Last year, I took one of my favorite pictures ever. This is it.
Lovely, huh?
I took the photo outside a church in Edenton, NC, where I spent an hour one blissful, spring-time evening, wandering through the old cemetery, the grand trees and the ancient memories.
My only regret when I was done was that I hadn’t gotten to see inside the church. I love old buildings and especially old churches and since this is the oldest, regularly used church in North Carolina, I figured it would have a plethora of visual treasures to display.
Well, imagine my delight when Steve and I were on our recent mini-vacation and discovered that the church (which happened to be near the town where we were staying) is actually open every day!
I was one happy mama.
My favorite feature was this old key with a tassel on the end of it. I mean how cool is it to have a key large enough to even accommodate a tassel? I frankly think we should go back to the gracious, elegant days of tasselled keys because then I’d never again lose my keys in my purse!
That evening when we were back at our little cottage, we strolled down to the dock to sit a spell. (We are Southerners after all, and Southerners are famously wont to sit for spells.)
Here’s my fabulous husband of thirty years, wearing the shirt that Nathan and Meagan sent him for his 55th birthday. They have good taste—in shirts, in dads, in dads-in-law.
Can’t you just feel the peace of the place?
Of course, even with all the tasselled keys, centuries-old buildings, and glorious sunsets, my favorite sight of the day was this sign on the deck.
And all us chunky-esque ladies said, “Amen!”
When I was in college, I had no church loyalty…I went to whichever one provided transportation (church members would sit in their cars outside the dorms, and when the car was full they’d head to church. How trusting we were back then!) each Sunday. My favorite denomination was the Presbyterian church, because the pews had doors! There’s something that’s just so cosy about a pew with a door.
Jan,
I just love the mental picture of church folks sitting outside the dorms waiting to take college kids to church. Too cool!
And yes, I think it would be sort of cozy to have a pew with a little door on it.
Did anyone else happen to notice that in your photo from last year that the cloud formation to the far right of the cross looks like a young girl with a long braid looking towards heaven and praying?
Sorry Becky for the other comment, I just figured out posting here 🙂
Linda,
No, I hadn’t noticed that cloud formation looking like a young girl. How cool! Thanks for pointing that out.
looks like an Episcopal church……
The Old North Church in Boston has doored pews.
Mrs. Pam,
Yep, it’s Episcopal all right. However, another commenter said she has attended a Presybeterian church with doored pews. They must be “cross denominational.” I would sure love to sit in one some time.
Beautiful and Steve looks so relaxed sitting in the chair looking over the water. That’s the vacation I enjoy–just relaxing and looking out over water. Hope to do that soon.
Ann,
Yes, you could definitely use a relaxing vacation after all you’ve been through lately!
Beautiful, Becky! I love the old doored pews. What was the purpose of the doors on them? I once went to a wedding where the pews were doored and it felt like traveling back in time. As for the sign, add an “amen” from me! Have a wonderful Memorial Day!
Guerrina, I was wondering the same thing about the doored pews; a little research provided this answer:
“In English, the word pew first applied to a raised, enclosed area of seats in a church, reserved for particular people (the local nobleman’s family, say), but it eventually came to refer to all benches in a church. That change in meaning occurred in the 17th century.”I don’t know how they go about in modern days deciding who sits in each walled off area; maybe it’s first come, first serve?Maybe someone else who is reading here might know the answer.
While visiting Boston, we were told the “pews”, which means enclosed area, were for warmth. The families would sit close together sometimes bringing warm bricks from home to set in the center.
The other purpose was to finance the church building, the closer you were to the front, the more rent you paid. It also declared your social status to all.
Many of these pews have family names on them and were left to the heirs (as long as they paid the rent).
In two churches we visited, it was first come, first seated.
Deb, thanks for the information; I found it so fascinating.