September 30

Along in September, up our way, the "line storms" come. High winds of gale force were driving across the ridge on our farm. I heard something groaning and found it was a huge maple tree, 150 years old. But it wasn't groaning; actually it was laughing. It was having the time of its life with that wind. Maybe it's going to come down, I thought. "Don't worry," it seemed to say, "I was here before you and I'll be here after you're gone." Oh, trees do go down sometimes, but then what happens? A little shoot comes up and a new tree is started. Human beings are of the same breed. They are absolutely undefeatable when they know they are. But they've got to know it.