The Ties That Bind

Texas Highway 69 between Colmensneil and Zavalla

I always get a feeling of warmth and comfort when I'm in Deep East Texas. Just the drive there is beautiful. I was born and raised there, it is where I where my heart is. When I proudly say to people that I'm from Jasper, Texas, they can't understand how I can have these emotional ties to a place with such a brutal history. The scars from the James Byrd slaying are so deep that our little jewel in the forest might never heal completely. I am not so jaded as to think that Jasper and surrounding counties in East Texas were ever perfect places, they are not. We live in the South. The Deep South. We deal with racial incidences and prejudices. We challenged each other's actions and positions when we have to. And we compromise when we can. But, what we Southerners are good at is finding that one thing most of us can agree on. That one thing might be different in every situation. For me, it might be the beauty of our deep, dark, mysterious forests, the peacefulness of  the slow flowing rivers, or the tranquility of the deep blue lakes.

But, then there are the country churches. They touch something so deep inside of me that I can hardly express it. My family and I recently attended the funeral of a dear friend in Tyler County. The funeral, was a beautiful and touching. The burial took place at a country church, on a gravel road, in a pine forest. The church was so beautiful in it's simplicity that it took my breath away. Even my thirteen year old grandson was taken aback and asked to have his picture taken in front of it. How many pleas to God? How many amens? How many "Amazing Graces"? Only God knows. I am not a particularly religious person, but these country churches transport me back to another time and place. I can almost hear the cadence in the preacher's voice, hear the choir singing, and see the church ladies swaying and fanning themselves. When all was said and done the entire congregation would hold hands and singing "Blessed be the ties that bind our hearts in Christian love and fellowship". And in unison they all would say. "Ahhhhhmen".