1351 You can't be too careful in a small town

In writing class the assignment was "Choose a well-known person from public life whose actions betrayed the trust or adulation he or she had earned from the public. Write an editorial, poem or song lyrics about the actions of this person."

So I chose to write about finding an old book of poetry at last Sunday's used book sale, written about 35 years ago by a man who was the pastor of a large suburban church and a rising star in Christendom. I poured out my disgust recounting how I flipped through it reading the dedication to his wife (to whom he was unfaithful), the acknowledgement of his congregation's support (which he abandoned), and doing the math in my head to try to figure out where he might be today. I used no names--not his, or the church or the city.

As our little group critiqued my essay, the story of infidelity mixed in with colophons and dedications must have sounded vaguely familiar--beyond the usual country and western ballad "you done me wrong" motif. One woman asked his name, and I told her. She said she knew his father from another state. Another woman in the class from the east coast said, I work with his daughter.

There are just no secrets in Lakeside!

This is not us, but the room looks familiar