“Howl!
Blast you! Howl! “We’re all here safe! You can’t get at us! You’ve tried all
winter but we’ll beat you yet! We’ll be right here when spring comes!” Not long
after these despairing words from Laura Ingalls' father, Charles, and his
lamenting that he could not even play the violin because of his cold and sore
fingers, the family realized that they could still sing. Nothing could keep
them from singing, not a freezing Minnesota blizzard or even the worst winter
in 20 years. In an instant, the music transformed despair into expressions of
faith, resolve, and gratitude. “The storm raged outside, screaming and
hammering at walls and window, but they were safely sheltered, and huddled in
the warmth of the hay fire they went on singing.”
Experiencing
this crisis with the Ingalls family has prompted our class to ask the question,
are we in a crisis now? Are we experiencing a long winter of sorts? We may not
see or hear our ferocious storms as Laura heard hers. Our weather is calm, peaceful,
and serene and most of us detect nothing out of the ordinary. All appears to be
well. But, there is a storm out
there—one of spiritual darkness and destruction. Just like a whirling,
devastating hurricane it has taken families and split them apart. It has taken
our culture and twisted it into something unrecognizable. The worst hit victims
are the children, including and especially the children who are unwanted or not
given an opportunity to experience life at all. The only chance we have as a
nation to endure this crisis is to continue to hold firm to the unraveling
societal fabric and stand as firmly as did the Ingalls family, and fight like
Pa did with hands clenched and call out to it, “Not my family! You can rage and
howl all you want. You won’t get to us!”
Just as the Ingalls family had their Bible and
McGuffey Readers to cling to, we have our standard works and our libraries of
classics that teach us the enduring themes of faith, courage, truth, virtue,
liberty, and charity. Our families are learning what it means to be a family,
the worth of soul, and how to endure any storm. We know that we can be like the
Ingalls family, the March family from Little Women and Little Men, the Stantons
from Laddie, or the Moodys from Little Britches. We are passing on this great
American tradition to our children, preserving it for future generations for
they will surely have their share of storms to face.
There
will be times when we will feel strongly that taking care of our own is not all
the Lord asks of us. There are many out there in the storm, hungry for what we
have, longing to feel the comfort of love and belonging, and the healing power
that repentance brings. We will have to act on these feelings and say, go, be,
and do what we feel inspired to do. When we do this, as Almanzo did in our
story, we will bring many souls to safety. So many are aching for what we have
in abundance. Miracles are waiting.
“It was so wonderful to be there safe at home,
sheltered from the winds and the cold. Laura thought that this must be a little
bit like Heaven, where the weary are at rest. She could not imagine that Heaven
was better than being where she was, slowly growing warm and comfortable…
hearing the storm that could not touch them here.”
We must share this sweet feeling—this heaven
on earth—with those who are lost, cold, or hungry. Do you have the courage to find
them and bring them home? May we all continue singing and spreading forth the precious light that is kindled inside our homes.
Cathy, This is the second time I have read this recently. My family has been in crisis. For many months the storm has raged and screamed at us. I have found comfort in your words and in the precious gems you quoted from "The Long Winter" We as women are the often the last one standing. We are the bulwark in which the raging waves crash! We are the end of the line!! We must never withdraw! We must NEVER RETREAT! "NOT MY FAMILY!" I raise my fist and scream "...YOU WON'T GET US!"
ReplyDeleteI have used singing and music to overcome the siege of a storm. I learned much from the book "Despereaux." It has taught me that light is something we have the power to create ourselves. I had forgotten that I have that ability. This is the way I create light in the dark of a storm. Music (make it and listen to it)all day long as loud as the family will allow. Make sure it is music that contains light,in the first place. Hymns are powerful. I also create light by making something ordinary, beautiful,in simple ways. Relationships, prayer, study, rest etc. create light. We need never walk another day in darkness. We need not wait until the clouds drift away. Make light!
It's amazing how we can all read the same thing yet take something different from it.
ReplyDeleteI feel the need to practice a little more public virtue in sharing the wealth and light of knowledge I have with others. I keep learning of people in my area who are new to homeschooling and it's like they are out in the storm seeking refuge in the form of support and advice. So I'm giving it a try. I'm trying to act on inspiration and not wait for someone else to do the job. Hopefully, it will be a type of light for others who are weathering the storm of a new and unknown adventure.