Sun Dublan
Sleep When the Wind Blows  

This morning while waiting for time for church to start Margery Robinson came in after greeting us commented that she had slept very well last night because the wind wasn't blowing. Naoma answered her with the remark, "I can sleep when the wind blows". This reminded me of the story that was told years ago.

A farmer went into town to the market place to find a hired man to help him with his work. As he interviewed the men who were looking for work. He would ask them the question, "What can you do on the farm?" After hearing the reply of each man he was not satisfied with the answer, so he moved on to the next man. He came to a big strong looking young man and asked his question. "What can you do on the farm?" The young man answered in his soft unpretending voice, "I can sleep when the wind blows". On hearing this strange answer the farmer moved on to find the man he was looking for. As he continued asking his question he could not get the words of the big young man out of his mind. He kept thinking about the strange answer of this soft spoken young man with the work-hardned hands. Again he approached the young man and asked "What can you do on the farm?" Again came the soft answer, "I can sleep when the wind blows?"

The man was intrigued with his answer and his strong looking body and hands. He hired the young man and took him home to the farm to help him with his work. He was very pleased when the young man took over the work of the farm doing it very well even as he would do it himself. After two or three months there arose in the night a fierce wind storm. The farmer awoke and dressed hurriedly putting on his warm jacket against the wind. He was worried about what the wind might do to his farm. He rushed out and entered the young mans room where he slept. He called loudly to the young man to get up and help him work against the wind. The young man did not stir, but slept on soundly. The farmer rushed to the barn and found the doors and the window shutters all secured against the wind. He entered to find the cattle bedded down and calmly chewing their cud. He rushed out closing the door against the wind. He fearfully went to the big hay stacks but found them securely covered and tied down against the wind. Every where he went he found that the young man had secured everything against the wind. He shook his head smiling to himself as he understood the softly spoken works, "I can sleep when the wind blows." The Lord has put it in this way, If ye are prepared ye shall not fear. The greatest causes of sleeplessness are fear and worry. If we consciously prepare ourselves in all things we will have peace of mind and be able to cope with the trials and troubles that come in our lives. In this preparation we must learn to trust in the Lord. If we trust in the Lord with all our hearts and work and serve to do his will we can enjoy His peace in our hearts.

When I was working in Mexico City on my mission I had several experiences that confirmed to me that the Lord was mindful of me and I received His protection. One day my companion, Benito Garcia and I were going in the mission car from the Mission Home to Ermita. I was driving along a divided calzada with trees and bushes in the center. As I remember I was going along at about 50 miles an hour. Suddenly a big car shot from out of the left across the midian and struck us broad side just behind the drivers door. There was a loud crash and jolting whirling sensation and we found ourselves going along the highway backwards. I held the steering wheel steady and braked to a stop without looking back to where I was going. I sat there for a moment wondering how that big car had been knocked clear around and had been taken out of gear to continue on down the highway backwards at such a great speed. Benito asked me in an admiring voice, "Como pudiste hace esto (How did you manage that)" I answered to the effect, that I had not done it. It had happened so quickly that neither one of us were hurt in any way nor even frightened. We were very thankful that our lives had been spared and that we had been protected in such a marvelous way.

We got out of the car and went to help the frightened lady who was crying and saying over and over again ,"I don't know how this happened." We helped her out of the car. She was trembling and crying and immediately ran back across the highway back to her home. The front of her car was smashed in and water and coolant was running down the highway. Soon some highway patrolmen arrived. One began directing the backed up traffic around the accident scene and the other began to write up the details of the accident. He asked us how our car had gotten so down the highway and turned around backwards. We explained what had happened. He shook his head not believing how it could have happened. We went to a phone near by and called the Mission Home and asked them to report the accident to the insurance company and gave them the location of the accident so they could send an adjuster to the sciene. When the officer released us we caught a taxi and continued on to Ermita.

One day my companion. Bud Taylor and I were hurrying to catch a bus in the Zocalo in Mexico City. We were going along a crowded sidewalk in a narrow one way street. To go around some people on the sidewalk I stepped off the curb into the street to hurry around those in front of me. Suddenly I was picked up bodily and put on the sidewalk just in time to avoid a speeding bus that whizzed past so close that I felt the wind of the passing bus. I realized that some unseen hand had lifted me out of the way of the bus. I knew then that someone was watching over me and had saved me from being hit by that big speeding bus.

These experiences helped me to learn to put my trust in the Lord for protection and help, but it also taught me that I needed to be watchful and careful.

I learned by many experiences that if I had prepared well I could sleep in the storm and the wind. I remember on some of the turkey hunts in the Sierra Madre We would often encounter bad weather with plenty of wind. On these occasions I would set up my little tent and drive the stakes deep and stretch the rain fly good and tight against the wind and the rain. We have found the best time to hunt turkey is to be out just before day break early in the morning. After getting in place we would listen for the turkeys to start gobbling while they were still in the trees. They usually gobble for l5 or 20 minutes while a little daylight is coming before they fly out of the trees to the ground. We would usually use this time to get as close as possible without exposing our selves to detection. When the wind is blowing hard at that time in the morning either the turkeys do not gobble or the sound is carried away by the wind. It is very difficult to hear any gobbles or call any turkeys when the wind is howling through the pine trees. I would usually set my mental alarm for four o'clock in the morning in order to have time to get out to where the turkeys are gobbling. When I would wake up and hear the roar of the wind in the trees or the rain falling on the tent fly I would just snuggle down in my warm sleeping bag and go back to sleep. I can still remember how wonderful it was to sleep with the wind blowing and moaning around.

When I was a little boy we had very strong winds that swept the streets clean of dust And roared through the trees and around the house. Those March winds were strong and cold. After breakfast on a Saturday morning I was supposed to go out and work in the garden. On those cold March windy days I remember coming out of the house and getting my hoe out of the wash house. As I started for the garden I had to cross the lawn where there were round depressions where some small trees had been removed. I would lay down and curl up in one of those depressions with the moaning wind passing over me I would go to sleep in the pale sunshine. I remember how good it felt to curl up and sleep with the wind howling over me leaving me snug and warm out of the wind in the depression.

When we make adequate preparation physically and spiritually we can be at peace with ourselves and with the world. When the winds and the storms of life come along we can trust in the Lord and He will help us and give us strength to weather any storm or overcome any difficulty. Naoma and I have tried through out our lives to live in such a way as to prepare ourselves to meet the storms of life by trusting in the Lord. Now we can say, we can sleep when the wind blows.

Love Mom and Dad-------Grandpa and Grandma Bowman

4/21/2005 Webmaster: Troy Bowman