Wood Cutting
“Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”
Falling Trees, a Roaring Chainsaw, and One Very Important Rule
Blizzard is excited to help Grandpa gather wood for the winter, but the forest is filled with dangerous tools and towering dead trees. As Blizzard watches the work unfold, he discovers why following directions can make the difference between a fun adventure and a dangerous distraction.
Some people heat their home with wood they have gathered from the forest. I guess I never thought about it because we heat our home with a gas furnace. All Grandma needs to do is set the thermostat so our home is warm and toasty in the winter and cool in the summer.
After our Thursday morning Bible study at church, Grandpa and I went home for lunch, where Grandma had a fresh batch of chocolate cookies in the oven. After I ate my lunch, I got to have two of those mouthwatering cookies! When we were finished, Grandpa asked me if I was ready to go down to see Auntie Irene. We were going down to help her get wood for the winter. Her house is about four hours from our home; a long way for a little pillow like me. I pointed to my duffel bag and the little wooden box where I keep my personal hygiene articles and letters.
“I just need to put these in the truck and grab my jacket and boots,” I replied.
Soon, we were on the road heading south as the traffic roared all around the big red truck. I told Grandpa that Cyclone really wanted to come with us.
He said sadly, “I know. It would have been great to have him along, but it would not work out this time.”
I asked, “Why?”
He said, “On our way back home, I will tell you. I think you will better understand then.”
It was an uneventful ride. We only stopped once to get fuel and a soda pop. I have made the trip to Auntie Irene’s house several times before, as we have used it as a camping lodge when we go deer hunting. This trip was different because it was an unusually warm day in early May, and it made me kind of sleepy. When we arrived, Auntie Irene was excited to see us, and we all exchanged bear hugs. She had already prepared dinner for us: the best hamburgers ever! And, of course, for dessert, guess what we had? Cherry pie with vanilla ice cream! The hamburger filled me up a bit, but I wasn’t about to turn down that cherry pie! No way!
Shortly after we finished dinner, Grandpa asked Auntie Irene if she had her wood-cutting permit.
When she showed it to him, he said, “Let’s go out and get a load now.” Grandpa is never one to put off doing things. She said it would get dark soon, but Grandpa assured her we had enough time.
As we drove out to the forest, Grandpa seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go. Sure enough, he came right up to a downed tree that lay across an old forest dirt road. After turning around and backing up to it, we got out. Grandpa unloaded his tools, including his chainsaw. He told me to be sure to stay back from where he was using his chainsaw or his wood-splitting tools.
The sharp chainsaw was very loud as it cut those large blocks of wood off with amazing speed. Grandpa had earplugs—hearing protection from all the buzzing noise; I was glad to stay way back away from it all. In less than an hour, he had cut enough wood to fill the truck. Now all he needed to do was split the blocks of wood enough so he could load them onto the truck. Splitting the blocks and loading the truck was a lot harder work than sawing them, but we were finished with that load well before dark. Auntie Irene cleaned the log scraps off the road and helped Grandpa load the wood into the truck. I was tempted to try and help out, but something told me I was better off staying back from where Grandpa was working.
Suddenly, I realized why Grandpa did not bring Cyclone along. He did not want two boys playing and running around where he was operating the chainsaw and swinging his axe or maul. Grandpa had to keep his eyes on his work and could not watch out for two young pillows full of energy.
The next four days were exciting as I got to watch Grandpa cut down some tall, dead trees called snags. Because they have no limbs and needles to slow down the rate of the fall, snags hit the ground very fast and hard. It was exciting and scary to watch, but I found myself praying that Grandpa knew how to manage the falling of trees and cutting off the blocks. It looked dangerous to me. When the cut trees hit the ground, the ground shakes, and there is a loud THUMP! The whole ground shakes like an explosion! One can hear the crunch of breaking wood.
On that trip, I learned a very valuable lesson. Grandpa could have left me home too, but he chose to bring me along to show me something I would not likely read about in a book. He trusted me enough to bring me along because I listen to his instructions and obey him completely. He trusts me as a partner. He did not include Cyclone because, together, we can get distracted with play. I suspect that is the basis for a lot of what adults permit their children to do.
On the way home, five days after we left to go see Auntie Irene, Grandpa explained why he did not bring Cyclone down with us.
He said, “One pillow is fine, but two or more forget safety instructions as they are having too much fun.”
I guess that is true for boys and some girls, too. When they get together, they need to be extra careful not to get distracted and forget their parents’ instructions. Parents and grandparents love their children, each one, and they need to be able to trust that they remember and obey the rules.
Exodus 20:12 tells us, “Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” Grandpa has told me that honoring parents will keep us safer and out of trouble. If we honor them, we will live a life pleasing to God. In the end, I understood why Grandpa did not take Cyclone with us, but he is committed to taking him camping and fishing soon. I sure hope you have a good, long life in a world full of happiness in the Lord.
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