Brinkley Chapel Archives - grace grits and gardening

To all the mothers who make the world go ’round…

May 12, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner 10 Comments

Mother's Day roses

Dear all you mothers who make the world go ’round,

Yesterday as I cut roses from my garden, I was reminded of Mother’s Days past. How we, my little sister and I, wore a tiny red or pink rosebud to church that day. Momma wore red too, but because she was an adult in charge of things like money, she bought hers at the flower shop in town. Her corsage, a full grown rose, came in a clear plastic box with a long straight pin attached to the back for fastening to her dress. Nana wore a corsage of white gardenia, her favorite, each petal as soft as velvet, its perfume so strong and sweet that forty-five(!) years later, yesterday, when I walked past a gardenia bush at Westwood Gardens, the aroma pulled me over and vaulted me back to Brinkley Chapel. Just like that.

Gardenia from Westwood Gardens

Nana wore a white flower because her Momma, my great-grandmother, died years before I was born. And even though I never met her, I’ve known her my whole life.Continue Reading

N is for Nana ❤❤❤

April 16, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner 24 Comments

Nana and Me

“Do you have any gum, Nana?” The pew was hard, the sermon dull, my right foot dead asleep.

Digging in her pocketbook, Nana pulled out sticks of Spearmint gum to occupy my sister and me for a few moments. I tried not to smack.

“Draw.A.Duck.” I mouthed the words silently and handed her an offering envelope from the pew in front of me. Offering envelopes were stored beside the hymnals and made good scrap paper in a pinch.

With one sweep of a pencil, Nana had this silly way of drawing a duck. Her signature artwork looked more swan or turkey-like than duck-like, which amplified the funny factor ten-fold during preaching, or during any serious occasion when laughing was frowned upon.

“That doesn’t look like a duck, Nana,” my sister murmured, trying to stifle her laugh which sent us, Nana included, head first into a fit of silent giggles, shoulder-shaking giggles, the sort often mistaken for sobbing—as though we could be wholly moved by Brother Brown’s boring message…

From the piano bench, Momma shot us the stink-eye, but she wanted to laugh too. Nana had that effect on everyone.

Reven and Frances Creecy (Nana and Papa)

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening

Musical Pairing:
(When she wasn’t laughing or talking, Nana was whistling this song…)

Blessed Assurance, Alan Jackson

A to Z April Blog Challenge. N is for Nana❤

Daylight Saving Time: Let’s Take a Vote!

March 9, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner 19 Comments

At 2:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, we officially turn our clocks forward one hour. The good thing: more daylight to garden. The bad thing: I lose another hour changing all those clocks around the house. Thankfully the iPhone and computer automagically reset without my assistance. The microwave…not so smart.

I grew up in the 1970s in rural Northeast Arkansas. As far back as I can remember, I attended Brinkley Chapel Church. The church looked as you might imagine with towering pecan trees, a circle gravel driveway and a carpet of clover growing from the back door to the surrounding cotton fields. Inside, a mixture of friends and family filled the pews each time the doors were open.

One year before Sunday school, Uncle Rosie addressed the congregation with important new business. He proposed Brinkley Chapel NOT follow Daylight Savings Time. He felt daylight savings time was unnecessary, and put the issue up for vote.

After much consideration and debate, Brinkley Chapel decided not following daylight savings time would be too confusing for everyone else. So we reluctantly went along with it.

I love that our faithful congregation of forty-five thought such a decision could be made with no regard for the rest of the county, state, nation.

Is it time for another vote?

Grace Grits and Gardening