Gregory A. Patrick Jaiden – Chapter 57 08-26-20
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G. A. Patrick
Peyton and I were sitting in a restaurant having a private, intimate dinner when two men came in and sat at the table next to ours.
From their conversation, I could tell they were fundamentalist Christian pastors. They were talking about a couple in their church who had a son come out to them as gay. "How could they allow their son to be gay? How could they let him continue under their roof? That boy is an abomination to God doing unnatural things in ungodly places with who knows whom? The government ought to round up every queer in the country and execute them! We don't need their kind in the world."
Peyton could see Jaiden's temper rising to its max limit so he looked at Jaiden and told him to let it go, don't cause a scene. "Peyton, I am not going to cause a scene, but neither am I going to sit here and listen to two ignorant sons-of-bitches who think they are God's gift to earth sit there and malign you or me and our relationship. I am not going to let them denigrate good people because they are who and what they are by birth and not by choice.
"Gentlemen, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation, and, from how you said some things, I am dangerously assuming you are fundamentalist Christian pastors."
"Sir, you would be correct, I am Reverend John Stevens, Pastor of Haynes Pentecostal Church, and my fellow pastor here is Reverend Sam Jefferson, Pastor of Salem Baptist Church."
"Gentlemen, it is nice to meet you. You sound very knowledgeable about scripture. May I ask you to explain some questions I have about the meaning of some scriptures. One scripture is Genesis 1:28, and the other is 1 Corinthians 1:16."
"When I read Genesis 1:26, it says God created man in his image. What I am trying to understand is if that includes every human being, or does it only include a limited group of people?"
"Sir, God created all people and that means every person you see with your eyes, that you hear with your ears, God created them." "Thank you for clarifying that for me, Reverend Stevens."
"The second scripture I have been questioning is Leviticus 19:18 which says, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord", and how that scripture ties in with Romans 13:8 which says, "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law."
"Sir, you are to love everybody without reservation because it is what God says for us to do."
"Reverend Stevens and Reverend Jefferson, have either of you read the scientific studies done around 2003 that showed that every known gay man on whom a post mortem exam was done had the same defect of the hippocampus and the hypothalamus of the brain and that the defect is not found in heterosexual men. What I wonder about is the results of that study and whether God created gay men with those defects in the brain. If He did, why don't heterosexual men have those defects as well?" I don't understand how God can create a heterosexual man and not a gay man as well."
"Sir, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Reverend, I am Jaiden Riley-Reynolds. Perhaps you have seen the stories about me and my spouse on all of the national news networks, CBS, NBC, ABC, AND FOX and every television station in or near Erie."
When Jaiden said that, everybody around us started paying attention to the conversation, and the Pastors knew it and knew their reputations were on the line. "Young man, I have seen those news reports and I commend you on the effects of your work in Erie schools and schools across the country and how your work has affected students in schools here and elsewhere."
"Reverend Stevens, thank you for your kind comments. I work extremely hard to love everybody and to make their lives infinitely better than they were before I met them or heard about them."
"Reverend, I believe what the bible doesn't say is often as important or more important than what it does say. Genesis 1:26 says G-d created man in his image. The scripture did not say He created a white man or a black man. It didn't say He created a Jew or a gentile. He didn't say He created a Baptist, a Methodist, or a Pentecostal. All it says was he created man, and gay individuals are included in that mix whether anybody likes it or not."
"There are 18 scriptures in the old and new testaments affirming the Royal Law that says love your neighbor as you love yourself. My favorite of those scriptures is Leviticus 19:18, which says, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord."
"Every day, people are attacking gays verbally and physically and when they do, they are standing against G-d's commandment to love your neighbor and his children without vengeance and without holding any grudge for any reason."
"For the government to round up all the gays in this country and execute them would be no different from the actions taken by Hitler when he tried to exterminate all Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, and gays. That kind of action, that kind of behavior, is in direct opposition to the scriptures I have quoted to you."
"When G-d said to love everybody, he meant EVERYBODY! Straight, gay, black, white, Jew, gentile, EVERYBODY!"
"While you say being gay and `doing what they do' is a sin, perhaps it is, maybe it isn't, we won't know until we get to Heaven and stand before Hashem. Yes, I said Hashem because not only am I gay, I am also Jewish and damned proud of being both.
