About

There once was a man who crisscrossed fields in central Illinois, where the land is flat for as far as the eye can see, producing bushels upon bushels of corn and soy beans. And in his hours of production he reflected on life, his relationships, issues of the times, and faith. He let his fertile mind refine and digest thoughts into words, phrases and poems … his wisdom to share. And this wisdom was more than the product of a blue collar farmer. It poured forth from a man engaged in school boards, community college leadership, political action, agricultural developments, public relations, and spiritual participation.

I came to know this man Linden Allen Warfel some 40 years ago because our wives were college friends and put us together on rare but meaningful social occasions. So while the women talked during October 2001, Lin asked if I’d be interested in driving a four-wheel-drive pickup truck with a wagon or two of corn in tow during harvest. Shortly after that we began more than a decade of visits of a week or two during harvest time, hauling millions of pounds of soy beans and corn to market each year.

Much of our time in the fields during harvest reminded me of what pre-historic hunting parties must have been like … choreographing monster machinery in close harmony with very little conversation and a few hand signals. However on breakdown days, as we were in maintenance mode, and after church on Sundays there was the occasion for deeper conversation and we became close. And now as my faith has grown, I confess that Lin Warfel has been an inspiration to me of a life well lived.

Lin’s philosophy of investing in people and things eternal is reflected in the brilliance of this collection of poems which is dedicated to his homespun art of expression.

Bruce Koe
Christmas 2014