In Sunday School Miss Hooker fell out of her big blue chair, too much Jesus maybe, so we helped her up, my classmates and I, as she’s been trying to help us up and out of sin and especially out of Hell for sinning too much. It’s her job, to save our souls. There’s a bug going around so it won’t be as serious as death, but sometimes sickness looks that way or comes mighty close and just when you think you’ll kick and maybe even almost do something saves you–Jesus maybe–or even God and leave us not forget the Holy Ghost, though sometimes I do–I forget God and Jesus, for that matter. When I’m sick like Miss Hooker is, I remember and pray like Hell that He’ll make me feel better and He always does. He resurrects me, let’s say. Maybe I’ll be a preacher one day when I grow up. I’ve been practicing my shouting: Get the demons out! My dog’s demon-free now, or should be. The trick is to pray when you don’t even have to, when you’re healthy I mean, and so show God that you’re sincere. which I am, except when I’m sinning, and even then I know better. Miss Hooker says that we’d better not die in sin or we’re sunk–there’ll be no chance to go to Heaven even though Jesus died for our sins. Man, that’s rough. But we got Miss Hooker back on her feet again and then into her chair. She thanked us and set us free early. I stuck around to help her throw up but she didn’t. So I walked her to her Ford and she drove home. I watched until she was gone. I expect I’ll see her next Sunday and she’ll be alive again, I mean more so. But it won’t last forever. One day she’ll die and so will I. I love her for that.
Gale Acuff attends Arab American University in Jenin, Palestine.