Snowmobile boy
My sister Barbara Jean has a long list of people she says a prayer for every night. She has a superstition about her list too. She never talks about praying - just "putting in a good word" for people who might need it. This term came from my dad who always asked us to "put in a good word" for him.
Barb has people on her "good word list" who have long been dead....like grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and even many pets that we had as kids and that she had as an adult. She even puts folks on the list that she reads about in newspapers or who may just be "locals" that she doesn't know but figures they could use some help. I once asked her how she ever gets to sleep with all those folks to remember. She says she just thinks of them but does not pray out loud. She has considered just asking the good Lord to refer to the previous night's list, and only list out the new additions.
Once you are lucky enough to be on her list, you never get off. That is where the superstition is....she fears that she should not take people off her list even if they die. For all she knows, they still may need her good thoughts. Who knows where they are? Up or down? And, if they know that she has removed them from the list - hit the delete key so to speak or retired them - who knows what might happen? They just might put in a bad word for her.
About a year ago, Barb heard about a local snowmobiler who was in a horrible accident and in the hospital and was not expected to live. Even though she does not like the "Kulka Sikas" which is her not so fond name for snowmobilers (Finnish for Sled Hogs), she felt bad for this unnamed lad. He was a local boy. The community had fundraisers for him and he went on her prayer list as "snowmobile boy". He remains on her list even though she never found out what happened to him. Until a few days ago, that is.
Barb and her friend Siggie burn wood. This winter has been very cold back in the U.P. and so the wood supply doesn't last long. They were looking for someone who was cutting and selling wood for burning without much success. Finally they got in touch with someone who knew someone who might have some wood for them. When the man delivered the wood, Barb noticed that he was a little disabled and called my brother Ray to help him unload it. My brother talked with him as they unloaded and piled the wood. When they were finished, my sister paid the man for his wood and he left. My brother Ray said "Do you know who that guy was? He was the kid who got hurt snowmobiling last year".
My sister was amazed. It was snowmobile boy, the one she added to her list a year ago. Interesting how things work out. All this time snowmobile boy had no idea he had been on the "good word" list of a woman he didn't even know who cared enough to put in a good word for him each night, no matter how tired she was. And he ended up paying her back by delivering the much needed wood. What goes around really does come around. We could all be so lucky to be on Barbara Jean's list.
Barb has people on her "good word list" who have long been dead....like grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and even many pets that we had as kids and that she had as an adult. She even puts folks on the list that she reads about in newspapers or who may just be "locals" that she doesn't know but figures they could use some help. I once asked her how she ever gets to sleep with all those folks to remember. She says she just thinks of them but does not pray out loud. She has considered just asking the good Lord to refer to the previous night's list, and only list out the new additions.
Once you are lucky enough to be on her list, you never get off. That is where the superstition is....she fears that she should not take people off her list even if they die. For all she knows, they still may need her good thoughts. Who knows where they are? Up or down? And, if they know that she has removed them from the list - hit the delete key so to speak or retired them - who knows what might happen? They just might put in a bad word for her.
About a year ago, Barb heard about a local snowmobiler who was in a horrible accident and in the hospital and was not expected to live. Even though she does not like the "Kulka Sikas" which is her not so fond name for snowmobilers (Finnish for Sled Hogs), she felt bad for this unnamed lad. He was a local boy. The community had fundraisers for him and he went on her prayer list as "snowmobile boy". He remains on her list even though she never found out what happened to him. Until a few days ago, that is.
Barb and her friend Siggie burn wood. This winter has been very cold back in the U.P. and so the wood supply doesn't last long. They were looking for someone who was cutting and selling wood for burning without much success. Finally they got in touch with someone who knew someone who might have some wood for them. When the man delivered the wood, Barb noticed that he was a little disabled and called my brother Ray to help him unload it. My brother talked with him as they unloaded and piled the wood. When they were finished, my sister paid the man for his wood and he left. My brother Ray said "Do you know who that guy was? He was the kid who got hurt snowmobiling last year".
My sister was amazed. It was snowmobile boy, the one she added to her list a year ago. Interesting how things work out. All this time snowmobile boy had no idea he had been on the "good word" list of a woman he didn't even know who cared enough to put in a good word for him each night, no matter how tired she was. And he ended up paying her back by delivering the much needed wood. What goes around really does come around. We could all be so lucky to be on Barbara Jean's list.
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