LIFE WITH MY CHILDREN PART 37

A lot of our life was centered around the Serbian Church. We never missed a Sunday service unless we went to Indiana for the weekend... and both Tammy and I took Serbian lessons for a few weeks. Didn't stick to us since neither one of know any Serbian today. I joined the Women's League and attended weekly meetings.

The women's league meetings were great fun. The first half of each meeting was devoted to prayer and praise...then the food came out...and what food we had! While we ate we discussed the business part of the meeting and socialized. The women's league was responsible for cooking the dinners served in the Serbian Hall (across the parking lot from the church) every Sunday after services. We also took care of special dinners for funerals, weddings, baptisms and Holidays. We had a Christmas party every year for all the children of the church. I think one group was responsible for cleaning the church and hall...but I never got involved in that. In fact, at first they didn't let me do anything except paper work....it took a few months for the older Serbian women to accept me...a jerked over Baptist...as they kiddingly (I hope) called me.

We didn't always stay for dinner after church because at least once a month we went up to Ypsi to have dinner with Granny...at Aunt Susie's. But the dinners were spectacular...to say the least. Those old Serbian bubbas could cook. My favorite was when we had the baked chicken quarters...over Serbian rice. I also liked the serbian chicken paprikosh...a Serbian chicken and dumplings. There was always a bottomless bowl of salad on every table and an endless dessert table. Father Mijatovich and his wife, Pauline, always sat with us. Pauline and Joe's mother were best friends and they had known Joe all his life. Father and I got into some very deep discussions comparing the Serbian religion (orthodox) to the religion I was raised with. I was thrilled to know the basics were the same...only traditions were different.

I learned it was offensive to mention their services were like Catholic masses...hahah. Father was quick to inform me that they did not bow to any man...only to Christ. The Serbian church does have confessions and fasting. Before Easter and Christmas and before one gets married.
They do cross themselves at the end of a prayer...but in the opposite direction of the Catholics.
Although they have christenings, they believe everybody has to decide for themselves to be saved...to accept Christ.

They believe Christ was born of the virgin Mary and was crucified and arose after three days. They believe the only way to heaven is to accept Christ as your personal savior. They don't believe in praying to Mary or to saints. I have never met a more holy man than Father Mijatavich and have judged every preacher I've met by his standards since then.

I might mention here that Father and Pauline had a daughter a few years younger than Joe...and it had been theirs and Joe's mother's strongest wish that the two of them marry. Sadly, Kosa shared their wishes and I was amazed that her parents not only accepted me as Joe's wife...but sincerely liked me.

In April, when Joey was five months old, we had him christened. Joe and I had been Kumas for Kuma Eva's son, Nicky, when he married. Their son was two months younger than Joey...so we had them christened together. Kuma Eva catered the dinner afterwards. I'm no dummy!!!

For the Christening Joe's mother came up from Florida for a couple of weeks and stayed with us. Our Kums ...who had moved to California...came home. Their children, Pam and Paul, stood as Kums for Joey. Joe and I were Kums for Nicky's baby. The christening took place on Sunday after church. It's a very solemn ceremony where the priest (Father) asks the Kums specific questions about always being available for helping the child...not just spiritual. The Kum relationship is a very serious one...and not to be taken lightly. Although the Christening Kum takes second place to the marital Kums...who if not before, do become lifelong friends and in many ways, nosy busybodies! More about that later!

Tammy and Buddy loved Radmila (Joe's mother) and called her Bubba at her insistance. I think Bubba actually means "old woman" in Serbian...but a lot of Serbian Grandmothers are called Bubba. Radmila returned the affection..especially to Tammy. She had always wanted a daughter and took Tammy under her wing right away. We all had a good laugh at her expense, albeit behind her back...when she bought Tammy a new dress. Tammy, at 11 was very well endowed on top...and Bubba went to the womens department at Federals and bought her a dress. One more suitable for a woman's Bubba's age. I wouldn't even have worn it!

Oh...before I end this, I want to tell about the time...near Christmas...when the Women's league had our Christmas party as the Elmwood Casino in Windsor. It was just a nightclub...there were no gambling casinos back then. The Elmwood was so popular that parties were booked nearly a year in advance. The women responsible were told the entertainment would be a well-known comedian from Las Vegas.

Well....the night of the party, the entertainment was direct from Las Vegas, as promised. Just not the one originally booked. Don Rickles had cancelled and another act was substituted. A nearly nude chorus line of show girls and a comedian...I don't remember his name...with a gutter sense of humor! After his first joke about the group of church women closing their eyes and holding their hands over their ears during the opening act, most of the older women got up and left. I stayed along with all the women closer to my age...and, surprisingly, quite a few of the older women, who laughed harder than anybody else at the off-color jokes. Needless to say, the women's league kept their parties closer to home...and made sure of the entertainment after that!