I WAS not a regular church goer until I got married to Ginny, who made my regular church attendance a prerequisite to matrimony.
Now it’s me dragging her out of bed every Sunday morning. I have gotten so much from regular church attendance, I can’t imagine life without it. It is a fundamental part of being a Christian.
As a result, I have what’s called a “church family” at Covenant Presbyterian Church. One member of this family is Charlie Hall.
I got to know Charlie better after he lost his wife Cheryl. They had no children and Charlie had no relatives in the area. Ginny and I began inviting him to our house for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
From Charlie, I learned a wonderful story that is emblematic of what is meant by a church family and why Christian life is so rich and bountiful.
Cheryl, among many other hobbies, played the flute all her life, including all over the state in the Capitol City Concert Band.
After she passed, Charlie showed Amulet Strange, principal flutist in the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Cheryl’s flute which was given to her at age six. Strange suggested Charlie have the flute evaluated by a local expert. Turns out the solid-silver flute was almost 100 years old and very valuable.
In the meantime, Charlie learned that another member of our church family, Stella Hall, daughter of Heather and Jeremy Hall, was planning to play flute in the Ole Miss marching band.
Well, you know where this story is headed. Charlie gave Cheryl’s flute to Stella. Maybe during half time you can glimpse Stella playing Cheryl’s lifelong flute on the football field.
Cheryl was also an amazing photographer and loved photographing wildlife and scenery of the Great Smoky Mountains and Texas hill country. I urged Charlie to post her photos to YouTube, which he did. Search for “Smokey’s Seen Through Cheryl’s Eyes.” They are the best I’ve ever seen and now used by the Smoky Mountain tourism department.
Charlie gave me a book of Cheryl’s poetry that I have cherished. Here’s one of many I share with Sun readers:
The Path of Light
When I walk in the path of light
fulfilling my destiny
every footstep I take
reveals a new adventure
into the dimensions of love.
Endless possibilities beckon me forward
awakening every fiber of my being
and once again my soul advances
on its journey
into eternity.
From time to time, I open Cheryl’s books of poems and reflections. I never knew her but it seems as though I did. Her message is simple. God is love. Through love we can know everyone and be transformed. It’s a beautiful, powerful message.
If not for Covenant Presbyterian Church, I would have never known Charlie or ever read one of Cheryl’s poems. This is the reason Christians should go to church: to connect, to be transformed by others.
And you might just get a nice flute.
