Hugh’s Supersaver
I would typically ride a borrowed bike to the store. Out front was an old church pew being held down by Snow, an older black man that might as well have been the most experienced employee and a second dad to my Aunt Tanja. Next to the pew a cricket box was singing like a siren drawing you to the lake to go fishing. Through the front door up on the shelf were pickled pigs’ feet and Papa and Gran Gran minding the counter. When you pulled in Papa would let you pick out anything you wanted, and for a kid Hugh’s Supersaver was a treasure trove of treats. Gran Gran would get up early, like four in the morning, and roll out and bake homemade biscuits to sell. I would always make sure to get there early enough to get one. In the afternoons she would make her famous chili for the hotdogs in the warmer. Papa’s lunch was typically cheese and crackers with a can of Vienna sausages, his only cutlery was a pocketknife. He would chat and share with Herbie, a mentally challenged man, as if he was an old friend, because he was. Papa manned the butcher counter in the back where he would cut meat and hoop cheese for the folks of Wills Crossroads, and extended credit based on a handshake.
Wills Crossroads is a literal crossroads with a caution light and peanut fields, that’s it. Supermarkets and chain stores will not touch it because there is not enough money… Papa and Gran Gran did not mind that though. They needed to make a living, but it was not about the profit.
Gran Gran and Papa spent their days selling groceries, but their lives building a community. Every day folks would come in and talk about their day and what was happening in the world. They would come in to talk about who was in trouble or who was dating who. Bragging on their kids or asking for prayers for their family. At Mr. Hugh’s a wealthy farmer, Herbie, and Snow were all on equal footing. Everyone was welcome to shop and hang out. Hugh’s Supersaver was the actual crossroads.
The world is changing rapidly around us, but people are still the same. We desire to be a part of a community. We need people to care about us and be concerned about our lives. We need a place to meet and share our lives. These community hubs are important in our lives and culture. These physical locations are in constant flux, but in this digital age we are just not sure where to meet people and how to create community. Amazon and Walmart are a lot cheaper than Hugh’s Supersaver, but Papa and Gran Gran cared about Wills Crossroads, and the folks that lived there.
The disembodied nature of technology, which is to lack a physical touch and presence, is a poor substitute for real community. It is a decent temporary fix, but nothing beats a warm hug when we are hurting or a gentle hand on the shoulder when we need reassurance. We are communal creatures and need the embodied, that is physical presence, of others in our lives. Technology is fantastic and will always be a part of our lives, but it is a cheap substitute for a real community.
So, get back to meeting with folks! We have had a rough go over the last couple of years, but it is time to get back to our communities. Get back in church, hug your friends, and shake hands, laugh and cry together.
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)
