Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands

“I heard our preacher waxing on poetical ‘bout the lilies of the field,’” Marvin once said. “Personally I ain’t never seen no field full of lilies but Ah shore do love a grove in blossom time. Ol’ King Solomon hisself wudn’t ‘rayed such as these!”

In this passage, Marvin compares the orange blossoms in the McMahon’s groves with the lilies of the field, revealing his Christian faith. As a churchgoer while he was still alive, Marvin understood the religious symbolism of lilies, but he preferred the beauty of the orange grove to the Biblical image of flowers. A year after Marvin’s death, Reesa finds it difficult to enjoy the blossoming of the orange trees because it marks the anniversary of Marvin’s death.

“‘God is the potter,’ she said, ‘and we clay in his hands, soft and weak which don’t do at all. It’s our time in the fire, don’t y’ see that gives us strength and shows us his purpose.’” 

Armetta provides Reesa with these words of comfort when Reesa embraces her and expresses her grief over Marvin’s death. Armetta is a deeply Christian woman, and her faith in God enables her to endure the pain of losing her son because she believes Marvin’s early death must be a part of God’s plan.

“Now jus’ like Heaven, a batter comes knockin’ at the pearly gate, askin’ God and St. Peter, ‘Can Ah come in?’”

Reesa remembers Marvin’s comparison of his understanding of baseball to his understanding of Christianity. A home run is the most impressive achievement for a baseball player and every player’s ambition, just as reaching heaven is the ultimate goal of Christians.