St. Mary's, West Jefferson, North CarolinaThe reason I mention dates is they're important as to what was going on in my life in relation to what this artist (who's work has come to mean so much to me) was doing within the similar timeframes. This will be clearer as I go along.
These first series of blogposts will deal with some of Ben Long's work; and what they've meant to me and the "God winks" they've created in my life. My family and I just took a return trip to North Carolina May 14-16, 2011 so I wanted to blog while the memories are still fresh.
When I took the above picture the other night, it was quite cold in the mountains. After coming up from South Carolina, where it's already quite warm, the drop in temperature was bracing. I'd not intended to revisit this particular church this time as there were other frescos I was determined to see (there are now many more of Ben Long's frescos in N.C. scattered throughout from Charlotte through the western portions in the Blue Ridge Mountains, as I was thrilled to only just discover this month!) (www.benlongfrescotrail.org) However, my husband thought it would be a romantic notion to return to the church as it'd been 15 years since I first took our family up to see them.
At first I wasn't too happy, as the way we got there was completely different than the I'd taken previously. This time it was many more MILES of winding road up and down throughout the mountains. My displeasure stemmed from the fact I'm no fan of mountain driving. However the roads seem newly paved, so that was a big plus. Looking back, I am SO happy he was determined we return there. It's not often we travel these days, so I'm glad we did so now.
So! St. Mary's is up there in the cold and there I sit on the little stone picnic bench looking up to it with tears streaming. Oh, how I love this place. Inside the church is the same as it was when I first visited over 20 years ago. They leave it open and heated...to me that's an enormous leap of faith what with the madness in the world, today. Hopefully, only those seeking solitude or viewing the works will ever go there. There is too much love, too much work, too much meaning in these churches to ever be disrespected in any form.
I feel compelled to give money for upkeep as there is a "Friends of the Frescoes Foundation" which I'm so thankful for. I mean, here are these *churches...they're old as dirt...this one has HEAT on, unbelievably! So there is upkeep, electric bills to pay, etc. I'm not saying anything of this to toot the horn. It's just what's in my heart that I'm led to do. I love St. Mary's even though I've never attended a service there and would have loved to. I wonder if ANY of the tiny congregation when Ben first painted there are even alive today. Our time was on a tight schedule tho and we only JUST squeezed in all 12 sites in 3 days.
Years ago I took my daughter (now 20, soon to be 21) there when she was 6. I don't think she remembered it much, you can imagine. It was great to go back there with her. Hopefully this site will be somewhere she can go in the future when my time has come -- and she can remember how much I loved it.
One of the reasons this church means so much to me is it was a reawakening to a more spiritual life. You can feel the Spirit as you enter there. You sense the hopes, dreams, concerns, and devotion of those who come to worship there. I don't believe I've felt that feeling of spirit as much in any other church as I have here. The little dark wood, time-worn wooden pews, the stained glass, the warm golden light, the coziness of it all. Oh, to attend an evening service here in the cold winter months!
*I keep saying churches because there is a sister church 12 miles away from St. Mary's that's in Glendale Springs (The Holy Trinity). That one houses a far larger work (The Last Supper) than the crucifixion in St. Mary's.
No comments:
Post a Comment