Faith

We didn't attend church

when I grew up, but once in awhile my grandmother would take me to the Methodist Church in Fairview, Pennsylvania.

I was a tomboy growing up, so I never wanted to wear a dress, but I remember her buying me a dress and patent leather shoes. They felt funny on my feet and I felt awkward in a dress. I was more comfortable running around barefoot outside or playing in the woods. I guess I have always been a free spirit.

Somewhere along the line, Mom opted for the Jehovah Witness faith. Dad didn't like her going to that church, but he could never give her a reason. One day I came home from school, I think I was about 13 or 14. My dad had taken all of her Jehovah Witness books and burned them outside. Even though he didn't go to church, he didn't want his wife to be a Jehovah Witness, either. Jehovah Witnesses give you a bunch of little books to explain the Bible. My mother's face showed devastation. My experience with religion was few and far between. When I came to a point as an adult, early married in my teens and things were going bad, my mother-in-law brought down a bible. I was 19.

She told me to put aside all the other books that I had and just read the Bible for a week. If I didn't want to read it anymore, I could give it back.

I did read it. I sat in my chair smoking cigarettes late at night because my baby girl wouldn't sleep and read the Bible. I didn't understand it, it really didn't make much sense, but the more I read it the more I started to feel something. At the end of the week I had come to a place where I was starting to trust the words that I was reading and I prayed. This was the beginning of the faith that I hold today. There's a lot of things in between the parentheses.

I can only say this, the small faith my mother-in-law had was well-placed. I have endured many trials, deep losses, anger, pain and grief, but through it all the faith that I found through Christ that week began something that I still hold until this day.

This ends my daily freewrite hosted by @mariannewest.

I hope you'll join in with a growing group of lively writers. Here is today's prompt:
church

Discord
Freewriters now have our own room in the Isle of Write Discord!
Here is the link to join: https://discord.gg/zfXNRnK

The Make a Minnow project is an initiative designed to reward those who are exceptional in the minnowsupport community, the prize is a 5k delegation for a month!

Logo by @hoschitrooper