Native Intelligence and an Excess of Wine
Yesterday's paper had a front-page article "A Native Intelligence" on the benevolent resident curmudgeon from our church, Yale-educated farm machinery mechanic LeRoy Hershberger.
LeRoy is a regular at our Miller family gatherings, since he has lived for many years at the home of my aunt Elizabeth, first when her own sons were still at home, and then staying long after the sons left for other cities and countries. My cousin Eldon was one of those sons. His wife, Jane, who has just come to America to live (from her homeland in Egypt, and more recently, from Syria) tipped off the reporter that there was a story here worth telling. My cousin Arlyn is quoted in the article. Arlyn is also the brother-in-law of my co-teacher, Wes. So much for the Mennonite game.
LeRoy was in fine form on the day of the interview with the reporter, and they got a videographer to record online the story of how he got his start as a mechanic.
Since this past Sunday, I'm convinced he came by his colorful, slightly edgy, personality honestly. He is his mother's son. Elizabeth just moved here and I don't know her very well, but she had our whole Sunday school class in stitches this past week.
We got an uncommon amount of mileage out of one unlikely phrase from the lesson in ! Peter 4: "an excess of wine"--plucked from a list of things a Christian should avoid.
Our teacher, Suzie, who did not grow up in a Christian or a Mennonite home, confessed that there was a time in her life when this was a major issue. The thought of a foam-topped dewy glass of beer with a ham and cheese sandwich still sounds very appealing to her. But she stopped drinking alcohol when she became a Christian.
After a cursory mention of the phrase, Suzie was ready to move on since no one else in this group has the same kind of issue when Elizabeth roused herself out of her slightly detached demeanor and asked, "Is it OK to have just a little?"
Suzie said, "Well, we can talk about that if you want to. What do you want to say?"
"I just thought it almost sounds here like a little might be OK." This was from Elizabeth.
We talked about wine in cooking and wine for medicine with no particularly memorable quotes emerging. Eventually Suzie elaborated slightly on her "total abstinence" position and Elizabeth agreed heartily with Suzie's personal stance, citing her brother-in-law's long struggle with alcoholism and the grief for everyone involved. "I definitely want to stay on the far side of being a tee-totaler," Elizabeth said.
Then she finished, with every word pronounced deliberately, "I just think Peter could have a made it a little more plain. No. Don't do it. At all."
That droll, "real teeth in it" alternative rendition of Peter's words coming from Elizabeth's sober, pious-looking persona was what cracked me up.
LeRoy is a regular at our Miller family gatherings, since he has lived for many years at the home of my aunt Elizabeth, first when her own sons were still at home, and then staying long after the sons left for other cities and countries. My cousin Eldon was one of those sons. His wife, Jane, who has just come to America to live (from her homeland in Egypt, and more recently, from Syria) tipped off the reporter that there was a story here worth telling. My cousin Arlyn is quoted in the article. Arlyn is also the brother-in-law of my co-teacher, Wes. So much for the Mennonite game.
LeRoy was in fine form on the day of the interview with the reporter, and they got a videographer to record online the story of how he got his start as a mechanic.
Since this past Sunday, I'm convinced he came by his colorful, slightly edgy, personality honestly. He is his mother's son. Elizabeth just moved here and I don't know her very well, but she had our whole Sunday school class in stitches this past week.
We got an uncommon amount of mileage out of one unlikely phrase from the lesson in ! Peter 4: "an excess of wine"--plucked from a list of things a Christian should avoid.
Our teacher, Suzie, who did not grow up in a Christian or a Mennonite home, confessed that there was a time in her life when this was a major issue. The thought of a foam-topped dewy glass of beer with a ham and cheese sandwich still sounds very appealing to her. But she stopped drinking alcohol when she became a Christian.
After a cursory mention of the phrase, Suzie was ready to move on since no one else in this group has the same kind of issue when Elizabeth roused herself out of her slightly detached demeanor and asked, "Is it OK to have just a little?"
Suzie said, "Well, we can talk about that if you want to. What do you want to say?"
"I just thought it almost sounds here like a little might be OK." This was from Elizabeth.
We talked about wine in cooking and wine for medicine with no particularly memorable quotes emerging. Eventually Suzie elaborated slightly on her "total abstinence" position and Elizabeth agreed heartily with Suzie's personal stance, citing her brother-in-law's long struggle with alcoholism and the grief for everyone involved. "I definitely want to stay on the far side of being a tee-totaler," Elizabeth said.
Then she finished, with every word pronounced deliberately, "I just think Peter could have a made it a little more plain. No. Don't do it. At all."
That droll, "real teeth in it" alternative rendition of Peter's words coming from Elizabeth's sober, pious-looking persona was what cracked me up.
posted by Mrs. I at
5:12 AM
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