Mrs. Hartley

Elizabeth Hartley 1892 - 1985

In 1971, when I was 9, I started attending Versailles Baptist Church with Mrs. Hartley.  She was a widow who lived across the street from the bus stop.  During the winter months, and on rainy days, Mrs. Hartley would invite us kids into her house to wait for the bus. 

Mrs. Hartley had a garden in her backyard; she drove an old silver car; she once gave me whiskey with honey to stop hiccups.

And sometimes, on the way home from church, we'd stop at the cemetery, and Mrs. Hartley would visit her husband and son's gravesite. 

But what I remember most about Mrs. Hartley was the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about reading the Bible.  As a young girl, she had memorized the Sermon on the Mount and had recited it in front of the church.

When I was 10, I bought my first Bible, a black King James Version, just like Mrs. Hartley's Bible.  I tried to memorize the Sermon on the Mount, but managed only the first chapter.  

But my inability to memorize didn't deter me for long.  Since that young age, I have consistently read God's Word.  It's a "lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."  And I have Mrs. Hartley to thank for that.

When I tell this story, most people don't realize how young I was or how old Mrs. Hartley was - she was in her 80s.  

Today's society is all about youth, success, beauty, how much something is worth.  We often fail to consider or recognize the value of old age, wisdom, and just simple kindness.  

But Mrs. Hartley did.  She passed on her faith and her love of God's Word to a young girl who lived in her neighborhood.  The fruit of her sharing is beyond value.  

And, it's a lesson for all of us.  

First, don't discount the influence and contribution of your very oldest church members.  

And, second...keep serving and sharing, even when you're old and think you have nothing of value to contribute.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

**When visiting her grave, I saw that her son, Kenneth, was a fellow Marine who was killed in action in Korea.  Semper Fi, Kenneth.