Cousin Rufus meets the Parson

Dear Cousin Cletus,

Wahl, ah missed writin’ to you on Monday cause stackin' fahrwood kept me busy. Now hit’s all done and ah’m ‘bout ready fer Ole Man Winter to come blowin’ ‘round mah cabin.

They’s talk ‘round the holler thet this is Pastor Appreciation Month, Cletus. Is thet so? We never heerd o’ thet when we wuz little shavers attendin’ church in the one-room schoolhouse.

So, whut is church folks ‘posed to do in Pastor Appreciation Month? When the circuit ridin’ parson come ‘round we all used to he’p him on his way by feedin’ him and givin’ him a little money to buy hisself new clothes. But I su’pose big churches in the city already does that. So whut else they gonna do this month?

Mah grandson and me et dinner with his pastor onct. Hit wuz Father’s Day an’ his little boy’s birthday, all the same day. My, ah never seed such a busy man. We no more got set down to the table than his phone started ringin’. Somebody wuz mad cause he preached somethin’ thet stepped on they toes, I guess. He got a real chewin’ out on the phone, but he just took it so sweet an’ all.

Mrs. Preacher had a big meal on the table. Wahl, after the preacher got off the phone with the mad person, he got another call. Somebody’s uncle’s brother-in-law’s cousin got in a car accident and wuz rushed to the hospital. Even though thet person didn’t know the preacher, the person whut called insisted he oughta go visit the poor, upset family. So he gits up from the table—leaves a nice, warm plate of food an’ his little boy’s birthday—and takes out the door fer the hospital.

Ah felt sorry fer the man’s wife an’ kids. They had such disappointed looks on they faces. Mrs. Preacher acted like it wasn’t the first time somethin’ like this happened. She’s shorely gonna git a crown when she gits to heaven.

So Cletus, iffen ah had to put together a Pastor Appreciation celebration, you know whut ah’d do? Ah’d git the church to pay fer the poor overworked man an’ his fam’ly to go away fer a week to someplace whur they ain’t no phones. No bums knockin’ on his door askin fer handouts. No folks mad cause he preaches whut the Good Book sez. That’s whut ah’d do.

Y’all come visit me sometime in the holler, Cletus. We’ll go down to Lem’s Gen’ral Store and git us a orange sodee pop.

Yore Cuz,

Rufus

What about you? Any ideas for Pastor Appreciation Month? Feel free to comment below.