He was thinking of the warm cabin and the hot coffee that awaited him when he glimpsed the trail across the meadow.”
–Louis L’Amour (Radigan)
Howdy, Pard, glad yuh came by. Sure, sure, the coffee’s hot and on the stove. More of that coffee from over in New Guinea. My it sure does satisfy the gizzard. Pard, some things yuh just can trust. The coffee’ll be on, if’n yuh went to my house Grandma always had the coffee on. Funny, she didn’t drink the stuff, but she always had it in case some dignitary would show up. Pard, it’s called Christian hospitality. Granny, Annie’s Mom, always had soup ready for us when we came for a visit to her home. Could depend on it, trust that it would be so.
Pard, speaking of trust, well, it’s a wonderful thing. I talked to ol’ Billy Basher the other day and found out why he had so many problems. He didn’t trust no one. What a way to go through life. He tolt me that when he was a kid he climbed up in a tree, kinda like lit’le Zacchaeus, maybe it was a sycamore tree, but anyhow, he couldn’t get down. He yelled and yelped and finally his Pa showed up. He tolt young Billy to jump so that he would catch him. Finally, after several minutes of coaxin’ Billy jumped towards his Pa’s outstretched arms. The thing is, Pard, an’ it sorta riles me, just as Billy was goin’ to land, unscathed in those rescuin’ arms, his Pa jerked them away. Ol’ Billy went splat, right there on the ground, groanin’ an’ a moanin’. Didn’t break nothin, but his ol’ noggin’ took a lump. His Pa looked down at him, pointed one of his long bony fingers and said, “Kid, that is a lesson yuh need to learn. Don’t be trustin’ no one in this life!”
Well, since then, ol’ Billy’s had some problems. Imagine, goin’ through life, not even bein’ able to trust yur Dad. Why it’s just natural for a youngster to reach out to his Mom or Dad in the midst of a terrible storm or other such ordeal. When a perplexin’ problem comes our way, we can sure trust the Lord, that’s a solemn fact. He won’t be pullin’ no arms away, but will catch us when we jump or if’n we fall–and that’s another solemn fact. Pard, what would life be like if’n we couldn’t be trustin’ in the Lord? It’s be worse that not havin’ coffee ready for yuh, an’ that’s a solemn fact.
Pard, as we go our separate ways, yuh can be sure that the Lord will catch yuh if’n yuh forget to check yur cinch, or at least pick yuh up and doctor yuh some. Yep, Pard, it’s good to be travelin’ through life with a Pard like the Lord there beside us–an’ that’s a solemn fact!
Vaya con Dios.