"Hollis"

Old Hollis was a cowboy,

His face leathered and tan,

Except the part his hat was on,

If he removed it with his hand.

And there as white as white could be,

Was the rest of his bald head,

If he was outside anytime,

That hat was where he said.

And it’s a very good thing,

He kept it there in place,

To keep the sun off his pale head,

And to shade his face.

The tan line was there clearly,

No telling for how long,

He was not conscious of it,

I never thought it wrong.

But he sometimes surprised me,

Because his cowboy way,

Was lots more like New Mexico,

That that old Pike Road place.

Sometimes he and Zelma,

Zelma was his wife,

They’d cook up eggs and peppers,

For suppertime at night.

Or out she’d come with coffee,

On a hot summer afternoon,

And all the cowboys drank it,

No sugar, cream, or spoon.

I watched him ride so lightly,

His horse moved in a float,

But Hollis was so humble,

You never heard him gloat.

Another thing about him,

I never heard him curse,

Nor was he a racist,

As he daily served as nurse,

For several hundred yearlings,

And pretty much alone,

But as a kid I went there,

And sometimes Dad would phone,

To ask how we were doing,

And he’d chuckle and laugh,

When I talked about old Hollis,

My brags on his behalf.

They went back to New Mexico,

I never knew just why,

He felt like it was time to go,

I never said good-bye.

But I think about him,

I think of Zelma, too,

And just how really kind they were,

To this cowboy child they knew.

They never did have children,

I think sometimes that I,

Was the closest thing they had,

Those times were good and why.

One of the first I ever knew,

Who showed a way to live,

A cowboy kind and gentle,

With wisdom that he’d give.

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked…” (Ps. 1:1, NLT)

It matters who we listen to and whose advice we follow. Sometimes we allow people to influence us who will lead us in the wrong direction. We should do all that we can to get away from these people. If we cannot escape them, we must find ways to offset their influence. That’s where good counselors come in. Who are these people? They are the ones whose lives exemplify integrity, make themselves available to us, and are safe to open up to. If the identity of these people is not obvious, it needs to become a focus of our attention and prayers. God will send these people to all who ask for them and are paying attention to the ones He sends. They will bring us godly counsel, and lead us to be closer to Him.

Lord, send us godly counselors, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.