And before you say anything else like you have already said, consider this: when you present yourself as a man of G-d and then talk as people here have heard you speak, that only makes them look at you and think `HYPOCRITE' because you are claiming to live in a scriptural way but acting in direct opposition to G-d's word!"
"One last comment I will make to you is: being gay and doing what gays do is not an unforgivable sin. The only unforgivable sin is to deny G-d's Holy Spirit. It says that in your New Testament scripture in Matthew 12: 31-32; Mark 3:22, 3:28-29; Luke 12:10, 11:15; Hebrews 10: 26-29; and Mark 3:22. I am Jewish and I can quote those scriptures to you. You are Christian, can you quote those scriptures from memory to me as I have done for you?" A few last things for both of you to consider: Jesus was a Jew, not a Christian. He was the Christ whom people followed as he taught forgiveness over persecution under the `law' as a Jew speaking to the faithless gentiles living in a Jewish world.
"Before you go talking about Jesus saying `Upon this rock, I shall build my church', that was a King James translation and it did not come from a Hebrew translation or from an Aramaic translation, the language which Jesus spoke.
"You can't show me anywhere in the Old or New Testaments where Jesus ever said leave the synagogue and forsake the Jewish faith!"
I have never seen Jaiden so mad and so red in the face. Nor have I ever seen him dress down someone as he has just done. What is amazing to me is that when Jaiden said what he had to say to those two `ministers', almost everybody in the restaurant started applauding.
As those two `ministers' were trying to get out of the restaurant as fast as possible, a man approached Jaiden and introduced himself as the Reverend Tom Simmons of Erie First United Methodist Church.
He told Jaiden he had never seen anyone who was not a Christian quote New Testament scripture so eloquently. He asked Jaiden to consider speaking to his congregation on the subject that made him dress-down the other two `ministers'. He gave Jaiden his card and asked Jaiden to call him if he would consider speaking to the Methodist congregation.
Jaiden told Reverend Simmons he would be proud to speak to his congregation and he would call the Reverend to set up a time and date.
When Jaiden and Peyton got home, Peyton said, "Jaiden, I have never seen you speak to someone like that in a public place. I was so proud of you I was about to burst with pride. To see them stick their heads between their legs and hightail it out of that restaurant was hilarious. And when Reverend Simmons walked up to you and said what he said, all I could think was `WOW'!
"Jaiden, did you really do that? "Dale, yes, I did. I have never been so mad hearing two homophobic hypocrites talking the way they did with such `authority'."
"Damn, bro, I wish I could have been there, that had to be awesome." "Dale, all I can say is that when I finished tearing into those men, almost everybody in the restaurant started applauding. I don't know that I have ever been that angry."
We all were watching the evening news and were shocked beyond belief when the news anchor said, "As we are signing off the newscast, I would just like to say that tonight, at a local restaurant, I was privileged to hear Jaiden Riley-Reynolds, about whom you have seen so much of in the news of late, dress-down two local homophobic, hypocritical Christian Pastors. Jaiden, you made me very proud! Thank you for tuning in, have a great evening." "Jaiden, that was unbelievable! You always seem to amaze us beyond belief. Damn, I wish I could have been there." "Charley, I wish you could have too!"
Dale had prepared a pork roast, mashed baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, fresh green beans southern style, and had tea with Stevia.
We sat down to a quiet dinner and as we were about to start cleaning up afterward, Pete called to congratulate Jaiden as did the Rabbis, and Andy.
The next day, there was an article on the editorial page of the paper lauding Jaiden for what he had done and said. A reporter for the newspaper had been in the restaurant and recorded the exchange. Jaiden even got a letter from the President of LECOM saying how proud he was of Jaiden for what he had done.
The following day, Jaiden got a call from his mom saying she had just read an interesting editorial in the Abingdon News. She asked Jaiden if he had done what the article claimed and he admitted he had. He told his Mom that he had never been so angry sitting next to two homophobic hypocrites cutting down gay individuals.
"Jaiden, did you quote all those scripture references to those two preachers?"
"Yes, Mom, I did, and you could see the embarrassment on their faces when I did. And when almost everybody in the restaurant started applauding, you should have seen them stick their heads between their legs and hightail it out of that restaurant."
