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Love is always a winner

By Carol Jolly | Burke County Notebook - The News Herald

Published: May 1, 2009

David Fletcher was the associate pastor of our church and principal of our new Christian school.
Nancy and I were the van drivers. She lived south of the school and I lived north, and we both lived at the furthest points.
We had been "elected" van drivers because of our locations and availability. If memory serves me correctly, no one had ever asked me to drive, but when I woke up the first day of school, and found the van parked in my driveway, keys on the seat, I came to the conclusion, that I was elected. Not that I minded. I had to go anyway to take my daughter. I could just zigzag down the highway picking up students along the way. I had a ministry.
One morning, after I'd turned the students over to their teachers, Pastor Fletcher called me into his office.
"Carol, I want to start a church newspaper. I'd like you to be the editor. I want you to write a column about the Ladies Bowling League."
I was happy to do it, though I knew nothing of being an editor. I was the first roving reporter for a small local newspaper in Maine. That was all I knew about the inside works of a newspaper. Our choir director called me 'Scoop Jolly.'
I was busy working on the paper when Pastor Fletcher came in and said, "What in the world did you do to Mary Jane? She hates you," he teased, which seemed to be one of his joys in life.
My jaw dropped down on my chest. I knew I hadn't done anything to hurt her. I'd been nothing but nice. Her son was one of the children I took to school each day. I never forgot to pick him up or bring him home. I had no idea.
Since I'm a very huggy, "lovey" person normally, I began to wonder if I had neglected her in some way. I thought, "Lord, she may not know that I love her."
I decided I'd better make sure she knew she was important to me. The next time I saw her, I went over, greeted her with a big hug, and asked, "How are you doing Mary Jane?" We talked for a while, then I hugged her bye and we went our separate ways. Every time I saw her, I went out of my way to hug her and let her know I cared.
After we had moved to South Carolina, I got a card from Mary Jane. It was a bouquet of yellow roses and a note that read, "These are the only roses I can afford to send to you, but from my heart to yours, I wish they were real. I love you. Mary Jane Acker."
I put the card in a frame and I've kept it in plain view all these years, as a testament to what a little love can do.
A few years ago, while in Maine, I was telling some friends about the beautiful card Mary Jane had sent me, and how much it's meant to me through my years. Beth said, "She died two years ago."
The tears spurted uncontrollably from my eyes. I thought, "Thank you God for giving me the opportunity to find out about her feelings, and to be able to love on her. We just never know when that last chance really is ... the last chance."
One of the gals said, "Oh, about Mary Jane hating you; she worked nights at the newspaper office, and she really wanted to be the editor of the church newspaper." With a dropped jaw I choked out, "As you all know, that paper never did fly. My problem was with my columnists, Pastor Fletcher for one. They just wouldn't take 'deadlines' seriously. Remember, me as the editor was his idea, not mine. I didn't volunteer. If he'd known where she worked, he probably would have recruited her."
I had a ball writing my columns. I still have the mock up of that only edition of "The Grace Baptist Banner."

Carol Jolly is a member of The Morganton Writers Group, North Carolina Storytellers Guild, and the Lakes Region Writers Guild. She is one- third of the Triple-J-Tellers, with Jesus and Jeannie McPhail of www.themacsmusic.com. Carol has authored three books, available at the Web site: The Home In My Heart, Squabble Hollow and That's What They Said. jollygeaz@aol.com