| I wonder if anything special occurred on Sunday night in the lives of the people in the 100-plus car pileup they were in on the west side of our state on Monday morning? I wonder how they are all doing today after their long and winding event on Monday? Since this news story I have personally heard three additional winding tales that look to be long … and I am wondering if any of us will encounter any surprising/shocking turns this day? As I consider this my reaction is to turn to God’s word for help. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your sisters and brothers throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5.6-11) Have you ever read one book that led you to another? It happened (again) for me this past week. While reading a book I received for Christmas (“Roar of 125 – the epic history of the Detroit Tigers”), the chapter on Willie Horton led me to his autobiography (with Kevin Allen), “The People’s Champion.” A couple pages so caught my attention that I feel compelled to share them with you today. “The Tigers told several of us to play winter ball for Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican League (winter 1964-65), and we did what we were told. My game was truly coming together, and by the holidays I already had 10 home runs to lead the league. I smacked a couple long home runs in Ponce that had everyone talking. One of them was estimated at more than 480 feet. “Jim Northrup was also there, and he was leading the league with a .350 batting average. Based on what I saw from Jimmy in Puerto Rico, I thought he’d be a major-league star. He was a five-sport star at Alma College, playing everything from football to golf. A gifted quarterback, Jim had offers from the New York Titans of the AFL and the Chicago Bears of the NFL, as well as from the Tigers. He accepted the Tigers’ offer because their money was guaranteed, and he had to make the team in football. Jim was banging the ball that winter, and given how I was hitting and the confidence I had, it seemed as if I was about to enter a wonderful period in my life. “I could not have been more wrong. “Over the holidays I had tried to call my parents, but across-the-ocean telephone communication in those days was dicey, even in ideal weather conditions. It took me about ten days, but I finally reached them. I distinctly remember that my mother kept asking me to come home because she missed me. Obviously she knew I couldn’t do that. But she seemed sad about the distance between us. “Over the New Year’s break, I drove to see my fiend Alex Johnson, who was also playing in Puerto Rico. On New Year’s morning, I was awakened by a group of players that included Alex, Roberto Clemente, and Jose Pagan. They somberly informed me that my parents had been in an automobile accident on I-94, just east of Battle Creek, Michigan. My father was dead, and my mother and brother Billy were in critical condition. My two nephews, Mike and Joe, were also injured, but not severely. “My parents were in my brother’s car, en route to see my sister Frankie and her husband, Ken. In blizzard conditions, the car, which was being driven by one of my brother’s friends, ran into the back of a salt truck. “It took me half a day to travel from San Juan to Detroit, and Gates Brown met me at the airport. The plan was to go directly to Albion Hospital to see my mom and brother, but the roads were nearly impassable. Albion was a two-hour drive away in good weather, but the conditions were so bad, we could only make it as far as the house on Edison Street. “Just as soon as I walked in the door, the phone rang. It was a doctor from the hospital. I identified myself as one of the Horton sons, and more than forty years later, I still remember what he said to me: ‘I have some more bad news for you. Your mom just passed.’ “Papa had been sitting in the front seat, in the center, and he died instantly. Billy suffered head injuries, and he was in a coma for a lengthy period; we didn’t know whether he would live or die. We delayed my parents’ funeral for a week as we prayed for Billy’s recovery. Doctors didn’t think he was going to make it. “My mom had been in the back seat with my nephews Joe and Michael. Joe was my brother Joe’s child, and Michael was my sister Faye’s son. They were like brothers to me, and I honestly think that my parents thought of them as their kids. They were small and I was told that my mom wrapped herself around the kids to cushion them from the impact. She took the full force. The driver escaped with just a scratch by comparison. “It was certainly the worst time of my life. I was 22, and I was still as close to my parents as I was when I was a child. It was still important to me to please my father. His presence always helped me stay on the right path, to do what was right. I wondered how my life would change without my parents. “In the midst of our grief, Tigers president and general manager Jim Campbell paid me a visit. After offering his condolences, he shook my hand and handed me a check to pay for the funerals and the hospital bills. The check was for $20,000.00. Remember this was 1965, and $20,000.00 was a tremendous amount of money. I tried to pay him back in the month that followed, but he would never accept my money. “It started to become clear to me that the Tigers had become like a second family to me, and Mr. Campbell was like my surrogate father. Gates Brown always used to say about Campbell, ‘He’ll take you to lunch and spend a thousand bucks, then fight you tooth and nail over fifty bucks in your paycheck.’ When it came to business, Mr. Campbell ruled with an iron fist. But when it came to his friends, Mr. Campbell had a heart of gold.” (pp. 26-28) I leave you alone with Jesus as you consider the long and winding you are on …and with this little word of promise: “after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. |
The Long and Winding …
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