"Son, it sounds pretty much like when I lit into Charley's and Dale's dads." "Mom, I think you came out in me. I have never done that before nor have I wanted to until then. Perhaps it was me thinking they were denigrating Peyton that made me do it. I don't ever remember being that angry at anyone about anything, and I hope I never am again."
"The Pastor of First Methodist Church came over to the table to congratulate me and tell me he was proud of me for dressing down those men. He has asked me to speak to his congregation on accepting, loving, and forgiving people. I am going to do it, we have to get together and set the date and time."
"Son, when you set that date, please let me know. I want to be there to hear what you have to say." "Mom, as soon as I know when it will be, I will try to call you, hopefully, a month ahead of time so you can make whatever arrangements you need to make."
About an hour later, Mom and Dad Riley called to say they also had read an interesting editorial in their newspaper and asked if it was true. Jaiden said, "Mom, Dad, it is true, I did exactly what the article said.
I don't remember ever having been so angry. I was having dinner with Peyton at the restaurant to give him some time away from the house and everything going on. The more they talked the more I thought they were cutting Peyton down, and the more I thought about that the angrier I got. It reached a point that Mom's temper rubbed off on me and I let them have it."
"I didn't know a newspaper reporter was in the restaurant and that he had recorded the conversation. Even the evening news anchor on tv here mentioned it as he signed off the newscast." `NOBODY AND I MEAN NOBODY is going to cut down my spouse and get away with it. Nobody!"
"Jaiden, we are so proud of you for doing that. We also get tired of it, but we have always kept quiet. From now on, we will wait for the right time to speak up and then do it. Rabbi Schlottman called us and said to tell you he was extremely proud of you and what you did." Everybody is talking about it."
"Thanks, Mom and Dad. I love Peyton way too much to let someone get away with saying what they did in front of him. It isn't going to happen and me not address it." "Good for you, son, if we hear anything else, we'll let you know."
"Damn, Peyton, another call is coming in."
"Hello. Hey, Tony, how are you?" "Jaiden, I am well, I am just calling to see what the hell is going on up there? I read a very interesting article in the newspaper this morning. " "Tony, was it about a restaurant and two preachers getting their asses chewed by a young, gay Jewish man?"
"Precisely, Jaiden." "It's true and it will happen again if anyone is disrespectful to Peyton by saying what they were saying." "Jaiden just know that I am extremely proud of you for what you did. You should have heard the crowd at lunch when a couple of customers said they would like to get a piece of those preacher's asses. It was awesome listening to the anger people had and were expressing. I have to say, you have done it again. That's what, 21-first-evers now?"
"I guess, Tony. I quit counting anything when we got to 10 babies on the way."
"Jaiden, did I just hear you say "10 babies?" "Yes, sir, you did.
"The surrogate for Dale had an ovum split and he will be the proud Daddy of the only baby girl coming into the household. We are extremely happy for him. All of our parents are threatening to spoil her rotten.
Charley's dad is staying with us while the additions to the house are being made. He had the architect redraw the plans to make a special room for her."
"Jaiden, hold on for a minute. Hey everybody, Jaiden is on the phone and we are now up to ten babies on the way. It will be a little girl with 9 brothers."
When Tony made that announcement, the place went wild. Everybody was now celebrating our children who are on the way.
"Jaiden, I guess you heard the reaction. Everybody here, even the freshmen at Wellstone, talk about you four. They have even had to start a lottery to see who gets your former dorm room."
"You're kidding, Tony?" "Nope, not at all, check it out with your aunt and uncle. Y'all are a legend in these parts. I'd say y'all are as famous as Popcorn was up around Maggie Valley."
"That has to be impossible, Tony, Popcorn was a man everybody loved. He wasn't just a legend, he was a one-man institution." "That he was, Jaiden, that he was."
"I just wanted to call you and tell you how proud I was to read that story. Keep it up, bro! Talk to you later."
"Thanks for calling, Tony." "You bet, bro."
