We were gathered for Sunday School when it started, getting ready for a lesson on Paul’s visit to Galatia.

It was a lesson on whether you were saved by good works or saved by your faith in Christ, and one of our lady members came in with a box of doughnuts.

I’m sure every member of my class was saved by their faith, but when I saw those doughnuts I was ready to cast a huge vote for her good works, too. And the celebration of the coming Valentine’s Day being a day to express love, that miraculous lady was really laying the love on us. When she opened the box and offered me my choice of doughnuts, I immediately picked one containing raspberry jam or jelly.

In a following conversation about my choosing the raspberry, I eagerly testified that I like raspberry Pop Tarts, and confessed that I often carry them to work with me to eat at break time.

As other class members opted for their choice of doughnuts, that angel’s husband stood up and admitted that he likes Pop Tarts, also.

“Gotta have my Pop Tarts,” he testified. Then his saintly wife said, “He also loves s’mores. Do You like s’mores?”

I don’t know if the Galatians had Pop Tarts and s’mores, but we had just opened a conversation that concerned other carryovers from our childhood – chocolate and marshmallows.

It seems that I learned about s’mores (created by the Girl Scouts) as a Boy Scout. I was a Tenderfoot, or something of the sort, and due to trouble getting money for the uniform and getting to the meetings way across town and having to catch a bus back and forth, I was not a Scout very long. However, somewhere along the way to adulthood, I got to taste a marshmallow or two that had been toasted over a campfire and placed on chocolate between graham crackers – s’mores.

I don’t believe anybody offered a testimonial about peanut butter, but I could have. I wasn’t big on peanut butter but when combined with cheese and crackers that we call Nabs or spread on Ritz crackers, it is hard to beat. It’s just hard to mess up peanut butter.

It can be put on a saltine cracker or a vanilla wafer – and just about anything else – and still be good.

There are many tastes we carry over from childhood. For instance, I still like banana sandwiches with peanut butter. Lots of folks love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Bananas and peanut butter are among the few things that have not changed in size or quality, at least not yet.

And who among us does not like chocolate candy? My favorites many years ago were the 5th Avenue, Hershey, Baby Ruth, Mars bars and the one I liked best of all – the Clark bar. There was no feeling as good as sitting down in the shade of a tobacco barn shed on a hot and sweaty day after working with tobacco, and enjoying a soft drink and a Clark bar. If you haven’t noticed, they all are priced higher and all seem slightly smaller. The chocolate coating is thinner, too. Inflation is such a cruel task master.

I believe Congress could get more things accomplished when the arguing gets hot and heavy, if they would just stop and have cold soft drinks and candy bars brought right into the congressional chamber and take the time to recall how satisfying it was to put their troubles behind them for a few minutes, to mellow out and clear their heads and to remember how they felt about America in their bygone days, when life was simpler and supporting a family was less of a hassle. Then, just maybe, they could stop bickering long enough to come up with something better for America. I want to hear one of them testify that their main interest is in the plight of the American people – not their political party – and really mean it.

That idea may not have helped the Galatians, and if it doesn’t help Congress, maybe St. Ruth’s doughnuts will. They certainly helped our Sunday School class.

Bill Stancil is a freelance writer and former staff member of the Rocky Mount Telegram.

Bill Stancil