Paging Doctor Smith

I think it is now safe to tell this story. Many of the major players in the story are now dead, most of the others don't read my blog!

After graduating from seminary, I served as pastor of a small, rural church in L.A. (Lower Alabama, for those who don't know). The church was your typical small church, with 4 or 5 families that made up the church's membership. I lived next door to the church, in what we called a pastorium. The pastorium matched the church in appearance--white cinder block, with a matching black roof. If the house had only had a steeple...

My neighbor across the street was a member of the church and a member of the largest family group in our church.

And, he liked to know my business. He liked knowing what I did, when I did it, where I went, who I visited, what time I ate lunch, etc. I would often see him sitting on his front porch, almost 24 hours a day, just watching the goings-on at the preacher's house and at the church.

Let me tell you a little about my neighbor. Everyone in the church called him "Doc." Well, he didn't really seem like the "Doc" type, so one day, I asked him about the name. You will love the explanation about his name as much as I did!

It seems that when Doc was born, his family didn't really have much money to pay the doctor for his delivery. So, his parents asked the doctor if they could provide him with some vegatables or chickens or something like that. The doctor was gracious and said that was not necessary.

However, the family kept insisting that they do something for the doctor. Finally, the doctor relented and said, "Well, I've never had a family name a new baby after me. That would be a great payment!"

The family loved the idea and decided to name their new son after the doctor, using the doctor's first name for their son. The doctor's first name? Well, I don't know for sure and neither did Doc's family. For the family, the only first name they knew for the doctor was "Doctor." So, they named their son "Doctor" Gaston Smith. For the rest of his life, Gaston Smith was simply known by his first name, the name of his doctor, "Doc."

I guess it could have been worse. The person who delivered him could have been a preacher, a nurse, a fireman, or even a judge.

Oh, just so you know, I did find a way to keep Doc from knowing all of my goings and comings. Many mornings, even though my house was next door to the church, I would drive my car over to the church and park it so Doc could see it. Then, if I had to run home for something, I would use the back door of the church and go into my house's back door. The angle of the church and my house prevented him from seeing my trips home. Once home, I could take our other vehicle and go do what needed to be done.

I've often wondered what Doc thought I was doing for those many hours at the church!

If I had been him, I would have worried far less about what the preacher was up to and would have spent my time thinking: "What in the world were my parents thinking when they named me Doc!"