March 9, 2019. Madison, Mississippi. Church.

For the first 27 years of my life I was active at church and so did Ken. We sang and we played in the band. And we enjoyed it. Then we moved to Galveston where every other weekend we hit the road exploring Texas. We discovered that we liked sleeping in on Sunday morning. After moving to Bethesda in 1970, every Sunday our church was exploring Washington, DC. Along with the boys, we visited every place available to explore. Of course, the boys were young so our museum trips had to be short. But for four years, every Sunday morning we were out exploring. It took us that long to get through the list of places we wanted to visit. When the boys were 6 and 7, we joined the Prince George's Corps of The Salvation Army. Both Ken and I sang and played. And we played in the Area band, which meant traveling on some weekends. The boys played in the junior band. And all was well. But we ended up with a second full time job. But after many years, we stopped. Life became too hectic. So we stayed home and enjoyed our Sunday mornings best of all. Since Ken died, I decided to get myself out and into the world so decided to check out the Jackson Salvation Army. The first time I went I loved it. I enjoyed the band and the singing and the spirit. So I went the next week. But I discovered many aspects of the service were irritating, which were all the things I had forgotten. The worst thing that happened was a prayer. The lady officer has a good voice so first thing each Sunday she has the congregation sing choruses together, none of which I knew. We are standing to sing. Then she opens the service with a prayer by her. The first week I thought it unusual but the second week was the same. This lady prayed for 15 minutes, all the time with people standing. This is just stupidity. I timed her. At some point during her prayer, I looked around and half the people had sat down. They knew her pattern. If she wanted to give the sermon she could given it at the appropriate time. Last week we ate an early brunch so I could not attend. Before I return, I am going to find a way to get that lady to pray 15 minutes by herself. Perhaps I will call the DC or perhaps I will invite her for coffee and gently tell her to change her habits. But it all came back to me, all the years of ignoring the parts I did not enjoy at church. Some time soon I will attend the families church. But not tomorrow. I will not return to the SA until that lady learns to pray a short prayer.