Charley's phone rang and it was his mom. "Charley, is it true, did Jaiden do what was in the papers and on the news here?" "Yes, mam, it is true. But what about the television news you mentioned? "Son, the newspaper reporter shared his recording with the Associated Press and it is being broadcast all over the country. If Jaiden wasn't famous before, he damn sure is now. You guys may want to watch the 11 pm news."
"Mom, this is unbelievable, we'll watch the news and I'll call you tomorrow. I'd get Dad on the phone, but he was so tired we made him go to bed. Ten minutes later, he was snoring up a storm."
"Son, I am so sorry. He forgot his CPAP. I will ship it out on overnight delivery first thing in the morning. UPS will be by the office around 9. Your Dad did use FedEx exclusively, but their service, for whatever reason, got less reliable than it had been so he switched to UPS. We haven't had any problems since. "Thanks, Mom, I'll be looking for it."
"Dad is working the fool out of the construction guys. Has he always been like that?" "No, Charley, he hasn't. But when he learned he was going to be a grandpa of 10 babies all at once, he got extremely determined and said, "By damned those babies are going to have nurseries and have them built right," and he meant it."
"We started kindergarten together, have always been a couple, and we've been married over 30 years and I have never seen him so happy!"
"Mom, I had no idea he was that happy. He has been awesome to us up here. It just isn't something I am used to, but I am loving every minute of it." "Good, son, it is about time! When your Dad wakes up, hug him for me, and tell him I love and miss him." "I will, Mom, I hope you have a peaceful and relaxing day."
"You, too, son, call me if anything else interesting happens."
A few minutes later, Dale's Dad called to say they saw the news and that his boss said he was extremely proud of Jaiden and Peyton for how they handled the situation. He said Jaiden's reaction was perfect. Dale talked to his Dad briefly and told him if anything else came up, he would call. We just didn't know the story spread nationally until people started calling.
The rest of the night went peacefully.
Everybody got up the next morning and had lox and bagels and coffee for breakfast. It was funny that Dad Jacobs said the same thing Peyton had said before, that his wife had started learning how to make lox and bagel sandwiches, but they weren't as good as Dales, and neither was her coffee, but he would never tell her and those sitting at the table had better not tell her either.
Ginny came in and fixed lunch for everybody including the construction guys. It was all sandwiches and we told her she didn't have to do that.
She looked at her boys and said that if she fed the workers sandwiches and tea for lunch, they would stay on the job working harder and doing more work than they would if they took two hours to go somewhere to eat.
We couldn't refute her logic and the fact that she was looking after her boys – and her soon to be grandchildren. Ya just gotta love Ginny. She is such a wonderful person. Jaiden says Hashem broke the mold after he made Ginny.
A little after noon, Jaiden and Peyton got a call from CBS 60 Minutes wanting to come to Erie and do a show. Jaiden and Peyton agreed to the interview and it was set to happen during fall break so it would not interfere with med school which means it will take place during the Christmas break.
While we don't celebrate Christmas, we do celebrate Hanukah, but without the type of meaning Christmas has.
It has been more of a long, arduous day rather than stressful and Jaiden and Peyton wanted some downtime, so they decided to take a long afternoon nap. When they walked into their bedroom, Jaiden locked the door and cut off their two telephones.
After they undressed, Peyton walked up behind Jaiden, put his arms around him, and began kissing a very special spot on the side of Jaiden's neck at his shoulder.
Jaiden responded with moans of pleasure which made Peyton try all the harder to seduce him. It worked because Jaiden picked up Peyton and bounced him on the bed and then jumped onto the bed beside him. He began palming Peyton's body eliciting the same response he had given to being kissed on the special spot at his neck and shoulder which had succeeded in totally turning him on.
The two kissed and made out like they did when they first met at Wellstone. Jaiden knew just how to kiss Peyton and make him squirm until he got to the point of intention where he engulfed the golden globe of Peyton's flag pole pushing down to its base.
He made several trips from the base to the golden globe which he focused on for quite some time until Peyton became so sensitive that he could barely take anymore stimulation. It was like a lightning bolt was striking the globe and sending shockwaves throughout his body and making his hair stand on end.
The sensation lasted for 30 minutes or so before there was an explosion opening up the end of the golden globe and sending white lava pouring out on the bed.
