A Minute for Parents

Summary

Learning to Love in a Special Way

Article

By JoAnn Hibbert Hamilton

“I never met a man I didn’t like,” is a statement made by Will Rogers. Then Albert P. Hout records an instance that challenged this belief (Larson, JoAnn, The Heart of Goodness, Shadow Mountain, 1999, p. 287, 288).

Evidently during the winter of 1898 Will Rogers had just settled in at a Wyoming ranch that he had recently inherited. Life for Rogers, according to Hout, was going rather smoothly when one day a nearby farmer shot one of Roger’s steers that had broken down his fence. Evidently the steer had eaten some stored hay. “Inasmuch as the farmer had violated range custom by not informing Rogers of his deed or the reason for it, when notified of the incident Rogers became extremely angry. In his wrath, he solicited a hired hand to accompany him to the farmer’s home, determined there to confront the man.”

As they were on their way a storm suddenly struck, which coated Rogers and his hired hand with a frozen layer of ice. When they arrived at the farmer’s home, his wife greeted them at the door. She explained that her husband was absent, but the two freezing men were indeed welcome to wait inside by the fire for his return. They were grateful for the kind invitation.

“While Rogers was warming himself, he noticed how thin and work-worn the woman appeared and how scrawny the children were who shyly peeked at him from behind the furniture.

“When the farmer returned, his wife introduced the men and informed him they had been caught in the storm. As she finished speaking, Rogers opened his mouth to wreak his vengeance, but then suddenly shut it again, his harsh words catching in his throat. In lieu of an onslaught of unchecked anger, Rogers instead extended his hand to the farmer. The farmer, unaware of the reason for the men’s visit, invited them to dinner. ‘You’ll have to eat beans,’ he apologized, ‘for the storm has interrupted the butchering of my steer.’

“After dinner, inasmuch as the storm was still raging, the couple insisted that the two men stay overnight, another invitation gratefully accepted. The next morning, after a warm and hearty breakfast of biscuits, beans, and coffee, the two men rode toward home. Having noticed that Rogers hadn’t mentioned the reason for his visit, the hired hand challenged Rogers’ resolve: ‘I thought you were going to lay that sodbuster low about your steer,’ he chided.

“Momentarily, Rogers remained silent, but thereafter responded: ‘I intended to, but then I got to thinking. You know, I really didn’t lose that steer. I just traded it for a little human happiness. There are millions of steers in the world but human happiness is kinda scarce.’”

Then there is the letter taped to a front door one morning (op. cit. pp. 389, 390). It said, “Dear Sir (or Madam), I am substituting for the regular paper boy and am not highly skilled in throwing newspapers. In fact, I threw yours on your roof.

“I could not give you another paper because someone else would have been shorted. I couldn’t see how I could get the paper down, and then saw that you have a door on your second story leading to the roof and realized you would be able to get it relatively easily. I am really sorry for the trouble. Aren’t you glad I’m not the regular boy?”

I don’t know what the reaction was to this note. It could have been laughter or anger. Would the lady mind her bit of inconvenience and choose to add to the world’s goodness?

Problems such as these give us opportunities for growth. I think of Proverbs 15:1 that says, A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.