Determination

This is a story I heard told many years ago about an incident that happened even more years ago. It was told by a man who says to this day that almost everything he knows about life he learned from his grandfather who raised him.

One day, near where he lived and farmed, Grandpa discovered the trunk of a fallen cypress tree in the backwaters of the Pearl River near Picayune, MS. Grandpa decided he wanted that cypress log. But it was mired securely in the muddy bottom of the swamp. He went to the barn to harness Rufus, his trusty mule. The grandson, a cousin and a friend saw Grandpa hitching up the mule and asked what he was going to do. Being a man of few words, but great determination, Grandpa said he was going to pull a cypress log out of the swamp. So, the boys went along to watch.

When they all arrived at the backwaters and the boys saw the size of the log and its location in the muck of the river bed, they began to laugh and tell grandpa he would never get that log out. Grandpa ignored them while he positioned the mule and cinched two logging chains around the fallen tree.

He checked his work, then the harness, then patted the mule, stepped to the side with the reins in hand and said, “Pull, Rufus.” The mule tensed and immediately obeyed his master’s voice. The chains snapped taunt as the animal stepped forward in the collar. But nothing happened. The boys on the bank began to laugh and slap their knees. Grandpa ignored them. He pulled back slightly on the reins and the mule took a step backward. Then Grandpa yelled, “PULL!, Rufus”

The mule instinctively knew by both his first effort and the sound of his master’s voice that more effort was required. He stepped forward and slammed against the collar with such force that the cinches and reins snapped like gun shots. He pulled against the dead weight of the water-soaked log stuck fast in the mud, the ground beneath his feet giving way to his own massive weight. But the log did not move. The boys on the bank howled and rolled on the ground.

Grandpa said, “Whoa, Rufus.” Then he backed the mule a step or two and again checked all his tack. He and the mule stood there a moment and then both took a deep breath. Grandpa snapped the reins and yelled, “PULL!, RUFUS, PULL!” The massive beast lunged against the collar, its legs bent against the incline of the river bank, its hooves dug in, its belly almost touching the ground, its neck arched, its eyes bulged, its nostrils flared and the boys would later swear that smoke came out of them. And then they heard it, that unmistakable sucking sound of something being freed from the mud. “Pull, Rufus, Pull,” Grandpa yelled as he snapped the reins, and the mule took a step forward. Then another. And inch by inch that massive waterlogged cypress trunk slid up onto the bank.

Rufus and Grandpa both won the life-long respect of those boys that day. I don’t know what Grandpa did with that cypress log, but the boys slapped ole Rufus and bragged on that mule to the day it died. Grandpa smiled. Obviously the grandson still remembers his grandfather long after he was gone, too. I think Grandpa still smiles.

Perhaps we could all learn something about determination and teamwork. Grandpa knew the ability of his mule and wasn’t about to harm that valuable animal. But he also knew that no mule is going to pull a log out of a swamp on its own accord without some direction and encouragement. The Lord is like that. He knows our abilities, and He will not cause us harm. But sometimes He hitches us to a job that needs doing that we would not have done on our own, and convinces us we can do it. It may mean scraping our knuckles and even dragging our belly on the ground. But when we succeed, we will have won the admiration of those around us and brought glory to our Father in heaven. So, when you think you've done your best, but it isn't quite enough to get the job done, listen carefully. You just might hear, "Pull, Rufus, pull!"

If it was the Rapture, we missed it!

On Friday night, January 15, 2010, my wife and I went to bed about 10:20 P.M. We were both restless and I recall looking at the clock shortly after eleven before we fell asleep. But I was awakened sometime after midnight by the smell of smoke. My wife is in the habit of taking a heating pad to bed, and we had a humidifier running. So, I got up to check them to make sure they were not overheating. Then I opened the bedroom door and detected no smell of smoke in the rest of the house. By now my wife was up with a flashlight. We went to the front door and opened it slightly to sniff. That was it. The outside air was heavy with smoke, and I recalled earlier seeing our neighbor across the street burning leaves. We surmised the furnace was pulling in the smoky air from outside and went back to bed.

Before we could resume sleep, however, we suddenly became aware of a very bright light. I thought my wife had shined her flashlight at me for some reason, and I covered my eyes and said, “What’s that?!” She said she didn’t know. By the time I opened my eyes the light was gone. I jumped up and looked outside to see if a car had turned around next door, but there was no vehicle in sight and we hadn’t heard any vehicle sounds. I quickly went to each side of the house looking out of dark windows to see if I could seen anyone outside. There was no one.

The building next door has security lights on three corners of the building, but the one closest to our bedroom window has not worked for a long time, and it still was not working when I looked outside. The next day I went next door to ask the people who work there if anyone had been there late the night before who possibly could have turned on that light momentarily. They said the light has no switch; it’s a dusk to dawn automatic light, but they had not repaired it when it quit working since they had two others and they knew it shined into our bedroom window. I thanked them for that thoughtfulness, but again wondered aloud where that bright light could have come from in the middle of the night. I’m sure those men laughed when I left. But it’s still a mystery.

All I can say is, if it was the Rapture, we missed it! But I know that wasn’t the case, because my wife is still here. I might miss it, but she surely will not. So, that’s not what it was. Any guesses?

A Few Reminders

I offer a few suggestions I have learned over the years. No great wisdom here, just reminders to those who tend not think about these things until they are needed:
1) always have an alternative heat source for emergencies (kerosene, propane, vent free gas logs, etc.), a fireplace beats nothing, but not by much unless you have an insert;
2) always have at least a half tank of gas in vehicles (I lived through the so-called gas shortage in the 70s in Hawaii where there are NO refineries. Since then my gas tanks never, ever get below half-full), it's also very good to keep five to ten gallons of gasoline in proper storage cans, especially if you have a gas powered electric generator (and if you do, please know how to use it properly so you don't electrocute the power company guys working on the lines);
3) always have enough food & water on hand to feed your family at least a week (and don't cheat, but rotate it);
4) keep a flashlight by the bed of every member of the family & keep it fresh (tell the kids not to play with them; they are not toys);
5) at least once practice getting out of the house in case of fire, especially if you have young children; and remember smoke alarms are for adults, children sleep through them;
6) do not waste good money on fireworks; watch someone else's money burn. Instead use what you would have spent on fireworks to do the other items above.