When the eruption finally ceased, Peyton looked at Jaiden, pushed him on his back, and went for the juggler vein at the base of Jaiden's neck at his shoulder. That pushed Jaiden to the edge of the cliff and he almost fell off.
To keep Jaiden from falling off the cliff, Peyton went down on him and held him tightly so he wouldn't slip off the edge, or should we say the edging. The attention was so intense it made Jaiden curl his toes over and over as Peyton tried his best to keep Jaiden from sliding off the cliff.
After 40 minutes or so, Peyton finally succeeded in pulling Jaiden from the cliff, thanks to the river of white breaking through the dam making it possible for Peyton to slide up with Jaiden. The river seemed to stop and pool in the center of Jaiden's chest making it necessary for Peyton to drink the water to keep Jaiden from sinking under.
When Peyton had completed his task, he laid his head on Jaiden's shoulder and he and Jaiden fell into a deep, relaxed sleep. Some two hours later, they both awakened with a new vim and vigor and smiles that could be seen from miles away like the lighthouse on the bay.
They decided to take a warm shower together before they would get dressed in their casual clothes and strip the bed and wash the linens. The rest of the afternoon and early evening seemed to go quietly and peacefully.
They would have a delicious dinner with Dale, Charley, and Charley's Dad.
After dinner, they sat on the deck drinking coffee and talking about the addition to the house while hoping that none of the ladies would call and say another ovum had split and been found during an ultrasound.
Thankfully nobody got a call. Suddenly Jaiden realized...he had cut off his and Peyton's phones and never cut them back on. Cautiously, he got the phones, powered them up, and hoped there had not been a call while they were off. That is when he noticed Jennifer had called. Timidly, Peyton returned Jennifer's call.
Jennifer answered the phone by saying, "Hi, Poppa, how are you guys doing? We are doing well, Jennifer, but it has been a trying day." "I imagine so, you should have seen our 6 pm newscast. You and Jaiden were all over the television screen. Now you're the talk of the town."
"Everybody is talking about how Jaiden brilliantly gave those two jackasses exactly what they deserved. I am so proud of you two for standing up for each other and for turning their own beliefs on them and making them run like two scared cowards.
If Jaiden is that protective of you, God help anybody who messes with the children."
"Jennifer, for their sake, I hope nobody is ever that stupid, because if Jaiden doesn't get them, I will, and you have seen what I can do when I get mad!" "I have, Peyton, and that is why I will never worry about these children I am carrying for you and Jaiden."
"While they didn't have pictures, they did play the audio the newspaper guy had recorded. I wonder how those preacher's congregations are going to react when they realize everybody around them is talking about and looking at them like they are prizes of an idiot."
"Jennifer, I, too, was extremely proud of Jaiden, but I was scared at the same time because I have never seen him that angry, the veins in his neck bulging the way they were, and his muscles popping out like the Hulk. I was afraid he was going to stroke out or kill one or both of those guys.
He was furious and he let them know it, and in a very nice and educated way, he let them know they were idiots of the highest caliber. There is one thing for sure, I bet they never try to cut down gay guys when they are sitting by two and don't even know it. They were super embarrassed."
"Well, Peyton, the fetuses are growing and doing extremely well. The doctor was very complimentary about my weight and health and the health of the babies. He was happy, I was happy, and I know you are happy."
"That, my dear, would be an understatement. And by the way, the construction is going extremely well. Ginny is feeding the construction crew lunch every day to keep them on the job site longer. She said if she feeds them, they won't take too long for lunch every day and make the project take longer. Ya gotta love Ginny!"
"Peyton, you are so right about Ginny. Y'all take it easy and try to stay out of the news. Love you guys!" "We love you too, Jennifer, have a good night."
"Well guys, I guess you heard that call. We made the newscasts in Oregon and support is running 100% in our favor." Jaiden said, "You are kidding, aren't you Peyton." "Love, not in the slightest! I would kiss you, but we don't have enough time before bedtime." Everybody howled when Peyton said that.
Dad Jacobs said he was tired and wanted to get an early start tomorrow so he was going to bed.
Jaiden pulled Peyton onto his lap, kissed him on the top of his head, and let his nose lay in Peyton's hair so he could smell the smell he loved so well. If it was alcohol, Jaiden would be extremely drunk!
