Image by Vicki Hamilton from Pixabay
“Gladys! Come get your Jubilee mini-me – NOW!”
Mrs. Velma Stepforth and Mrs. Gladys Jubilee Trent were cracking up over their baby Trent granddaughter Gracie, who at eight years old had figured out more to do with a black length of fabric than most ...
“I told y'all,” Mrs. Trent said. “That's a Juba-child – she's gonna be in charge of some stuff. But how!”
“In this court,” Gracie was saying to all eleven other children on the cul-de-sac who had sat down to listen to her, “we're gonna look out for people, animals, and the planet fairly. We're not going to do anything just for money, because some of these courts don't get it.”
“This is the first time I've been in court without Papa and Grandma there that I feel safe!” seven-year-old Amanda Ludlow said.
“Actually, you need to come up here and be the judge next and tell us what needs to be what we need to do to get through people who don't get how to treat children,” Gracie said, and unwrapped herself and wrapped up Amanda when she came up. “Order in the court – we gotta hear what Amanda has to say.”
Everybody got a turn, even five-year-old Lil' Robert Ludlow.
“It's not fair that children in the world don't get enough to eat when we all know there's plenty of food, and it's not right, and I'm not going for it!” he said, and then banged the Lego gavel that his six-year-old brother Grayson had made for the court.
Finally, Gracie was the judge again.
“OK, I think we've heard everybody's case except – what do you have to say, Goody?”
Goody the dog stuck out his tongue and smiled.
“Woof! Woof!” he said.
“OK, now we've heard from everybody who can't go to the highest court in the land to get stuff done because we're too young and too short, but, I'm going to keep this cloth, and whenever we need to come to the lowest court in the land and hear cases, we can, and anybody can be the judge who knows about whatever it is.”
“Excuse me, Your Honor,” ten-year-old Andrew Ludlow said. “We can refer things to the highest court in the universe, because God hears kids too.”
“You know what?” Gracie said, and took off the cloth again. “Come up here and put the robe on and explain this to the court.”
“So, it's like this: the Supreme Court is good, but Jesus is better, because He made the people, the animals, and the planet, and He wants us to take care of all of it, and sometimes I think big people's court forgets that but that's OK; we can get above them.”
“Yeah!” nine-year-old George Ludlow said. “We ain't gotta put up with adults who think they are running everything and not doing it right – we can get above them!”
“But, Your Honor,” Edwina said, “Jesus takes His time about stuff, and sometimes people need the smoke now!”
“Edwina,” Andrew said gently, “if you could give people all the smoke, fire, and brimstone for all eternity, would you be quick to do that?”
Edwina considered this.
“Well, no, Andy, because that is a lot,” she said. “Even my other grandparents who are no good … Eleanor wants them to get better, and I love my big sister so I don't want her hurt, so as long as they don't bother me I don't want them hurt, and there's a lot of eternity out there in which they don't have to bother me.”
Eleven-year-old Eleanor came and hugged her little sister, and Edwina happily snuggled up.
“This must be – let me have the robe for a minute,” eleven-year-old Velma Trent said, “this must be why God has to be the final judge, and we're not, because like the preacher says, hell is too hot, and eternity is too long, and snuggling is way more fun – he didn't say that, but I'm saying it, because we're on snuggle time.”
“I don't know about all this snuggling – let me have the robe for minute,” Milton said, “but I do know this. I've been in enough trouble to need a judge to just give me a minute and be patient.”
“Yeah, me too, Your Honor,” George said.
“I think we all need that,” Velma said, “which is why we gotta be the lowest court that talks to the real highest court about stuff, and we'll be all right.”
“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie said as she took the robe back from Milton. “OK – I can smell that lunch will soon be ready, so, court is adjourned – all rise!”
“That's basically how Jubilee elders have operated throughout the Appalachians and in Pennsylvania in the community,” Mrs. Trent said to Mrs. Stepforth. “We hold court and do not involve the court system in community affairs when possible – most of the time, people need to feel heard out, and that the person listening is wise and fair, and that allows things to be solved before they have to get to the court system.”
“For her age class, Gracie qualifies!” Mrs. Stepforth said.
“I told y'all!” Mrs. Trent said, and the two grandmothers cracked up all over again.
