Preacher's Piece

A few years ago, I was interested in purchasing a vintage pickup. There was one in town that I drove by several times a week. It was a 1946 Dodge with the double front grill. It sat in a lean-to beside an old, weathered barn. It had been neglected for so long that a tree had grown up through the front bumper and all four tires were flat.

One day I stopped at the house to inquire on the truck’s status. An elderly gentleman and his spaniel/collie mix met me at the door. I stated my business and he invited me in and offered me a cup of coffee. I obliged. He told me how his wife had died several y...