Before he realized it, Peyton had fallen asleep, so Jaiden sat there holding him just like he did when they visited with Peyton's parents.
The next morning, Jaiden and Peyton were right where they were when Peyton went to sleep. Peyton woke up first and when he looked up, Jaiden had the sweetest smile ever on his face.
Jaiden finally woke up when all the construction guys showed up and began working. Jaiden was a bit upset that he had slept so long and asked Peyton why he didn't wake him up sooner.
Peyton told him he didn't wake him because he had the sweetest smile on his face that he had ever seen since they have been together. That earned Peyton a tender, loving kiss – on top of the head of course!
The foundation for the addition had been poured and the workers had framed up both floors.
They would be starting on weather-proofing everything and getting ready for the bricklayers to get started.
Today is Wednesday, so the bricklayers should get started no later than Friday. That meant they would be breaking through the wall to the interior of the house this afternoon.
Ginny was finally going to have something to do besides cooking lunch and dinner and watching her beloved soap operas. She was some kind of excited at the prospect of actually having something to do.
ABC called and they want to do a 20/20 exclusive on Jaiden and me, so we set that for a week after the CBS interview in December.
Right after CBS called, the guys we had made friends with at Fox called wanting to do an interview and since it wouldn't be for an investigative television show, we agreed to meet with them tomorrow at lunch at Tony's. We got to Tony's at 11:30 and shortly after, the Fox reporters showed up.
We had lunch while the interview took place and by 12:30, everything was over and we all went on our merry ways. It was nice, though, to see the guys we had made friends with. The interview would be on tomorrow night's evening news.
Since Ginny had been feeding the construction workers lunch every day, we stopped by her house, picked up Gampy, and surprised her when we got home. She and Gampy would be having dinner at the Country Club tonight and there would be a few added surprises that were probably going to make her cry.
When we got to the club, she was handed a dozen long-stemmed roses from Jaiden and me. Dad Jacobs, Charley, and Dale were already there. When we got to the table, Ginny put her hands to her mouth and began to cry.
We had flown her sister in from Alabama without her knowing it. Mom and Dad Riley had helped make that happen. The guys from Fox were there and filmed everything for us and made sure we had a copy of what they filmed. Like I said earlier, they are our friends.
Right after Ginny sat down at the table, she noticed there were two chairs with nobody sitting in them and she wondered why. We didn't say a word, but we watched as her pastor and his wife, Granny, walked in and tapped Ginny on the shoulder. She jumped up, hugged them, and cried hard at that point.
It was a party for the four of them and they were served the best of the best foods. We went all out for this occasion, and everything was on film, so they would always be able to remember and re-live the night together.
What we didn't know was that there would be a story about two amazing women and their two wonderful husbands on the local 6 pm news and then on Fox News at 6 tomorrow.
Just before the Fox guys left, they slipped Jaiden a note letting him know what they had done. When he read the note, he slipped it to me. We would have to come up with an excuse as to why they needed to be at the house tomorrow from 5:30 or so until 8.
Peyton slipped the note to Dale and he immediately said, "I'll take care of that!" And he did.
The next day after lunch he put two five-rib prime roasts in the oven to slow cook until dinner. He peeled a few pounds of asparagus and marinated it in wine. The fresh greens for the salad were washed, torn, and in the refrigerator awaiting dinner time. He made some fresh, homemade buttermilk ranch dressing and some homemade blue cheese dressing.
He called Ginny's pastor and told him what we wanted to do at supper for Ginny, Gampy, and Granny and he said he would help us pull it off by picking up Gampy before he could leave home to get Ginny from our house and surprise Ginny when they got there. We would watch the 6 pm local news and then Fox News at 6:30.
When the station anchors said a story about 4 amazing people would be shown after the break, we got ready for the emotional reactions that would result. We didn't know the reporters had spoken with members of Ginny's church about the four of them. Somehow, they had gotten their hands on a copy of the church pictorial directory to get names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the church members so they could interview them and do the story.
When the news came back from their commercial break, they started the story rather generically. When they showed the pictures of Ginny and Gampy and Granny and her husband, all their eyes got extremely wide and tears began to flow. I don't know what it is about all of us, maybe we are just an extremely emotional group of people.
