 |
| I photographed Hube at his Quilt of Valor presentation for his military service. |
Hubert Hutchens will celebrate his 95th birthday
this week on June 26. I got to know Hube, as Dad liked to refer to him, when I
helped Dad and him work cattle. The humor exchanged between Hube and Dad as I
drove the calves into the chute lightened the task. Funny stories were retold
as vaccinations were given.
Later, Hubert and Dad regularly took in the Woodland
Cougars games. They even attended several Oklahoma State football games. I
often wondered how they handled games against Hube’s high school alma mater, Hominy.
Dad delighted in Hube stopping and
joining him under the tree as they sat in Dad’s swing. Often Hube’s classic
line was, “I’m so full of gossip I can’t hardly bend over.” Truthfully, they
just exchanged family and community happenings and events. I never heard them
speak unkind or malicious tales about anyone.
Hube’s friendship with our family continued after Dad’s stroke. He regularly stopped to visit Dad and bring apples from his tree or vegetables from his garden. After Dad rehabilitated from his first stroke, Hube would drive over in his golf cart to take Dad for a spin.
When he discovered Mark Anthony was the first occupational
therapist assigned to Dad, Hube informed us of his family’s friendship with the
Anthony family when both families were neighbors in Colorado. Charlotte and
Mark’s mother almost “had their husbands’ heads” when Mark was born. The women
had informed their husbands that the birth of Mrs. Anthony’s baby was imminent,
but the men proceeded to go up into the mountains to hunt for wild horses.
Hubert was reluctant, but Mark’s dad assured him they’d get back in time. When
the men returned, since Baby Mark had already arrived, they had to do some
sweet talking!
One could easily be mesmerized by Hubert’s tales of days when he
worked on the North Slope in Alaska. Frigid temperatures, so brutally cold,
rigidly limited the number of minutes to which Hubert and his coworkers could
be exposed. (When I had to thaw a stock tank hydrant in subzero temperatures in
February of 2021, I told myself, Hubert worked out on the North Slope in
colder temps than this.) Harrowing flights shuttled Hube to the work sites
in a chopper piloted by a Vietnam veteran. Each takeoff and landing required
prayers for survival.
His wife, Charlotte, a writer
herself, and I have discussed the difficulty of transferring Hubert’s stories
of adventure to print. The compelling element in his stories is hearing Hubert
tell the stories.
.JPG) |
| A photo taken one of the days Hube stopped by for a visit with Dad following his stroke. |
During Dad’s stroke
convalescence, Hubert faithfully picked up our trash each Monday morning.
Hauling off trash may have seemed an insignificant effort for a family
engrossed in the care of a paralyzed loved one; but for us, it represented such a
genuine act of love for Dad and our family.
Just days before Dad’s death, Hubert and Charlotte dropped by. Mother
and I joined both of them around Dad’s bed as we said the Lord’s Prayer. What
peace to hear the words from our lips – Thy kingdom come; Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven, and what strengthening of our souls
as we closed in perfect unison of voice and spirit, For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory forever. Amen!
Today
began as a glorious day because we awoke to lightning and thunder and by noon
had a couple of inches of rain. As the day grew colder and more dismal, I
started growing anxious as to what I should do for the cattle.
Angie
and I had put out a large bale on Sunday, but it was almost gone. I was
becoming weary of trying to decide when to conserve hay, based on the amount we
had, as well as when to follow the advice of an OSU professor to allow the
cattle to go without for one day, or limit their access to the hay. The cattle
were wet and miserable-looking.
The bull
was standing just outside the area that Ben had secured for hay storage,
looking longingly at the hay as if to say, “I am hungry. Why aren’t you
feeding us?”
Suddenly
I observed as we ate lunch that the cows were slowly moving. Then to my
surprise the bull quickly left where he had been standing for such a long time.
I wanted to hop up and see why, but that might have distracted Dad from eating
and caused him to begin worrying. I silently prayed for inner peace and calm to
replace my anxiety and weariness.
After Dad finished eating, I assisted him in
getting back to his chair in the living room. As I was waiting for him to get
settled in his chair I glanced out the window. I couldn’t believe my
eyes. The cattle were clustered around an enormous bale. To myself
I said, “You are dreaming!”
I
blinked and looked again and excitedly said to Mother, “I think there is a big
bale up there!” as I zipped outside with binoculars to confirm what I was sure
was a figment of my imagination. But to my astonishment, it truly was a huge
bale filling what had been a large empty bale ring. It was as though the hand
of God had gently placed this large provision to energize and encourage me. I
prayed to remember this act whenever I am tempted to doubt that God is in
control and cares about us.
 |
| I sent Angie, my sister, this photo with the caption An angel must have brought this bale. |
Note- I
had to go back and correct my journal entry since at the time I wrote it I
didn’t know who had so wonderfully provided the bale for us. Hubert, thank you
so much! As I told Charlotte, it was one of the most encouraging acts after
Dad’s stroke.
Memories of Hubert from the Summer of 2017
Hubert hauled in the bales of our first cutting off Mother’s meadow
earlier this month. I was alarmed when he told me of losing his wallet during
one of the trips when stacking bales. We thanked the Lord together when he told
me of finding it. For Hubert, age is about attitude. He retains an attitude of
gratitude for all God has given him.
Just this week, before we hopped on his golf cart to view his two garden plots, I told him of a little boy, in Vacation Bible School, making the comment with such a sincere, little heart, “I like Jesus.” Hubert replied with his trademark twinkle in his eye, “That’s what it’s all about!”
No comments :
Post a Comment