Month: November 2024

The sun had not even reached above the ridge near the area where Frank Burbank and Miss Tillie were camping. Frank was a cowboy and a guide, but most people just called him Hollywood. Miss Tillie was a schoolteacher. She was married to Frank, but everybody called her Miss Tillie, even Frank. Her full name was Rosemarie Tillie. Frank and Rosemarie knew each other as young adults.

They drifted apart as Frank went out into the world looking for adventure and she worked to become a schoolteacher. Rosemarie received wise counsel from her Grandmother Ruth. Her grandmother told her to be patient – God would bring Frank back to his senses. She grew her skill as a Wind River Range teacher and waited for Frank to become more stable. Over the years, Rosemarie lost sight of Frank and put him out of her mind. But, just as Grandmother Ruth had said — Frank settled down. It was Grandmother Ruth that gave Frank the nickname of ‘Hollywood,’ She named him Hollywood because Frank looked a bit like a Hollywood star. Frank and Rosemarie did not get married until the middle portion of their life.

Today, in the autumn of their life, they were camping in this valley looking for interesting things to see and butterflies to chase. Gradually as the sun appeared, Hollywood (Frank Burbank) remembered parts of a song that his mother (Gracie Burbank, Mother Gracie) used to sing when she was younger.

Hollywood sang aloud:

I love to feel the soft summer breeze and hear whispers through the trees.

Where you listen to the mountain stream, we often sit and dream.

The cowboys I remember true, were men who worshiped God above.

They just loved the big outdoors; God made this place for them to adore.

When he completed the song, Hollywood and Miss Tillie sat quietly for a minute. Then the smell of breakfast filled their Wind River campsite. Hollywood loved to smell coffee and bacon. He could not wait for breakfast. His tummy rolled and grumbled; he was pacing around the fire.

Hollywood said — Cannot wait, cannot wait. Really need some of your yummy breakfast, so we can begin the day.

Miss Tillie smiled and calmed him down as she carefully crafted the morning breakfast. She finished the bacon and set it aside, she finished the eggs and covered them with a lid to keep them warm, she made a little bit of oatmeal, and then she poured a nice cup of coffee. She found a bright red tablecloth with little stripes going every which way.

Miss Tillie smiled and said — I have used this tablecloth many times, it is full of memories, it will make the food taste better.

Then Miss Tillie laid out the plates on the tablecloth and placed the coffee cups where they were easy to reach. She invited Hollywood to have a seat so they could pray before they ate.

Miss Tillie prayed — Father God may you bless this food that we are about to eat, may you bless us in our activities today, may you keep us safe from trouble, and may we see the glory of your creation today. In Jesus name Amen.

With a great big smile on his face, Hollywood said – Amen! Let us eat.

Everything looked so good, Hollywood did not know where to begin; he just looked at the plate for a while. Then he gently picked up a small piece of bacon and crunched away on the wonderful flavors and aromas that Miss Tillie had made for him. Hollywood then found the eggs and gently placed them on a fork so he could treat them with all the respect that she did when she prepared them for him.

Hollywood sat back with the piece of toast and began to think about a song he was remembering. Something that Miss Tillie used to sing when she was very young and just getting started as a teacher. Hollywood remembered the song and started to sing —

I love to walk in the springtime and listen to the larks.

Can you hear God’s wind blowing, can you hear the angelic harps?

They sing in the valley where the deep snow laid just a month ago.

Now it is spring and I smell the flowers when I walk ever so slow.

Miss Tillie said – my grandmother Ruth taught me that song. She learned it from her mother. The song reminds me of the times when my grandmother would teach me about the things of God. She told me that God created the heavens and earth—everything we can see, everything we cannot see.

Miss Tillie continued — At first the Earth was difficult to see, it did not have much of a shape. The Spirit of God hovered and looked around. Then God made more changes. He said – let there be light. And just like that, light appeared, and he smiled. It was good. Then he let the night have its place and the day have its place. He was pleased. The next day, when the light appeared, he said — let there be a sky and land and oceans. Blue sky and blue waters appeared.  It was beautiful.

Miss Tillie continued – every time my grandmother Ruth sang the song, she taught me how God made everything we can see and everything we cannot see. I will always remember the respect she had for God. I hope I will always teach that respect to my students.

Hollywood sipped on his coffee. He could see the hope in Miss Tillie’s eyes as she talked about the things of God. He wondered what adventures they would get into today. He loved to listen to the stories from Miss Tillie’s childhood. Together they walked all through the valley for the rest of the day. They talked about things, listened to the larks, and marveled at God’s creation.

As the day ended, they settled down for supper. The night song from the critters was magnificent. The stars above retold the story of God’s creation. All was well in the world; Miss Tillie and her husband were content. A cool breeze lulled them to sleep. God was smiling…

Genesis 1:3-6 — And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Please note: In 1956 a cowboy poet, Jim Jennings, published a short book about his experience working at ‘dude’ ranches in the west. My Great grandmother, Goldie Livingston, obtained a first edition copy of Jim’s self-published book in the fall of 1956. The poetry in this story is adapted from Jim’s book.