When the story was over, they were beside themselves. When the national news began, it started with a story about four amazing African-Americans and four amazing young white men, one of which one of the African-American women, Mrs. Martha Mary Stewart, had raised from birth.
When the story was over, Ginny, Gampy, Granny, and her husband were sobbing. They couldn't believe they had been honored in such a way. As they were saying that, the guys from Fox News walked in the door and handed Ginny and Granny a dozen red roses each. That is when they both truly lost it.
Later that evening after Ginny and Granny and their husbands had gone home, we got a call from the Chairman of the Deacons at her church. They wanted us to be at the church on Sunday for a celebratory service for the pastor and Granny and Ginny and Gampy. There would be a surprise dinner at the church after services.
Since Peyton and I had never been to a Christian church service, we were a bit apprehensive about what to expect. Thankfully, Dale, Charley, and Charley's Dad clued us in on what to expect.
Somebody from the church would pick us up on Sunday morning and get us to the church before the four honorees normally got there and we would be hidden in a Sunday school room in the basement of the church.
The deacons had made sure to keep the pews behind the honorees empty so we could be slipped in and seated quietly behind them.
The celebratory service began and the guest pastor preached an awesome sermon on love and how love transcends everything. He then told the story of Ginny raising Jaiden from birth until he started high school and how she was now going to help raise Jaiden and Peyton's children and how Granny was going to help raise Dale and Charley's children.
When the visiting minister said, "all ten of them," there was a gasp throughout the congregation. He then said that each couple would be having one set of triplets and one set of twins. You could hear the women in the congregation go "umph" thinking about what it would be like if they were having twins much less triplets.
He spoke further on how our love for each other had crossed every racial barrier known to man and how everybody in the United States should live such a life. That is when the reporters and cameramen we had befriended came down the isles with their cameras and microphones. They had filmed the entire service and there would be yet another story on local and national news.
This time, the Fox crew and network were sharing the filming and story with the other networks and all four of them would be airing the new story on Monday night at the normal local and national news-times.
The lunch in the church social hall that followed the services was unbelievable. They had every kind of meat known to man, not to mention all the vegetable dishes the members had prepared.
We sat at a table of honor with Ginny, Granny, and their husbands. Several awards were handed out to the pastor, Granny. Ginny, and Gampy. With each award presentation, everyone's emotions flared.
Monday night, the news stories aired on all the local and national networks. Within ten minutes of the national news ending, all four of the guy's telephones went off. It was all the parents who weren't in Erie for the celebration service.
All the parents who called were in tears at the beautiful, positive story that was told. Then there were calls from our local rabbis and our home rabbis, especially since all the synagogues had been mentioned in the stories.
Then Pete and Dr. Schrader called to say congratulations as did Dr. Sims, the Superintendent, and Carolyn Spencer. We got letters three days later from the Governors of Florida, Alabama, Virginia, and Pennsylvania and from the mayors of our home cities.
Tony called and said that due to the story starting at Tony's, he was getting calls from everywhere to get Tony's franchises in their cities. He said, "Guys, you have done it again! The publicity Tony's got was worth millions, and because of that story he would be making millions, so, as a result, he would be investing 1 million dollars for each of our children to pay for their educations at the most elite colleges in the country. The caveat: Dad Dale would be handling the investments. $10,000,000 coming into the firm to be invested, that was a huge event the firm would be celebrating.
What got us was the letter from President Jefferson at Wellstone that said, "Congratulations, young men, it is now 23-first-evers.
Not only had our synagogue been put on the map, but this small Baptist Church had also been put on the national map along with Wellstone University and the small town of Brevard, North Carolina.
It has been a week to remember, a memory that would last many lifetimes. I don't know why we keep stepping into one good situation after another.
Peyton and I used the events of this week to choose St. Jude's Children's Hospital to do our internships and residencies and they have graciously agreed to provide housing for us, our ten children, and for Ginny, Granny, and their husband's thanks to local builders in the hospital's area.
Our home in Erie would be taken care of by members of our synagogue while we follow the footsteps of Mom and Dad Reynolds and practice medicine in the fields of pediatrics as well as Mechanical and Environmental Engineering.
We want to make a difference in this world by continuing to change lives one life at a time.