Riding The Whirlwind Read online

Sue Gilford had been worried about her husband for some time, he spent too much time dwelling on what should have been, not what was.

  The night he had come home with his best and only decent suit torn, his chest bleeding it had taken her three days of patient coaxing to get it out of him, finally with much effort, she had gotten it out of him that he had wanted to commit suicide. That was the night he had gone to the sales meeting in Astoria. She knew at the outset that there was not enough in the program to make a living, but she hadn’t dared say so because he had already been out of work for so long, so she had resorted to prayer for her husband and family instead.

  The evening of the sales meeting she had felt a great burden to pray so she prayed until she felt release. Then when he told her, she knew what it was about. She knew in her heart that if she hadn’t been obedient to pray, her husband would be dead. She knew her husband well enough to know if he made up his mind to do something it would be done. She had let out a sigh of relief knowing she and her family was tucked into the hands of her Lord and savior.

  She knew the reason Paul was the way he was, he was wounded and bent from his childhood, he tried to hold down a steady job, but something drove him.

  She supposed he was trying to measure up to his Dad even though his Dad had passed away. Paul had spent a lifetime feeling unloved, and that was the problem, but she felt like she had gone the last mile she could go, if he didn’t sign the papers to the house, then she would do it alone and if he wanted to move on, he would have to go it alone.

  She was startled out of her reverie when she heard someone knocking at the door, it was her Pastor.

  She loved the fact that their Pastor was a woman. Few churches had women for Pastors, but this one did, the Pastor had died and this woman had been the only one who would tackle such a small church in such a small community, so in spite of the objections by some on the church board, she had stayed.

  “Oh, its you Pastor, please come sit down, I have some coffee on.”

  “Thank you, I believe I will have a cup on such a gray day.”

  The Pastor was a graying woman of 62 years old who loved God and her flock, she had visited the new ones to the flock two or three times since they moved into the old Harold place a couple of miles down the road from where she lived.

  “We don’t have too many days that are not gray in this part of Oregon, but its coming on summer and then we have the most beautiful weather you have ever seen.”

  “I hope so Pastor, the rain has been getting to me.”

  “You have to just pay it no mind dear; if you do it will drive you batty.”

  “I suppose, what brings you out today?”

  “Oh, I just felt to check up on you. I heard Paul got work for Mr. Ryder and I wanted to see if there was anything I could do for you two.”

  The Pastor sipped her coffee and thought for a minute her brow furrowing.

  “Could I ask a personal question dear?”

  “Sure if I don’t want to talk about it, I’ll say so, go ahead.”

  “Your husband seems indifferent at times; could you tell me why you came to Mist?”

  “We were living in Idaho, and Paul spotted this place on a map and said that’s were we are going.”

  “Just like that?”

  “We’ve been in 36 states just like that.”

  “I see. Why do you suppose that is?”

  “Paul had a very rough childhood, he knew nothing but beatings and kicking’s from the time he was little. He has fallen through every crack there is to fall through.”

  “And how have you dealt with it?”

  “ One day at a time, I know God will reach Paul in his own good time.”

  “You have a strong faith child.”

  “If it wasn’t for my faith, I couldn’t have dealt with it, but Pastor, I can’t move any more, this is it for me.”

  “Well, we’ll pray that he can keep his job and moving won’t be needed.”

  “Pastor, I’m sorry for Pauls rough way of talking. It must offend you to hear that.”

  The Pastor laughed, “If rough talk offended me honey I wouldn’t make it a minute around these loggers or their families.”

  “These men in these parts work hard and live hard lives, there’s hardly any work accept in the woods. No, I’m not offended; God will take care of that part.”

  “Why did you come to Mist Pastor?”

  “Well dear, this is about the only place that would put up with having a woman Pastor and a Pentecostal at that. Some didn’t like it, but I have the logger’s wives on my side so the men that objected decided to keep quite lest they didn’t get supper.”

  Sue laughed, then she got the giggles and kept laughing. It was catching and the two of them laughed themselves to tears.

  When the Pastor recovered she gathered up her large purse and her Bible, “Lets pray dear, then I have to move along, I’m going to pray that God will keep you two here, this community needs you worse than you know.”

  The pastor prayed for at least fifteen minutes solid, when she prayed she really got down to it as the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit filled the room.

  “Sue, I’m going to be talking to the other wives around the community, I want to encourage them to be willing to step in and help you two if needed.”

  “Thank you Pastor, we need all the support we can get.”

  When the Pastor had gone, she sat still in her chair, her coffee gone cold as she prayed for her husband and her Family.

  Part three