Church in the Vale

Vacations are memories stitched together by moments in time. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that valued time away from the day-to-day minutia of general life. We never took exotic trips and many times the trips were just a few days, but the goal was always the same, experience a place as a family. We would take pictures (no selfies back then), collect souvenirs, eat picnic lunches and learn how to get along in new environments. My parents were saints when I think about it now, but my mother says she only remembers fun times.

My husband and I recently had the good fortune of vacationing with our daughter and son-in-law in one of our favorite places, the Black Hills. The weather was very warm and uncharacteristically humid due to recent rains in the area. But our cabin veranda was blessed with shade and soothing breezes. We spent many hours in conversation punctuated by a meal or two, or three or more. We also took field trips out and about in the Hills. 

As with all field trips, some events are planned and other events are totally serendipitous. One trip was a drive to a former mining town (pop. 21) that is still a destination for many due to its iconic watering hole and beautiful location. After we reached the little burg, we took a break in the parking lot of a nearby country chapel. My daughter tugged gently on the front door out of curiosity. Not surprisingly, it was locked so we wandered around the property to stretch our legs. 

Within minutes, a small blue car pulled up and an elderly lady (probably my age) rolled down her window and asked if we wanted to go inside the church. We were a little stunned by her timing but did not want to her to think we were casing the joint for some big break-in, so we agreed to her generous offer. She unlocked the front door for us and we entered the little brown chapel. The musty smell of air encapsulated without air conditioning greeted us. The church would have been just another country chapel if it hadn't been for the zeal of our tour guide and her husband, sporting a trusty water bottle fastened to his side in a holster. 

Our guide shared with us the history of the church which had its beginnings in the bar down the road. Volunteer ladies of the church would clean up the beer bottles and mess of Saturday night's revelry and prepare the bar for Sunday morning's worship. When the congregation garnered sufficient funds, a chapel was built and the pride in their progress continued to glow. Our guide pointed out the pews that replaced the original folding chairs, the new cement installed for the side entryway, the stained glass artwork decorating one of the windows and the brand new hymnals just purchased. She ended her history lesson by stating, "And every Sunday, we sing the song about the little brown church in the vale." As we prepared to leave, she gave us a parting gift, a paper place mat from their recent anniversary celebration. We thanked her and her husband for their time and made our way back to our vehicle, waving one last time to our new friends. 

Our original field trip itinerary did not include a stop at a chapel but it was certainly one of our highlights of the day, thanks to a very passionate woman, her husband and a little church in the vale.