An Excerpt from Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

I finished Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith around two weeks ago.  A book about faith and how faith makes a difference in life.  Enchanting and keeping me thinking.

When it comes to English, Mitch Albom's books are at the right level of difficulty for juniors and seniors in high school.  The following is an excerpt from Have a Little Faith. I love the story and its moral.

From a Sermon by the Reb, 1975

     A man seeks employment on a farm.  He hands his letter of recommendation to his new employer.  It reads simply, 'He sleeps in a storm.'

"The owner is desperate for help, so he hires the man.

"Several weeks pass, and suddenly, in the middle of the night, a powerful storm rips through the valley.

"Awakened by  the swirling rain and howling wind, the owner leaps out of bed.  He calls for his new hired hand, but the man is sleeping soundly.

"So he dashes off to the barn.  He sees, to his amazement, that the animals are secure with plenty of feed.

"He runs out to the field.  He sees the bales of wheat have been bound and are wrapped in tarpaulins.

"He races to the silo.  The doors are latched, and the grain is dry.

"And then he understands.  'He sleeps in a storm.'

"My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our livesswill not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business.  Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight.  We will never wallow in the agony of 'I could have, I shoud have.' We can sleep in a storm.

My comments: This story can be a waking-up call for those who are still young but living without purpose.

Besides, Mitch Albom used three different words "dashes," "runs," and "races" to describe the fast movement.  This is an important principle in writing--avoid using the same verb.

When reading, if we pay attention to how the writer uses words, we'll write better.