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