Things were simpler back then. It doesn’t seem to matter what decade we came of age, whether we were a child of the 50’s, 60’s or 70’s or beyond, we tend to look back on our childhood as a simpler time. Most of my childhood was spent in a small town in South Carolina – Sumter. When I think back on those days I remember them with fondness and with a tinge of nostalgia. Things did seem simpler then. We had one movie theatre, The Sumter Theatre, located downtown in the old Opera House. To the right side of the theatre was the police station. The alley between the theatre and the police station had a white line painted down the middle which we assumed was used to see if the local drunks could walk a straight line. While we kids waited to see the latest Saturday matinee, we would test our own balance at walking the white line, laughing when one of us would trip and fall to the side. Finally the doors of the theatre would open and we would pour in to see the latest Tarzan movie and enjoy the air conditioning.
One of the things we looked forward to all year was the annual parade held in honor of the Iris Festival. The highlight of the parade was seeing the Shriners buzz around in their miniature cars while wearing a fez, with their tassels flying in the air. It didn’t take much to amuse us way back when.
So imagine my surprise when I came to Belfast, Maine and felt the clock turn back forty or so years. There is only one movie theatre, The Colonial, which is about to celebrate its 100th birthday. And the Shriners were in town, gathering for a parade. My sister Mary Wyatt, along with her husband Mitch and their two boys, Adam and Alex, went with me to see the parade. We cheered on every unit of the parade from the Shriners driving their miniature cars to what can only be described as Jelly Bellies – men with bare midriffs, painted to look like faces. It was a hoot. After the parade we went to The Colonial to watch a Saturday matinee of Super Eight. There was no white line in an adjoining alley, but other than that I could have been back at the old Sumter Theatre.
Tonight when our family was gathered around the family room Mitch asked the boys what had been their favorite things they had done in Maine. The parade was first on their list, followed by the movie. Simple things still count. This weekend has been about creating memories. For me it has been an intersection of the past and the present. I know that at some point in the future, my nephews will look back on this vacation as a golden time.
I give thanks to God for recognizing this time for what it is – a precious gift – and I have savored every moment. This morning the Wyatts and I went to church and I realized that I could not remember the last time when I sat in a pew with my family in worship. It is a rare even to have any member of my family present when I preach or officiate at worship, but to sit with them as part of a congregation…well, I don’t know when that last happened. Literally. So I savor this time and put it in my memory box. Past times, present times. All time is in God’s hands and all moments are holy, if only we have the eyes to see.
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