~This Week's Spiritual Sharing~ Between A Tractor And A Tree Stump Norris McPike © Paoli, Indiana Back in May of 1998 I found myself between jobs. I spent a lot of time on the "mini-farm" my wife, Bonnie, and I owned. That's what I called our acreage, even though nothing much grew there. Except trees. One spot was thick with them, some reaching as high as fifty feet. They were getting too big. It wouldn't be long till they got some kind of disease, or their roots could not provide them with enough food. They would end up sick and dying. That's why I needed to harvest them. I'd miss their beauty, but their wood would be put to good use as lumber. Before Bonnie headed off to work in town one morning, I told her, I think I'm gonna get around to felling some of those trees today. I should be done by the time you get home at four. I don't usually do logging jobs on my own, but that day I just got the itch to do it. My new job started in less than a month, and I wanted to take care of things while I still had the time. I could handle it. I drove the tractor out to the area I wanted to clear. I fired up my chainsaw and got to cutting. Tree after tree came down. Everything went smoothly, till the last tree. This one was huge. Wider around than two or three of me put together, and so tall I could barely see the top. I set to sawing, stopping every once in a while to catch my breath and mop my brow. Finally, with a great creaking, the tree started to lean. Slowly at first. Then it picked up speed as it gave way. It smashed right smack on top of another tree, bending it down toward the ground. I had to get the tree I'd cut down off the one still planted. "This is gonn'a be tough!" I thought. "I'll need a chain long enough to wrap around it and strong enough to wrench it loose." I went to the shed to check if I had any chains. Found only one, and it looked a bit short for the purpose I had in mind. I glanced at my watch, 2:00 PM. "I really want to get this done before Bonnie gets home.", I thought. I decided to try using the chain anyway ... might be able to do it. I went back to the field and wrapped the chain around the trunk of the fallen tree. It fit, so I hooked the other end to the tractor. Gave it a few good tugs. It held. I climbed up onto the seat and started the engine. Pressed down on the gas pedal ever so slightly. This had to go at a slow pace. I turned to look over my shoulder. So far, so good. Then, all of a sudden, there was a snapping of wood. The branches on the living tree moved, then sprung up. The chained tree went flying, as if shot from a catapult. It flew toward me just like a missile. "Jump!", I thought. But there wasnât time. Instinctively, I grabbed the steering wheel tight, ducked my head and hung on. Everything went black. When I came to, my head was jammed up against the stump of one of the trees I'd cut down earlier. My bottom jaw was being pushed to the side. Much more than it should have. And the tractor was upside down on top of me. Something hard dug into my back. "Must be the gear shift.", I thought. I tried to move my arms, but I couldn't. They were pinned. How long had I been out? The watch on my left wrist faced away from me. I wriggled and twisted and it moved just enough so I could see that it was 2:15 P.M. "You've been out fifteen minutes.", I thought to myself. Why had I tried this on my own? No one but Bonnie knew where I was, and she wouldn't get back for hours. The pain in my back worsened. The tractor seemed to grow heavier. Would it snap me in half, or just crush me down farther into the earth? "Dear God!" I prayed, "looks like this is it. You want to take me home now. If that's your plan, it's fine with me. But please, please, take away the pain." I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I strained to see and made out two figures standing nearby, looking at me. Strong figures in white, flowing robes. One of them spoke, "What should we do now?" he said. It was the strangest thing because his lips never moved, but in my head I heard him. Then I noticed, right next to the tractor, two pairs of feet, one on either side of a tractor tire. The tire rose up unexpectedly till it was about four inches off the ground. The pressure on my body eased. My back didn't hurt as bad. My eyelids grew heavy. Soon I drifted off, not into unconsciousness but into a deep, restful sleep. I woke to Bonnie shouting my name. But I couldn't take a deep enough breath to shout back. She must have come looking for me when she got home and saw the tractor still gone. I guess she saw the upturned tractor and came running. "Norris, are you okay?" she shouted again. "Get help!" I gasped. While she was gone I looked for the angels. I could'nt see them anymore. But I felt their presence. At least the two who'd been closest to me. I noticed the tractor tire still above the ground. About four inches. "They're still here! Thank you, God." I said. Bonnie came back a while later with my brother-in-law and a friend. They used a jack to lift the tractor enough so I could breathe more freely. The fire department came with some large air bags. They put them all around me under the tractor, then filled them with compressed air. The tractor slowly lifted. Finally there was enough room for the EMT's to get to me. They loaded me into a medical helicopter and flew me to the hospital. Doctors examined me and found I had a broken rib, as well as a severe burn on my back. It hadn't been the gear shift pressing into me after all, acid from the battery had leaked and dripped onto me. Plus, my left ear had been torn nearly all the way off. You're lucky to be alive, they told me.
But I was alive. Yes, I'd been dumb to work on my own like that, but God didnât hold it against me. He sent his angels anyway. They helped me then, and I know they'll be around if I ever need them again! Group [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]@yahoogroups.comWelcome To dimpill's gang! This is the Best Place to Hang around.We Give u the Best in Latest News, Jokes, Funny Pictures,Wallpapers,Latest Buzz and Much More! Connect your World with Us join Now http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dimpill_gang/join Affiliated group from dimpill_gang for Only Adult Mails http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fantazies/joinAffiliated group from dimpill_gang for Only Health and Food Mails http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Health_and_Gourmet/join _______________________________________________ No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. Make My Way your home on the Web - http://www.myway.com
