The Identical

1

Now every time

You hit one more bump in the road

Feel the burden

Of another heavy load

Hit by the curves

Life's unexpected twists and turns

You feel your world is upside down

And you're tumblin',

tumblin, tumblin'

So take a hold from deep within

And find your life once again

You better go down easy

You got a lot to learn

You better count your blessings

Or you're gonna crash and burn

It was another world,

Alabama in 1935.

A harder world for sure.

Middle of the Depression.

Not a job to be found for 100 miles

once the cotton was in.

William and Helen Hemsley would

have been better advised

to wait before marrying

and starting a family.

But as they usually do, love and passion

got in front of logic and patience.

And in obedience with the scripture,

the Hemsleys set about the business

of being fruitful and multiplying

and starting a whole new life

in the big city of Decatur.

Sir.

Say, I was wondering

if maybe you got anymore work

a fellow could do around here...

No, we're done till seeding.

Sir, please.

We got a baby coming due

and there ain't no...

Son, I don't have anything.

There's nothing I can do for you.

William, honey.

Meet your sons.

They're perfect, just like you.

Mr. William,

y'all got two fine looking boys here.

Tent revivals

were a common occurrence

in the rural South in the Depression.

People needing healing, prayer,

and just some hope in a

poor and frightening time.

For William Hemsley,

all of these applied.

What should've been the

happiest day of his life

was quickly becoming

the most troublesome.

...we first begun

Reverend Reece Wade was

a traveling evangelist

out of middle Tennessee.

And his message this cold October night

would reach right into

William's troubled soul.

And it is here that our

story truly begins.

Blacks and whites, Jews and Gentiles,

all equal in the eyes of the Lord.

All equal in the eyes of the Lord!

Amen.

And let us never forget.

Let us never forget the words

of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ,

who says it is truly more blessed

to give than to receive.

Amen.

It is truly more blessed

to give than to receive.

That's my precious wife Louise,

sitting right over here.

We miscarried again over Thanksgiving.

The doctor over in Birmingham

told us to stop trying,

or it might be her that goes.

And all the gifts He's given us,

that's the one we wanted most.

All of our dreams were of having a baby.

Family of our own...

love...

to take care of.

Maybe... maybe y'all could

pray for us tonight.

For our own miracle.

What?

Now, I know this sounds...

Crazy? Absolutely insane?

Just listen to me.

No, William.

Just listen!

We can't do it.

We can't even feed ourselves.

Now we got two more?

I'm not giving away my babies!

I'll work two jobs.

I'll work three!

Having a job is my job!

And there ain't none!

There ain't no work anywhere.

We're drowning.

We got nothing and no way to get along.

They'll take them away from

us if we can't feed them.

What if they get sick or

something happens to me?

You're going to raise two

babies mending dresses?

So you just give them both up?

One.

Now, we can make it with just one.

No, William Hemsley.

Nobody is taking my babies from me.

Never.

They're here.

All right.

Well, I'm sure you're all wondering

why I asked you out

here so urgent and all.

I heard you at the revival,

reverend, and...

it made me think.

And I was talking it

over here with my wife

and we want to ask you something.

Let me see if I can make

this a little easier.

The Bible says we're all

brothers and sisters in Christ.

Our job is to love and

look out for one another.

Now Louise and I prayed

and talked over this

and we want you to have a

love offering given to us.

Oh no.

Thank you but...

Please take it.

Take it.

No, thank you, but that's not

why we wanted to see you.

You see, Helen and I have

been praying ourselves

and we think God's give

us both some answers.

Now, we can give everything we got

to raise one child and that is it.

Maybe someone else,

like a man and woman of God,

could give the other

a life we never could.

No, no.

You're beautiful and blessed people

to even consider such a thing.

But you're just tired, honey,

and scared and emotional.

Times is hard for everybody.

No, we prayed on it like you say to do.

No, William. We can't.

You preached it, reverend.

It's better to give than receive.

You don't know this ain't

God answering your prayers.

Maybe He's got something special

in mind for one of our boys.

You see...

it's God we're really giving him to.

That's what the Lord wants.

We both know it.

And you both know it too.

The Lord will choose for you.

I'll love him good for both of us.

Thank you.

And God be with you, sister.

Dexter Ryan is not to know

until Helen and I pass.

Give me your word on that, pastor?

Yeah, you have my word.

I don't know what to say.

There's nothing to say.

He's God's now anyway.

Now, go.

It was not uncommon

in the 1930s to lose a baby.

There was a funeral for the child

they gave away the next day.

All William and Helen could afford

was a shoe box to bury him in.

Of course, only they

knew the box was empty.

And somewhere, on the road

to their new life as a family,

the Reverend Reece Wade

stole away with his new son

and dedicated him to

the creator of life itself,

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