Married to the Cloth

 Growing up on the East Coast, mostly MidAtlantic region, my mother was a new believer and she also was unlicensed so we went places we could walk to or we hosted friends at our house.  Our home was rarely empty. There were single GIs who were far from home and became our family. There were the military families with wives from foreign lands who filled our plates with unpronounceable dishes made with spices. And while my dad was at work, the house would be filled with lots of little kids who came to play while our mothers STUDIED the Bible. And because we could walk to a base chapel, if they had something going on, we were there. VBS which lasted 2 weeks back then, Awana , choir, midweek worship and Bible study.  And mom had her Bible with her everywhere she went. I thought this was pretty normal. All my mom’s friends carried sacred tomes and notebooks and fountain pens and highlighters. These were the women who made studious escapades and retreats attainable and they didn’t just have