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A quote: “At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.” ~~ Aristotle
I’ll start with a story …
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“We take care of our own.”
The first plaque was wood, hung on the outside wall of The Mercantile. Ambitious title for four-walls and a roof standing alone.
Now we’ve got several buildings, The Merc has grown, and the plaque is brass.
New families come to town and are comforted by the message. Life can be rough out here – just last spring Ian Kelly was gored in the groin by a cow he was trying to rescue out of knee-deep mud and died on the spot. The town turned out for his pregnant widow and their small children.
We all built the new church near the end of Main, but the plaque remains on The Merc. Church is for worship, socializing and making sure our seniors aren’t forgotten and our youngsters educated. But sometimes things don’t work right. Could be strangers in town with bad intentions, could be one of our own who takes to hurting others. The large backroom of The Merc is where we figure out what happened and what’s to be done.
We have no jail and don’t plan on ever building one. One way or another, transgressors leave. Upright, north out of town or just south to rest in peace just beyond the Church.
“We take care of our own.”
It’s a promise. It’s a warning.
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Now, it’s your turn.
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. featured image, cropped, Adobe Stock standard license.
Cameron says: The door to the church was open and I figured I had nothing to lose. I sat in the pew and prayed quietly. A moment later, the pastor put a hand on my shoulder.
“I’ve never seen you before. You all right, son?”
I laughed bitterly. “No sir. I’m very far from that. My car was stolen last night from my hotel and later destroyed, my girlfriend decided that she wasn’t going to follow me out west and the job offer I had was just rescinded. I figure I can at least vent at God for a bit then figure out my next move.”
“And what is the next move?”
“I have money saved up so I can get a Greyhound back home. From there, I can find work and try again.”
“Why not stay here?” he asked. “I’ve got a friend who runs an apprenticeship program and he’s always looking for people. As for your car, I know one of the local dealers. Have him work with the insurance company and get a replacement.”
Years later, I figured that God’s plans for someone aren’t always obvious until later. I still go to that church and help when I can.
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