Anecdotes of Father Santan Pinto, SOLT

The Floating Log

To all the trees in the forest this year, this particular Cedar tree was funny. Everyone that passed by first looked in astonishment then burst into uncontrollable laughter. The trees in the forest named the tree Funky. The woodcutters, animals, and even the birds came around to visit Funky, to have a good laugh at the dismay of the other cedars. “Funky”, they said to one another, “is a disgrace to the Cedar family name”.

During that summer a widespread draught spread through the land, the lightening struck the tall cedars. One of them that were extremely tall was instantly burned. The embers from that tree were carried by the winds. Within a few seconds the entire forest was set ablaze. The firefighters arrived by helicopters. In that blaze they could only see Funky because it was little and stood out from the rest of the trees. They landed nearby Funky and began to cut down the nearby trees so that the fire would not spread to the other parts of the forest. One of the firefighters cut Funky. He trimmed the branches and Funky now became just a little log. Jack the firefighter placed Funky in the trunk of his truck and took him home. His wife Jill met him, as he pulled into the driveway. “What did you bring today?” asked Jill. Jack answered, “In the forest fire I found this tree still standing. All the other trees were burned to ashes. Why was this tree the only one that did not burn?” Jill looked at the tree in amazement.

Funky grew up different from other trees. It had knots from head to toe. There were only three branches and these had only a few leaves. Now, as it lay in the backyard of Jack and Jill. Funky lay there in bewilderment and loneliness. Many questions raised in his tired and angry mind,“Did the Almighty have a purpose for creating such a misfit as me?”

Years passed by and everybody forgot Funky. Jack had a cabin near the lake and he wanted something to tie his boat to. He tried using the exiting logs. They seemed to withstand the strain and the waves for a few months. Then all of a sudden they would break into bits as the wood got softer. He looked at Funky and thought of using it as a makeshift log to tie his boat to. On noticing how funny this log looked, all the people in the village laughed at Jack.

Years passed by and that year a violent storm hit the area. The mountains could not contain the rain any longer. What were gentle streams now became rushing rivulets. The lake and the rivers began to swell. The people began to leave their homes in a caravan. Jack and Jill left for the neighboring hills. The waters stood on the ground for weeks and when at last they seemed to subside. There was mud all over the entire neighborhood. Floating in the lake was Funky and tied to it was Jack’s boat. How happy was Jack to find his boat! In the process of paddling his boat to the shore he forgot all about Funky. “How ungrateful people are”, thought Funky as he kept floating along.

The fish gave Funky a new name, “the Floating Log”. Funky was the only log that kept floating in the lake and nobody wanted it. Yet to the Beaver, the birds and many insects Funky was a platform to rest. Funky was dependable because it was always there. It was strong and because of its many knots wasn’t smooth and slippery like the other logs.

During the storms and floods all the animals would depend upon Funky to save them. The mama Seals would leave their young on Funky and dive for food. Funky became the talk of the forest once again. Jack’s son had a little boy. He was born with many defects. Yet, Simon had a heart of gold. He made all, those who knew him and met him, forget their misery.

Once when Jack and Jill took Simon their grand son fishing, Simon who quietly slipped from the company wandered into the woods. Soon he lost his way. As he tried to run in panic he fell and slipped and found himself in the lake. Simon called out for help but there was none to hear his cry. The seals saw Simon’s predicament and rushed to help him. Soon they brought him to the floating log. Simon climbed on the log and the seals moved the log to the shore. Meanwhile Jack and Jill and the entire neighborhood were out searching for Simon.

To Jack’s astonishment he saw what the seals were doing and with one look he recognized the log. Someone came along to help Jack to get Simon off the log. Jack tied Funky and asked his neighbor to get his boat. He then towed Funky back to his dock. He hired a lift and brought Funky to the town’s museum. It is here that Funky stands today. Underneath is an inscription that reads, “Funky the Floating Log”. The children who would come to the museum would find the story of Funky interesting. Each person that visited that museum often thought of himself or herself just like Funky. Yet in the midst of all the ridicule and jokes, Funky was the only log that lasted thus long. God used Funky to help so many people, especially the boy who told the story of how Funky had saved his life. Simon lived many years and was buried near Funky. As visitors passed by each told the story adding to the many gifts of Funky, the fact that Simon lay by its side always.

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