On one not so typical winter day in January 1963, the bitter frigid wind whistled sharply on my face as it skipped over the fields whipping around the frozen harvested wheat stubble. My nine-year-old brother, and I at eleven, were extremely excited as we anticipated seeing the monster-sized snow drifts we had heard about, covering the prairie landscape from Winnipeg to Edmonton and beyond. Just outside our small Alberta prairie town the drifts had landlocked the whole county. The drifts really were twelve feet high, or as I remember describing them, three cars piled high. All roads were impassable. Even the mighty snowplows were stuck. What would our town do? Brutal wintry weather and deep snow was everywhere.
I was very scared. This was just two months after the death of the great President John F. Kennedy, who I really admired. The Cold War was hot. In my mind everyone was hanging on a razor’s edge in fear of a world nuclear war. Was this a U.S.S.R. attack? Was an invasion imminent? These thoughts crossed the mind of my boyhood because our town was on the Direct Early Warning Line (D.E.W.). This was very real to me.
The freezing wind howled as it brought me back to what we really faced. I pushed us on, knowing our short legs were getting weaker and our toes were feeling very frozen. I began to worry when my little brother appeared exhausted. He suddenly plunked down on a snow drift, closing his eyes, and looked as if he was ready to sleep. I realized we were in real trouble. I shook my little brother awake and pushed him up. He seemed to understand how scared he was. Amazingly at nine years old, he knew it was wrong to try to sleep. I was feeling tired and scared for bringing us this far. I had to find a new strength, or we would not make it home. I had his life in my hands. It was my idea to come out to see the giant snow drifts.
At this point, I was looking up and asking God to help us remain safe. For me an eleven-year-old boy, God was the giant, bearded man in heaven. And we needed Him now. There was no one else around to help us, We both kept trotting on. This was a very big lesson for me on how to keep safe in these terrible conditions. Thank God, we made it home.
When we reached home, we never felt so exhausted. We were now safe, warm and cozy. We placed our wet boots, and hung our socks, pants, and coats by the living room heater, and we also dried ourselves off and got into warm dry clothes as quickly as possible.
Going on sixty-three years, this day this day has stuck with me, and it still continues to guide me in all of the many storms of my life. I would like to share with you from Philippians 4.13: “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” Especially on this day God’s strength helped two little boys to safety, and to endure future struggles throughout their lives.
Blessings and Happy New Year.
