It was a typical
summer’s day in Florida. The weather was nice and the whole town seemed to be
sitting out on their porches, working in the yard, or running through streets.
I wasn’t quite used to Florida yet; I was only there for a visit. I wanted to expand
my horizon and see new places: Eatonville, Florida being one of them. It really
was a nice town. Back up North we always hear pleasant things about Florida.
Eatonville sure was something special though. It’s one of those small towns
where everyone knows everything about each person there, and whenever a new
person comes around, they are just as friendly. I experienced this first hand
walking down the side walk. When people saw me, they just got right up off
their porches to come and meet me. I mean it probably wasn’t the most common
situation to see a petite Caucasian woman walking up the street of an African
American community, but they were friendly nevertheless. One woman I met stood
out more than the rest though. She seemed particularly different than the rest
of the women and didn’t care one bit. This woman was the one person who didn’t
greet me or start whispering to neighbors when I walked by. Right then, I knew
she was different, and I couldn’t help but think she had once been in my
situation. Her house was towards the end of the street, and, to be honest, I
had no idea where I was going. With most of the neighborhood talking about my
presence, I figured I should go talk to the one person who didn’t seem to know
I was there. That’s when we met. I quickly learned her name was Janie, and she
was just as nice as the rest of the people in the town, just not as prying.
Shortly after I
introduced myself, Janie welcomed me right inside of her home for a glass of iced
tea. We sat down at the table and she turned to me and said, “You sho ain’t from
‘round heah. Where you come from darlin’?”
“No, I’m not. I came from Minnesota,” I replied
rather timidly.
“Well whut you doin’ heah fo’?” she asked. I could tell
this would be a conversation where we learned a lot about one another. So even
though I’m not the most open person in the world, I decided I could open up to
Janie. There was something about her I could relate to, and I liked that. I
told Janie that I came to Eatonville to see new places in America and see how
places besides Minnesota operated on a regular basis. She seemed intrigued with
where I came from and asked me many questions about what it was like. After
asking me about Minnesota she became more interested in knowing about my
personal life. Janie asked a couple more questions, when finally she asked me
to tell her my life story. At that point our conversation sort of paused. I
looked down at my glass, smiled slightly, and sighed. I could tell Janie was
looking at me when she said, “I bet yuh’ve been tuh lots of places Miss Megan,
even tho yuh so young.”
“I guess my life has been a good road, Janie. I’ve
learned a lot of things in a short period of time, and I can owe all that to
God. I know I’m young, and I still have a lot to learn. However, I also know
that God has a plan in my life and He’s going to guide me in that direction. So
I guess my life story may not be the most adventurous one out there, as of now,
but I know it’s been a good life thus far. I’ve been blessed. I grew up in a
Christian family and have learned about Jesus my whole life. It’s had its
struggles, but God always seems to pull it back together,” I replied to Janie.
Janie look at me confused, “Ah don’ know how you
seem so sure ‘bout life being completely led by God.”
“Well let me ask you this. Do you believe in God
Janie?”
“Sho Ah do, but Ah ain’t eva thought ‘bout only
depending him,” she told me.
“I suppose you could say that we have different
worldviews then,” I said with a slight smile.
“Ah s’pose so, dependin’ on whut a worldview is,”
she replied with a light giggle and looked at me smiling. “Whut is a worldview
exactly?”
“I guess you could say it’s a combination of what
you believe and how you lead you life on a regular basis. So I would say my
worldview is Christian.”
“Ok Ah understand. So when yuh told me ‘bout yo’
life and yuh said yuh live wid God leadin’ da way, dat’s a Christian worldview.
Right?”
“Right. So you believe in God you said, but you
don’t know about only depending on him. I guess I would say you’re worldview is
a mixture of Christian and something else. How else do you live your life Miss
Janie?”
“Ah guess mah whole life Ah been searchin’ fo love
and independence. Mah Nanny always told me she prayed tuh God fo me ev’ry day. So
Ah s’pose God really is someone we pray to when we got somethin’ important
goin’ on. He listens to us and helps us in our times of need. God knows where
we come from, and where we goin’ Ah s’pose. Ah don’ pray on a regular basis
tho. In fact, Ah don’ really know when the last time Ah prayed was. Ah more so
been leadin’ mah life da way Ah wanna. Ah been as nice and good to people as Ah
can be, but Ah really do da things Ah find fittin’ on a regular basis. Kinda
the things Ah need at a given moment, fo mah best interest Ah s’pose. Dat’s da
way Ah been livin’.” Janie looked down at her hands and paused for a while, but
I knew she wasn’t quite done talking. “Whut kinda worldview is dat?”
“I suppose you could call that Christian Humanism,
Janie.”
“Ok, can yuh explain dat tuh me?”
“Yes, I can. It’s a mixture of Christian, to the
point where you believe in God and want to be a good person, so in a way you
have Christian morals. The humanism idea is that you lead your life searching
for your own freedom, and live the way you find fitting on a regular basis.”
“Yeah, dat makes sense tuh me. I think yuh
understands mah worldview Megan. Thank yuh. I ne’r thought I’d be sittin’ in
mah kitchen talkin’ to a white girl when I woke up today,” she laughed as she
said her last sentence.
I smiled, “And I never thought I’d make a new
friend. You really are a good person, Janie.”
“Yuh’s a good person, too, Megan.”
“I suppose I better get going, but could you
possibly point me in the direction of a place to stay?” I laughed slightly, “I
kind of got lost.”
“You ain’t stayin’ nowhere but heah,” she told me.
So
after spending all that time with Janie, I think I really got to know her.
She’s living by herself now, but she is an independent woman who knows where
she wants to go with her life. We may not have the same worldview, but we
understand where the other is coming from. Janie keeps her eyes on God, but
hasn’t quite gotten that direct everyday connection yet. It’s clear to
understand that people with a Christian Humanism Worldview aren’t far off from
the real thing, but with Christians in this world one day they can find God on
a regular basis.