Whittling in the Great Beyond

I thought this was published on 3/22/2021. Publishing it about a year later...

When I was around age 8, I was in a play. I had one line in the play, “Mister, can I be in the band.” To which the band leader basically told me that if I work at it, one day I could.

In the rehearsals that I went to, and during the nights we performed, my father in the play (Ferrell Dillworth) whittled wood. I thought it was awesome to watch Ferrell whittle. Shortly after that, Mom signed him up as a 4H instructor, so I could learn to whittle.

Ferrell passed away recently and I attended his funeral. Here’s his obituary: https://www.wilkscolonialchapel.com/obituaries/Ferrel-Dilworth?obId=21064423#/obituaryInfo

At his funeral, I loved several stories that were shared: 

First: He was called to lead some of the older boy scouts in his ward. He drove a very small car and the young men loved to pick it up and move it. They often moved it to different parts of the parking lot, and sometimes even hid it. He decided to provide them with a “Learning Activity.” One day, when they moved his car, Ferrell’s friend (who was a police officer) took them all to the police station where Ferrell shared a priesthood lesson about making better choices.

Second: Another experience that just made me laugh as I though of his creative and fun personality. When they lived in the mountains, he helped his children make zucchini boats that they raced down the stream. They made the boats out of zucchini in case one was lost, the deer could eat it!

Third: When I met Ferrell, he lived in a basement house. He was building a main level above the basement. One day, when the roof was nearing completion, he felt impressed to go on the roof. As he reached the rooftop, his son Spencer ran past and he quickly grabbed him. A brief moment later, his daughter Katrina leapt from the roof. He was able to reach out and snag Katrina from a painful fall.

Fourth: As a young man, Ferrell was deciding whether to serve as a missionary, he left his home in Idaho to Escondido, California to burn weeds. One of the dangers in burning weeds is having the wind come up and blow the fire in an unsafe direction. As he was working he was contemplating his belief in God and wondering if he should serve a mission. One day, he went to burn weeds and the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. He said a simple prayer, “Lord, if it wouldn’t matter to anyone, would you change the wind?” The wind changed.

Each day, for over a week, he prayed, “If it wouldn’t matter to anyone, would you change the wind?” Each day, the wind changed in the direction he needed it to go.

The miracle of the changing of the wind... I love hearing the simple, yet important, ways the Lord blesses our lives and provides miracles in the lives of good people who exercise their faith in our creator. I’m grateful to know Ferrell and for the ways he blessed my life.