Mama's Jewels

The wind blew over the tall prairie grasses. I turned and faced the other way,towards our field. But there was nothing to see. The fields were dry where there should have been wheat, corn, or soybeans growing. By now they should have been showing their green heads.

But there was nothing. It made you want to cry. Especially when you can think back to the times of plenty.
" Crystal!" my Mama called. " Where're ya at?"
"I'm coming." I yelled back. I let my gaze drift over the empty fields before taking off for home.
" Time for church." Mama said as I walked in the back door." Can you see if the other girls are ready?"
The other girls are my sisters, Opal and Ruby. "Yes ma'am."
"Make sure they put on their nice shoes. Ya'll are singin' this morning."
 I had forgotten. My sisters and I, ages ten, nine, and six, with me as the oldest, often sang at our small country church. Folks said we harmonized real well.
I went to our small room and found my sisters sitting on the bed we all shared, dressed in their Sunday clothes. Opal was trying to tame Ruby's hair.
" You girls got your shoes on?" I asked while I tried to find my own.
"Yup." Ruby said while Opal just nodded.
"Good." I looked out the window. " Daddy's bringin' the truck around. We better get out there."
I followed the girls out the door and we climbed into the back of the truck. Soon we were riding down the road towards the church. I scooted close to the back window of the truck and listened to my parents talk of the failing crops.
" If we can't get seed in by the end of the month, it'll be the end of us and our farm." my Daddy was saying.
"Don't we have any money left over from last year?" Mama asked.
"Not enough to get seed."
" Oh, JIm." Mama's voice was sad.
" If we could get money by the end of the summer we could try and plant winter wheat."
"How do you plan on getting money?"
" I could always go get a job along the railroad." Daddy said quietly.
" No. I don't want you to become some drifter."
" I'd come back as soon as we had the money."
"Jim, please." Mama pleaded.
" I gotta look out for my family."
"Then stay with us."
I moved away from the window, where the wind blew their words out of my earshot. There had to be a better way to get money without Daddy having to leave.
Before I could think on it , we were pulling in at church. We walked through the doors as a family and sat down in a pew towards the front. After the congregation sang hymns, and the ushers took up what few offerings there were, my sisters and I made our way to the front.
There we stood, in front of the pulpit, belting out " Standing on the Promises". I didn't think much on the words until we sat down. Then the pastor got up and preached on how God takes care of people. And I thought on how that was a promise I could stand on.
Spring moved on, the days warming into summer. The fields remained empty. Daddy worked odd jobs to feed our family, but I soon realized how important it was that we buy seed for a crop of winter wheat. If we didn't, we would lose our home.
So I tried to think of ways to raise money, but I couldn't come up with anything. Then one day it hit me while I was at the store with Mama.
Mrs. Clay, one of the ladies in our church, started talking to Mama.
"Say, Maybelle, when are your girls going to sing in church again? I declare, they're so good I'd pay good money to hear them."
That was it! My sisters and I would sing and charge for admission. We could do it right in our own barn. It could be the answer to our problems! Mama's birthday was coming up soon. We could do it then, as a surprise for her.
God was going to take care of us, His children! He had given my sisters and me our harmonization so that we could praise Him with our voices and save our farm.
I told my sisters, and as soon as we could we put up signs around town saying:
" Come and hear
the Taylor Sisters!
one night only,
August 19th, 1932
in the barn on their farm.
7 cents admission"
On August 19th we began to clean and decorate our barn with paper chains and lamps. By the time Daddy got home from working at a neighbor's farm, people were already parking in our yard. My sisters and I were clothed in our Sunday dresses, hair neatly combed, with no shoes.
Ruby ran to Daddy. " It's a party, Daddy! A surprise for Mama!"
" Well, is that a fact?" Daddy smiled. "Did you girls do this on your own?"
" Yup." Opal said.
" I'll be hog-tied. But look at me!" Daddy said, glancing down at himself." I better go change into my good clothes. And keep your Mama from seein'."
He walked to the house. I knew he'd keep our secret. I turned back to the folks who were milling around in our barn. We'd had a better turnout than I figured.
" Come on, girls. We'd better get in there and get started singing." I said.
We began singing, starting with songs like "Skip to My Lou" and "Sweet Betsy from Pike". Soon we saw Mama and Daddy in the barn. You could tell Mama was surprised. But the biggest surprise would come after the party, when everyone had left.
After singing fun songs, we moved on to more serious songs, then finally finished off with hymns. When all the people were gone, we blew out the lamps and took our jar of money.
Daddy was sitting in the kitchen with Mama when we finally came in. We walked to the table and plunked the money jar down. Mama's eyes flew wide open.
" Where'd you get this?" Daddy asked with an arched brow.
" We charged for admission." I meekly answered.
" You what?" Mama exclaimed.
" Well, I heard Mrs. Clay say that she would pay to hear us sing, so I figured maybe other people would too." I explained.
Mama looked down. Her face was red.
"Are you mad, Mama?" Opal said as she put her hands on Mama's knee.
" My land, child!" Mama burst into laughter." I just can't believe this.Here I was, trying to figure out why some of those people were there to celebrate my birthday, and here they all came to hear ya'll sing!"
" We did it to save the farm, so Daddy can buy seed to plant." I said.
" We just want to stay here at our home forever." Ruby said.
" I knew I named you three right." Mama said, wiping happy tears away. " You're my three little jewels, shining as bright as the sun with your love."
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I looked out across our field. The winter wheat rippled in the bright morning sun. I smiled. We were going to be okay. The fields were full. We would stay as a family on our farm. Our home." Crystal!" my Mama called.
I lit out for the house, but not before looking over our fields once again. A happiness filled my soul, and my feet seemed to fly towards home.
My sisters and I were singing " Showers of Blessings" in church this morning.


                          -an original story by daughterofJudah