precious white head, and resumed the space battle.
Zooommm. Ch-ch-ch-ch! Aaaaaa…kabooooom! Crashhhhhh. The fingers/spaceships faced off on either side of the white hair, pink hat planet.
The fingers/spaceships met at the pinnacle of the hat, and collided in a glorious explosion. Kerrrr-aasshhhh! Nooooo…ker-ploom! P-shhhhhhh!
The congregation held its breath, watching the battle, and waiting for the space debris to shower down on Grandma House's head. The pastor had paused to allow the dying alien fighters some dignity.
The final notes of music filled the church just about then. Church ended.
Dear Grandma House stood and turned around. “What a precious family you have,” she smiled to the young couple. “So quiet!” Then she handed the boy a car she had caught during a battle.
Smirk sounds trailed after the family.
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| Many glorious sounds reach to the heavens.... |
If you have ever been in a church where a little boy is having a space battle, let me know. I have witnessed such.
This is a repost from September 2012. We will be visiting our son and family in Chicago. One son is 3+ and 2nd son is 20 months. We have never seen or held the baby, but we will enjoy space battles of their own. Their daddy was a conqueror.
