Then he was able to back up a bit and capture all three of us on the altar to include our Pastor
It truely was a wonderful celebration.
Now on to the second topic that you may find surprising but actually its not uncommon here in the Bahamas. We have several sick parishioners here that we bring communion to. On occasion we hear about 'bush medicine', where locals have identified home-brew medication from local plants or traditions that may or may not be effective, but they swear by. One of our visits really tested Ginni's Visiting Nurse skill set so here goes:
Our parishioner is on his porch, looking quite frail and so we sit and talk a bit before starting the communion service part of our visit. During that initial conversation he tells us he has had a terrible sore throat and alot of mucus built up in his chest. So he's be taking some tea to cut through it and it's been working. His tea is a combination of sour cassaba, tea, and urine. Now he says this, I get it, and I look to Ginni who hasn't really heard him clearly. So we talk a bit more and a few minutes later he says it again, sour "cassaba, tea, and urine, yep Faddah, dat really cuts it." Realizing Ginni still hasn't heard him, and what her reaction would be if she had, I try to avoid falling off my chair and start the communion service, trying not to crack up as we pray. On the outside I am praying the penitential rite, reading the Gospel, a short reflection, the Lord's Prayer . . . but on the inside I know that when Ginni finally understands his 'medication' it will be something to behold. So we finish communion, our friend says, "well thank you Deac", and I reply, "no problem, my friend, glad you are feeling a little better, hope that tea keeps working" and again he says, "yes, that sour cassaba and urine, it be doing the trick", and this time Ginni gets it, she leans forward and says "Excuse me, are you saying 'urine'?" and he replies "Oh yes, Miss Ginni" and putting his hand towards his genitals he says "I takes a little of my urine, and puts it in a cup with the cassaba" Ginni, in one motion, sits ramrod straight in her chair, inhales deeply through her nostrils, and blinks twice. "Oh". Well I just about lose it. Her reaction in that instant was absolutely precious. We had encountered bush doctors who make a variety of teas from crushed leaves of this plant or that plant for everything from curinging headaches to initiating pregnancy but this was the first urine drinking we'd encountered.
Once she recovered she did a good job of explaining this wasn't something he should continue. The body was getting rid of things it didn't want in urine and he shouldn't be drining it. He understood, and when we promised to bring him cough drops to help his throat he said he'd stop drinking urine and we left.
Once in the car I looked at her and just cracked up "Excuse me, are you saying urine?" It was unique. Suffice it to say, she was not amused - but I was, what a hoot.
Well, gotta run - till next time
