148/365 Pews

We have democratic pews. Some churches of our era, or perhaps a little older, have a little metal slot where you could put a "reserved" card--which would be convenient, of course, but what they were originally for was for a family name. At St. Joseph's down in Macon, Georgia, where I unfortunately spent a year and a half, some pews were still assigned to specific families. Some of the pews had gates at the end, too, like a tame roller coaster might, to keep folks in and organized.

We don't have any of that. We have hat clips, like in the background image here, but we don't even have book holders on the backs of pews anymore. Two books get stacked at each end of the pew. Pass 'em down. Our pews aren't ornately carved with symbols of the church or beautiful columns and curlicues. Just this simple Latin cross.

Each pew is distinctive in its woodgrain, and sits at a slight angle for comfort. About half the pews have been refinished, and I think it was supposed to be my job to do that after Dolores left. I haven't even gotten started--I still have a cabinet in my dining room that needs varnishing. Not a woodwork gal. But I check for rough spots and nails when I can, and hammer the nails in and consider what I might do about splinters.

They're no cloister choir stalls, but they'll do.