Another Story

not too long ago
we were at my mothers in central Mississippi
when my aunt found out we had converted to Catholicism,
she screamed, "Boy, you were born a Methodist,
you gonna die a Methodist!"
my son, who was 16 at the time,
watched me from across the room,
 waiting with a grin on his face for my response
you have to know my aunt
i love her, but she is incredibly interesting,
she does not speak in normal tones
everything is a few decimals higher
it is as if she is always standing on the shore of the ocean
trying to speak above the crashing waves
i responded with a question...
"Do you know anything about the Catholic Church?"
and as if I had asked, "is there sugar in this tea?"
she yelled again,
"John Wesley is rolling in his grave, what do you think he would say!?"
i asked her another question....
"Did you know that Suzanna Wesley, John's mother, was a very devout Catholic?"
my aunt peered at me as if she were about to pounce like a panther..
"What do you know about the Catholic Church?", i asked again..
"they worship statues, Mary, the Pope, and...what about John Wesley!!!??"
i quietly assured her that we only worship statues on Tuesday, Mary on Saturday, and the Pope on holidays..
no, i am kidding..but i did tell her the truth,
i told her that Jesus is the King of the Catholic Church..and all these statues, the Virgin Mary, the Pope,
point with passion to following Jesus with an undivided heart and soul..
she mumbled something else about John Wesley and then starting talking about football..
don't you just love the holidays?

wkm