In his early days, Hollywood spent his time working on ranches. He made friends with everything around him, not just people. He made friends with his horses; he made friends with all the critters that he looked after. He made friends with the people that came to the ranch. He had friends from all over Eastern Wyoming and western South Dakota.

He learned many, many songs from his mother. These songs were about all different kinds of things. Sometimes she taught him songs about riding on the range. Sometimes she taught him songs about storm clouds and about the power of the river. Sometimes she taught him songs about how it felt when people came by to visit. She used the songs to teach him truth and life lessons.

On this day he walked way out onto the backside of the ranch. Drifting up into the foothills of the Wind River Range; he sat down in a deep crevice to ponder. Hollywood watched the clouds drift by as his mind wandered. He thought of one of those songs from his mom. In his mind he could hear her voice singing –

Laying in a narrow, daydreaming on life,

Looking at a cleft between tall walls.

heard a deep rumble of old boot heels,

They were coming down the draw.

Been a while since I put eyes on them,

I would guess three or four months.

This clatter could not be mistaken,

If you had ever heard it once.

His mind drifted once again. Watching the clouds come by, observing the formations with an imagination, you started guessing what he was seeing. Sometimes he could see the head of a coyote. As it drifted by another time, he thought he was seeing a turtle floating across the sky. Then a long, narrow snake moving across the sky; then that snake transformed and it became the round dot with another dot and another dot and it looked almost like a music note. But that seemed a little too strange for him. Then his mother’s voice came back to him again.

She often wondered about people and how they thought about the things of God. She was very willing to listen to their thoughts and pray for them and help them understand the things about Jesus that would change their lives. Hollywood knew that.

His relationship with God happened because of his mother talking to him over and over as he wrestled with the things of life. Hollywood wondered what his life would have been like if he had not paid attention to her thoughts. He was eternally grateful for her willingness to keep talking with him and keep praying with him until finally he understood that there was a God out there that loved him in spite of all the things he had done. This God really loved him in spite of himself. Hollywood struggled with a lot of things in his younger years, but he never forgot the words of his mother.

He ran away from home when he was a young man. He was convinced that he was going to find his own way and that he knew better than anybody else what was going to be good for him. Ohh my, the troubles he got himself into. He started running with the wrong crowd. This crowd was not a good influence. Because of his mother’s prayer and Fathers influence, he was truly fortunate to isolate himself before they started robbing banks.

He found a very loving and gentle sheriff that picked him up and put him in jail for a couple of weeks and talked with him about the path that he was on. That sheriff then reached out to his mother and determined that she was a woman of God. So, he released Hollywood into his mother and father’s hands.

Boy did she scold him. ‘Hollywood’ she sternly blurted out as she grabbed his ear and twisted. But she also showed him great mercy when the time came for him to sit down and take account of his life. So, as he slowed down in this small valley on this day; He heard her voice once again. — She was singing —

Started thinking about God’s grace.

I wondered if this was their today.

Told them about the goodness of God.

Turned out Jesus was the right play.

Their hearts renewed by mercy.

The wild horse in them put to rest.

They did not expect this blessing.

God gave them grace and his cleft.

Hollywood was at peace with himself now. He had Miss Tillie (his wife and best friend) at his side. And he had responsibilities. He worked for a good man on a ranch that needed his help. He felt like he had a purpose.

His boss said — You’ve come a long way since that little boy who ran away. It was clear, you were running from life, from your parents, from your friends, and from everything else. Anyone could see you were trying to figure out what this life is all about.

Today, out on the range, Hollywood just thinks about the songs his mother used to sing to him to help calm him down when the day was hard. On those days, his mother’s voice, and the God that he serves brought him peace.

And then, there is Miss Tillie, his wife. She was a gift from God. She made him feel needed and wanted. Life does not get much better. And with that, the sun started to drift down. Hollywood hopped back up from his resting place and headed home. His workday was done, his thinking was done, he was ready to go home and spend time with his wife. It was a good day….

Proverbs 31:10-12 – A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

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.