The Minister's Widow's Boyfriend's Discount

The old time traditional "Minister's Discount" was mostly on the way out as we came along. I was happy to see it go. It was demeaning all the way around.

I'm not talking about you wanting to give your clergy person a box of oranges or a car for Christmas. That's your business.

I'm talking about an old system where ministers and other professionals didn't make enough money to live on so they had to go begging.

And merchants had to (begrudgingly) give them a break. This system was humiliating to most ministers and abused by some others.

I was talking with an old friend (and daughter of a minister) this week and she told me how embarrassing it was for her and her sisters to go shopping and have to listen to their mother beg for discounts.

This system needed to be changed in the country as well as the city. You can no longer get away with paying your doctor with chickens - nor should you pay the minister that way.

And it just doesn't work to ask the manager in the big box store to give you a break on your lawn mower because of who you are.

I'm glad that this part of our history is over.

But when my Boyfriend picked up his dry cleaning the other day and noticed it didn't cost as much as it should have, the lady said:

"You're a friend of Miss Cess, we gave you the Minister's Discount!"



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