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Carol Perkins: Shall we gather at the river Carol Perkins attends baptism on Jack Sparks RD, near the Steel Bridge -or where it was - near Adair County. It brings to mind, for her, baptisms past. For readers, it gives brings to mind how Mark Twain must have anticipated the humor of Carol Perkins when he wrote Huckleberry Finn The next earlier Carol Perkins story is Back to School is such a grand time By Carol Perkins Shall We Gather At The River The last creek baptism I had attended was when I was thirteen and I was the one in the creek. My dad and I were baptized the same day. Deciding to be immersed in murky water while trying to keep my balance on slippery rocks was not without some last minute trepidation. I could have been sprinkled like some of my friends, but I chose to "go under" because my dad did. (I know there are many theories about the difference but I'll leave that one alone.) What I feared the most was not the water, but the prospect that the minister might drop me. He was old (probably fifty at the time) and frail. I didn't know if he could walk down the bank to get to the creek without help. The only easing of my dread was that my dad could save me, plus the fact that I had never heard of anyone drowning at a baptism. That was an unforgettable day There are some things you never forget and that day is one of them. My mother stood on the bank with my newborn brother. I'm sure my other brother was in a tree somewhere or skipping rocks on the other end of the creek bed. I do recall the crowd who came to witness this event. Back then, church members would not be true to the brotherhood of the church if they didn't gather at the river. Last Sunday, I went back to that same creek on Jack Sparks Road on Highway 80 toward the Adair County line for an old-fashioned baptism. There was once a one- lane steel bridge crossing from the main road to the Jack Sparks road, with boards for drivers to line up their tires so as not to slide against the rails. For many years, locals gave directions based on the steel bridge. "Go past the steel bridge a few miles..." That bridge is long gone, replaced by a concrete low rider. Nine people, from young to middle aged, were baptized Nine people were baptized, ranging from young to middle-aged, last Sunday. As they held hands and walked into the water, I could hear the tune in my head from "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" and visualize the actors headed toward the river and walking in, all dressed in white robes. These were without white robes, but they were not without family and friends. As each was baptized, the onlookers applauded spontaneously. It was a moving day. The church gave each of the nine an embroidered handkerchief with their name, the date, and the name of the church, and as they went under, they covered their face with this gift. Such a wonderful keepsake. Miss Billie Sue's baptizing story I can't talk about baptisms without remembering a story Miss Billie Sue, my first grade teacher, told me not long ago about going to a baptism when she was a child. Her story goes like this: "The fact that we were missing was bad enough, but we had brought along the principal's daughter who was too young to go to school. He had brought her to school that day and put her in my first grade class for the teacher to look after, so she, in turn, put my friend and me in charge of watching her. When we decided to go to the baptism, we took her too. "By the time we got back to school, we saw immediately something big was going on. The entire school was out in the yard searching for something. That something turned out to somebody and that turned out to be us. The principal was so relieved, but we were in big trouble, even though we thought we had good reason to have been gone."There is something reviving about that practice During Miss Billie Sue's day, gathering at the river for an old-fashioned baptism was the way it was done and the entire town knew about each one. Frankly, I think there is just something reviving about going down to the creek and washing away those...well, you know the song. About the author: Carol (Sullivan) Perkins is a lifelong resident of Edmonton, KY, in Metcalfe County where she taught high school English at Metcalfe County High School until her recent retirement. She is a now a freelance writer. is married to Guy Perkins and they have two children: Carla Green (Mark) of Brentwood, TN and Jon Perkins (Beth) of Austin, TX and six grandchildren. Her latest book, Let's Talk About, is a collection of over 70 of her works, and she is presently working on the second book in this series. Carol's ties to Adair County go back to Breeding where her grandfather, Rufus Reece, and her grandmother Bettie Strange, began their married life and later moved to Metcalfe County. You may contact Carol at cperkins@scrtc.com or write at P.O. Box 134 Edmonton. If you would like a copy of her book, you can order through email. Watch for her next story next Sunday. IF YOU'VE ENJOYED READING CAROL PERKINS' STORIES on ColumbiaMagazine.com, you'll love her book, "Let's Talk About It. . . ." The books are $15 plus $4 for shipping. Send check or cash or money order to Carol Perkins, P.O. Box 134, Edmonton, KY 42129 They can be bought at the Herald Office in Edmonton, KY, or Terri's Fine Jewelry in Glasgow, KY. This story was posted on 2009-08-23 09:30:30
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Carol Perkins:
Carol Perkins: Back to school is such grand time Carol Perkins: A teacher speaks out on groupings, testing Carol Perkins: Put that phone away! Carol Perkins: The Shoe Carol Perkins: Potlucks Carol Perkins: Grandparents' Camp Carol Perkins: At The Funeral Home Carol Perkins: The Name is Perkins Carol Perkins: The Gift of Music Carol Perkins: Don't Make Me Go View even more articles in topic Carol Perkins |
 
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