A Time To Pray

This summer was hotter than any Newark had ever experienced in a long time. The flowers were wilting and the people were miserable. Al Gore was sure there was a global warming problem and he must be right because the temperatures were reaching over a hundred degrees and this was just unheard of in these parts. There wasn’t much rain, water levels were low across the country and the California wild fires were out of control. Announcements went out that the odd number houses could water on one day and the even numbered houses on the other day. If you had a swimming pool then too bad because it just wasn’t enough water to fill them all. But who listened to that warning. Oh how the people fussed and moaned about that. The middle class just had to have their swimming pool filled and their flowers watered. They didn’t care about having water for the basic nessecities like bathing and drinking.
New Jersey occupants are used to it though so the children played in the water hydrants to keep cool. If you used your imagination and the man on the hydrant knew what he was doing you could make that water shoot high in the air and the children would run one by one under it like it was really a waterfall. The local swimming pools were filled to capacity with the people from the neighborhood. Even when it closed people would sneak back in with their lawn chairs until the wee hours of the morning. Oh how wonderful it is being a kid you never worry about anything. The farmers had it even worse. The drought didn’t help them much. Their crops were failing and that was not a good sign. It was so hot they had to water the cattle. In some places cows were dying from the heat and lack of water. It was a disaster area. The Governor had to do something quickly before the effects were deadly. Some of the larger cities in New Jersey set up cooling centers for the elderly who could not afford air conditioning. Some of the local stores put their money together and bought air conditioners for those who could not afford them. The area that Sam and his wife lived in was full of elderly people but there was no cooling center in his neighborhood. It seemed like in the ghetto no one cared about the people there. The house they lived in Sam had lived in all of his life. His mother and father bought that house many years ago and would leave it to Sam when they moved south. It used to be a great neighborhood but of recent many new families moved in and they just didn’t care about the neighborhood like in the old days. When the blacks moved in the whites moved out and when the Hispanics moved in the gangs moved in with them. The gangs wanted to have their own territory to control the flow of drugs and women in the area. Things had changed rapidly it wasn’t safe to walk the streets anymore. Mothers and daughters were afraid of being out by themselves. The children couldn’t play in their yards for fear of drive by shootings. Men had abandoned their responsibility as fathers and husbands to one wife.
When Eddie and Mabel purchased the house things were different and much less expensive. Even people were different back then. It was like one big family. The men gathered together during the summer months to go fishing together. The women looked out for one another exchanging recipes and taking care of one another’s children. The children all played together never caring about color or religion. The world would be a different place for Sam’s children.
The house was getting old and like all old houses there was no central heating or air conditioning. The house was getting old and there were many things starting to break down. Sam had to do lots of repairs. He just couldn’t let go of the house it just had too many memories. The pipes were bursting all the time and the hot water heater needed to be replaced. It was home nevertheless. Some of his childhood friends still lived in the neighborhood or had family that still lived there. Sam remembered his first Christmas in the house with his parents. Being an only child had its advantages. Eddie worked as a maintenance man in a hospital. It was steady work and by the time that Eddie retired he had been working there for over 40 years. Although Eddie didn’t make much money they always had a real Christmas tree. In those days the men would go out and cut down their own trees with their sons. It was a family tradition. Sam looked forward to Christmas. The neighborhood was bustling with kids riding their new bicycles, so many treats to eat at all the houses. The competition was on just after Thanksgiving which street would have the best Christmas light extravaganza. It was what life was all about for the children. Every year on television the family would sit down together and watch their favorite movies. Sam liked “The March of the Wooden Soldiers” the best. As a little boy the soldiers were tall and so real to him. But as he got older perspective seemed to change and they didn’t look so scary after all.
Life for Sam was good in Newark. He heard all the terrible stories about the riots that happened in the 60’s and you could still see the affects in some neighborhoods. Newark would never be the same but many of the businesses stayed and that was a good thing. A lot of the churches had since closed their doors and more and more were closing all the time. It was a sign that times were changing when churches turned into discos and restaurants. His father would say “son things are changing in the world. People don’t care much about God anymore. They just live like they want and that won’t be good in the long run.”
Eddie’s father started their church. As a youth it was his responsibility to play the piano for the services. His father even allowed him to preach every now and then. He looked so funny as a youth mimicking his father in the pulpit. But that was the duty of a father to teach his son how to take over the church after he was gone. The people in the neighborhood loved going to church back then. They loved their families but life was centered around God. The services were alive and the presence of God was felt in each service. The men got dressed up on Sunday morning and the women wore their fineries to church as well. They were called “holy rollers” because when the power of God hit the place they fell out under the power of God and rolled on the floors. Sam remembered as a young boy not truly understanding what was happening but he enjoyed going to church to play the piano and see his friends. Sam’s father took over the church after his grand-father got too old to do all of the services, visit the sick at the hospital, dedicate the babies and all the other responsibilities a pastor had to do.
His father loved preaching. He would say “son preaching is the best thing ever. When the power of God hits you its like you feel like your floating on air.” Sam would just smile at his father not truly understanding what he was saying. But he did know that he felt something great when he was singing and playing the piano. The tradition of playing the piano passed down from his father. It was like the angels were singing with him and Jesus had his arms wrapped around him. He felt like he was on top of the world.