Paula


One sunny day I was out walking

pushing Adam in his stroller

down the winding streets of the trailer park

minding my own business


when a lady came rushing out of a trailer

pushing three little black-haired girls in front of her

and screaming

"Help! My house is on fire!"


I parked Adam on her patio

and ran inside with her

and sure enough a skillet on the stove

was full of flames

shooting up towards the ceiling.


I grabbed the fire extinguisher off the wall

and couldn't figure out how to use it

so she grabbed it back

and she couldn't figure out how to use it either.


We were both choking on the smoke

so I ran to the door to find some light to read the instructions

and I found the pin

pulled it

and she grabbed it away from me

and sprayed white foam all over her stove

and the skillet

and the eggs still frying in it.


When it was over

and the fire was out

and the stove turned off

we both fell to the floor

laughing at ourselves

two grown women

neither one of whom could figure out how to work a fire extinguisher.


She told me that it was her fault

because last night she had been cooking sausages

and had put the skillet away with some grease still on it

because she was tired and still had to bathe the girls


and I liked her right away

because I knew that most women would rather die

than admit they put a pan away that wasn't squeaky clean.


She gave me the nickel tour

through her trailer

which was long and narrow like mine

full of dollbabies

balls filled with stars

a midget piano

and other girly stuff


and introduced me to a picture of her husband, Ron

about who she said

"I don't mind that he's fat"

(not using the nice words like "hefty" or "big boned")

"but he takes up too much room in this trailer

so that me and the girls feel like skinny little fairies

about to be crushed by the giant."


I laughed.

I was to learn that Paula always told it like it was.


Anyway, on that fiery smokey day

she made funky dark sludgy coffee for us

while her three little girls entertained Adam

out on the patio

and we jabbered in the kitchen

like we had been friends forever.


But the best part of meeting her for me

was that she invited me to go to her church

so on Sunday I left Adam at home sleeping with Larry

and went

and it felt so wonderful to enter the house of the Lord again!


It was a small church

but beautiful

trimmed in blue and white and gold

and you could smell the Murphy's Oil Soap

on the pews

and it reminded me of our church in Grand Bay

which was also a place of beauty unto the Lord


and when I found out that the people in this church

talked to the preacher

and were emotional

and lifted up their hands in praise to the Lord

I had such a feeling of deja vu

of being back in that church of my childhood

that my spirit lifted up like the wings of an eagle

in joy and praise and thanksgiving

to God


who I knew had walked with me

through all of my trials

and tribulations

and loneliness

and tears

and who had brought me here

to Paula my new friend

and to this church where God surely dwelled.




Click here to see the story of our Grand Bay Church:



Music Playing: Great is thy faithfulness
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