iodine.

“For you shall go out with joy,
And be led forth in peace;
The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
-Isaiah 55:12

If Helen had been a preacher, she’d have told the best sorts of stories. Funny ones. The kind would turn people’s thoughts on. That end with a feeling—of being horrid muddy, but hopeful, shooting for July skies. No one ought to leave a place God calls home with who-knows-what unmended, awful hurts they got. She always said the Lord’s Word were ‘sposed to be iodine for sin-dirty hearts. And that’s every heart ever beat.

Helen wasn’t a slice of elegant. She wore comfy clothes and clapped her hands with the trees to worship a Maker she knew right personally. Made friends with near anybody too. Joy looked like homey-ness on her.

Allison Burks talks about the time she first joined the church choir. A right uppity group they were by appearances. But Helen was there, frumpy hair and a clean, grey blouse, the brashest singer of them all. One or two notes went particular bad for Allison and people started looking ‘round with crinkled noses asking, “Who’s gone off-key?” A little sun-loved hand shot up with a laughter-snort and next thing Allison knew, Miss Helen was getting them all into giggles, claiming she’d been the one to fumble. Shy Allison gaped at her with a profound gratitude she’s not forgot to this day.

Someone’s gotta tell the stories Helen didn’t.

Then, there’s the time her brother, John, got entered in a big race. They were just kids. But Lord, could she run, and he wasn’t half-terrible either. Her father said ladies don’t race, so she bit her lip to keep in the complaining. John did swell enough, but he got to the last lap and everyone knew his brain’d scared his legs from winning. She wouldn’t be bothered by all the grown-ups hollering for her to come back; Helen ran next to her brother a quarter of a mile when she spotted him slowing.

“C’mon, John! You go, beat all of ‘em. Run faster! Lord made you strong. Run, John!” His legs shot out quicker than ever and people started yelling.

When he made second she assured him the boy in first had a heavenly purpose for winning.

“Can question God all we want,” she told people, “don’t change the damned hearing we got, keep’n us from listenin’ to His answers most times. Good for us He loves the joke we are.” Then she would laugh and pour more tea. Shared it with anybody who came over too. Best tea this side of heaven. Lord knows. He probably gave her the recipe.

Helen didn’t ever preach. No sir. Wouldn’t have stood at the pulpit if they’d begged her. But she could be heard clapping out in the woods and no creature doubted she’d gone there to get some iodine.

Funny thing though, she never struck anyone as what you’d call overly religious. Just sort of loved people more than they expected. And told a lot of stories.