The Barn at the Homestead

The Barn at the Homestead

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Searching for Mayberry

It was one of those social media memes that caught my attention; it gave me a chuckle or two.  I grew up in the era of Mayberry RFD.  What a town--from my childhood perspective, everyone seemed pretty happy, everyone seemed safe, everyone seemed to care about one another.  It never dawned on me that everyone was single!


Mayberry--I thought it was just about perfect,  when I was a kid that is.  And in some sense (I think I am not alone), I've been searching for Mayberry ever since-- a place where everyone is pretty happy, everyone is safe, every really cares about each other.  A few years back, a friend was using a Bible Study Guide based on Mayberry; you can read about it here:
https://www.amazon.com/Mayberry-Bible-Study-Guide-Paperback/dp/0971731616
or here:https://www.christianbook.com/mayberry-bible-study-leader-vol-1/9780979125904/pd/125904
It isn't something that drew me in at the time, but the concept of the Mayberry of my remembrance continues to pull at my heart strings.

As I reflect back on Mayberry, there wasn't a lot of diversity.  It was a pretty homogeneous group--like lots of places today.  Yet, I think the people were striving at a simple, peaceful life.  I want that kind of life--with more diversity, because I believe that's the key in our modern life!  I want to be happy (well...maybe content), I want to be safe, and I want to live in a world where people really care about one another.  I believe it is possible--it begins with conversation and a reminder for me that Jesus said that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.  Some of us have some work to do here! 

Whether everyone in Mayberry was single or not (and some days, it would be easier to be single--says she of a long-term marriage), with a few adjustments, Mayberry is still possible.  It may take a while, but I'm going to continue to search...


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