I was sitting in the shopping mall, drinking coffee while taking a break from all the trappings of the surroundings.
I don’t like going to the mall, but sometimes I have to go for The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, wife Martha. Sometimes, I think she does it intentionally, knowing how much I dislike it. But if I have to go, I try to make the most of it.
As I sat and sipped, I saw someone I recognized — or at least, I thought I recognized. I recognized this woman as my great aunt.
That would be my grandmother's sister, who passed away about 25 years ago. How could she be in the mall here today? Or, was it her ghost?
Staring at her as she walked by, I couldn't help but believe she was either my great aunt or an identical twin. Everything about this woman reminded me of my relative.
My aunt was a mail carrier, and she’d stop at my grandmother’s mailbox daily where they’d catch up. Together, they knew everything that happened or would happen in town.
It always was a wonderful time to sit down with my great aunt and listen to her stories. I never knew if they were true, but she presented them as such, and I believed them.
The more I got to know her, the more I learned how to control her. I'm not a control freak, but sometimes I like to pull pranks on people, and Ms. Gossips-A-Lot was a prime target.
Occasionally, as we sat and talked, I’d calmly say, “Auntie, did you hear what Mr. Smith down the road did the other night?'
Looking at me seriously, she’d lean toward me and say, “No, what did Mr. Smith do? I haven't heard.”
I’d say, “Auntie, what I'm about to tell you please don’t let anybody else know.”
That was the clue I needed to stir her up and spread this gossip for weeks.
Looking back on some of the pranks, I’m a little regretful. She was an easy target, and I played her more than I should.
The problem was that nobody believed what my dear old Auntie said. The only one who really believed her was my grandmother.
After she died, the town gossip quieted as never before. People couldn't get the daily gossip they once did, and didn't realize how much they depended on my aunt.
Sitting in the mall thinking about Ms. Gossips-A-Lot, I was reminded of what Solomon said in Proverbs.
“He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.”
— Proverbs 20: 19 I didn’t know my great aunt very well. I only saw her occasionally.
I did know some of the people around her, and they didn’t have anything too good to say about her. If my great aunt had known what the people thought about her, she might’ve toned down her gossiping.
It’s easy to gossip. However, gossip only causes harm and is never good when considering the subject. I want to build people up, not tear them down.
Dr. Snyder is a former pastor who lives with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, wife Martha, in Ocala, Fla. His email is [email protected].
