Today at mass I had a heavy heart and I asked God to lift my burden and lighten my spirits. I have to admit, part of me didn't expect Him to, but He did. How He did it and how I reacted to it surprised me though.

We were sitting in a pew in the balcony over one of the stairwells and I was staring at the wooden handrails. Just staring. All of the sudden it was like I was transported to my childhood and I remembered how much I loved to explore the churches we'd go to.

My dad was a Baptist minister and we attended many different country churches over the years. Whenever we attended a new one, it just called to me to be explored after the service. Hidden stairwells led to cool, basement fellowship halls, kitchens, restrooms, and Sunday school rooms. Some basement walls had wood paneling over them giving the rooms a warm darker look. Some had painted concrete block walls which, in the summer, kept the lower level nice and comfortable if there was no air-conditioning.



My sister and I would play hide-and-seek in the church after the services while my parents were socialising with other parents. Crawling under pews and giggling. we'd eventually get in trouble, but it was always fun while it lasted.

Vacation Bible School was a tradition and we always attended my aunt's church in Warrior, AL. My favorite part was arts and crafts, and snack time when we could mingle with the other kids. Lemon cookies, sugar cookies, Kool aid, and apple juice were staples and disappeared fast. We would eat at these long concrete tables under the pine trees that had been built for outdoor picnics and potlucks. We'd stand at these tables, there were no benches, and we would stuff our faces in the twilight.

After school was over, we'd play outside in the cool of the evening waiting for our parents to arrive. We'd play touch football in our dresses, or play hide-and-seek (we loved that game) in the graveyard amongst the gravestones.

Today, as I kneeled there at my pew, I felt experienced all of those memories with all of my senses. And in those brief minutes, I lost all of my worldly cares and troubles, and felt like a child once again. I still feel the remnants.

Thank you, God.