Dad, The Shed is Burning,: A Memorial Day Memory

I know that we can lose the real meaning of Memorial Day in the fanfare of fun and frolic.   My heart grieves for the parents of those who have lost sons and daughters in service of our country.

I talked with some men and women headed to Iraq a few years back.  I met them at the Cracker Barrel in Tuscaloosa as the Associational Team headed to Shocco Springs.  I studied each one of them and prayed for them knowing that some may not return home alive to their families.  They were so young.  Some were younger than Aaron who will be celebrating his 35^th birthday as some of you read this article.

I heard daddy talk of friend and comrades that did not make it home from WWII.  It always brought a tear to his eyes.  I never understood how much it affected him.  I know that we never did anything special on Memorial Day, but I remember some memorial events.

One Memorial Day we were planting momma some sweet corn.  Daddy took advantage of being off from work and we always worked on holidays.  We never cooked out, never went to the river, never visited, and never shot fireworks, but daddy worked the fire out of us.  It was his way of not allowing us to get bored and a good way to be thankful when we sat down at the table.  Momma’s fried sweet corn was good!

As we plowed, I noticed that something was wrong with our cub tractor.  The right rear tire was wobbling.  The rear housing was broken.  I got daddy’s attention and he said that he would drive it to his brother-in-law’s shop and I could follow him in the Batmobile.  Remember Batman and his Batmobile.  The Batmobile was our black 1960 Ford Galaxy.  It had those heinous rear fender wings, but it was a trill for this 12 year to drive two miles by myself.

Dad removed the rear tire and started welding as I played football with my cousins.  I noticed smoke coming from the top of the shed.  I asked my cousins if it was it normal for the smoke.  That said that when their dad welded that it did that.  I played some more and the black smoke rolled out from the eves of the shed.

I told my cousins I was going to see if dad needed any help.  When I went to the shed, I saw daddy sitting under the tractor welding as burning boards and debris from a raging fire burning overheard roared.  Daddy had his hood down and thought that the fire was the arcing of the welding rods.

I knew I had to get him out and I ran into the fire and pulled on him.  I screamed that the shed was on fire and as daddy raised his shield, he told me to run.  He pulled out my uncle’s welding machine and that was the only piece of equipment saved.  Everything else was lost.

There was no insurance on the tractor and my uncle did not claim our tractor in his insurance claim.  We had to stop farming until daddy found another tractor.  A few weeks later he did and I got to drive it all the way from the Shelby County airport to our house.  That was a great trip that I will never forget.  Driving a Farmall Cub tractor twenty miles all alone was fearful in the beginning but become more exciting by the minute.  Not many twelve-year-olds do that.

I have thought many times after the fire about how close my dad was to perishing in that fire.  I never considered my deed heroic.  I just could not stand to see my dad burn.  I can close my eyes and see the fiery boards falling around my unsuspecting daddy.  I never thought about them trapping him and me.  I glad I ignored my cousins and checked on daddy anyway.  Had I lost dad that day to a fire, I would have lost him to a second fire that lasts forever.  Daddy did not know Christ back then.  His rescue then gave an opportunity for salvation’s rescue many years later.

 

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:7

 

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 1:23-25