If you were still living in the panhandles of Texas or Oklahoma this week back in 1935, your Sunday would have started out somewhat normal. Of course, you were tired of all the wind blowing and the dust or sand everywhere. Yet that Sunday began with the birds singing and the sun shining. However, by the end of the day you had experienced one of the worst sand storms in our country’s history. It was called Black Sunday. Day turned into night. Confusion was rampant everywhere. After this day this area along with parts of Kansas and Colorado would be labeled the Dust Bowl. These storms became so bad that later on in the month dust from this region reached places like Washington D.C. and New York City.
Because of bad farming practices and record dry weather the countryside that was lush in the 1920’s now became a barren wasteland. Researchers have estimated that over 100 million acres of farmland were lost to these storms the year before Black Sunday. My mother shared with us that when our grandmother saw these storms coming that she would soak bed sheets in water and then put them up in the window to catch the dust so that the air could come through and the dust be stuck in the sheets. And the family was at least 200 miles away from the epicenter of the Dust Bowl! She just didn’t want the farm in her house!
We can learn a few things from Black Sunday. Don’t let yourself be so worn down due to the strains of life. Find time to renew your body and soul. Get out and enjoy God’s creation or slow down and catch up on some spiritual devotion. Much like the Earth in this part of the country needed re-nourishment, you do as well. Be careful to not let the pressures of this world blow you away!