A Cowboy's Christmas Prayer

I've been neglecting the blog--I've had bronchitis since just after Thanksgiving. Once I finally gave up on getting over it myself and got prescriptions from the doctor, I had a nasty reaction to them and ended up feeling worse than I did with the bronchitis. So needless to say, since I started feeling somewhat human again last week, I've been scrambling to catch up with the baking, the card-sending, the shopping and the wrapping.

But I was so excited to find this poem! It's something I enjoyed listening to on my mom's old Jimmy Dean Christmas album. I can still hear the scratchy sound of that record as I read the poem even now. My cowboy silhouette (background) may be temporarily missing for the holidays, but as most of you know, I love all things cowboy and this is the perfect Christmas wish! I hope you enjoy it!

A COWBOY'S CHRISTMAS PRAYER
By S. Omar Barker (1894-1985)

I ain't much good at prayin', and You may not know me, Lord-
I ain't much seen in churches where they preach Thy Holy Word,
But you may have observed me out here on the lonely plains,
A-lookin' after cattle, feelin' thankful when it rains,
Admirin' Thy great handiwork, the miracle of grass,
Aware of Thy kind spirit in the way it comes to pass
That hired men on horseback and the livestock we tend
Can look up at the stars at night and know we've got a friend.

So here's ol' Christmas comin' on, remindin' us again
Of Him whose coming brought good will into the hearts of men.
A cowboy ain't no preacher, Lord, but if You'll hear my prayer,
I'll ask as good as we have got for all men everywhere.
Don't let no hearts be bitter, Lord.
Don't let no child be cold.
Make easy beds for them that's sick and them that's weak and old.
Let kindness bless the trail we ride, no matter what we're after,
And sorter keep us on Your side, in tears as well as laughter.

I've seen ol' cows a-starvin, and it ain't no happy sight:
Please don't leave no one hungry, Lord, on thy good Christmas night-
No man, no child, no woman, and no critter on four feet-
I'll aim to do my best to help You find 'em chuck to eat.

I'm just an ol’ cowpoke, Lord-I ain't got no business prayin'-
But still I hope You'll ketch a word or two of what I'm sayin':
We speak of Merry Christmas, Lord-I reckon you'll agree
There ain't no Merry Christmas for a man if he ain't free.
So one thing more I'll ask You, Lord: Just help us what you can
To save some seeds of freedom for the future sons of man.

Special Guest: Paty Jager

My last guest blogger, Kat Henry Doran, is a long-time friend and CP. So it's fitting that today's guest blogger is someone I've known nearly as long. Paty and I met nine years ago (I measure by my oldest son's age, I was nine months pregnant when we first began emailing after I judged her MS in a contest.)Over the years, we've bonded not just over a shared love of the old west but motherhood, baking and all the fun stuff that goes along with it. Her topic today is fitting since Paty is my go-to gal for all things horses!

Please welcome my special guest, multi-publihsed author, Paty Jager!



Bud- The Equine Model

I’ve stated this before on other blogs- my horse- Bud, is the horse on the cover of “Outlaw in Petticoats” my recent release from The Wild Rose Press. Since you can all see how gorgeous he is let me tell you a little something about him.

Bud is the prodigy of my daughter’s mare, who she bought with her own money when she was twelve and used in 4-H for four years before purchasing an abused mare who she calmed and used as her 4-H project. Her little- 14.1 hand mare- had three other offspring before she was bred to a young stud. The owner wanted to see what kind of foals the stud would throw, so they gave me a good deal on a stud fee. And eleven months later on a dewy May morning there was Bud on wobbly legs.

I was able to run my hands over him and pet him. I did this every day and put a small halter on him. Both my daughters were away at college and one of their friends came over one day to visit and help me put a new halter on Bud. She got an arm around his neck and then he tried to get way, dragging her toward the pond. He stopped, planting his feet, and dumped her over his head into the water!

When he was old enough to start training to saddle, I’d catch him and saddle him up and walk him around. During the learning to be saddled process, he would twist and pull the blanket off before I could set the saddle on it. Yes, this big boy has a sense of humor!

Last summer he had a set-to. I wanted him to go into the dry land for a ride and he wanted to walk through shoulder high grass so he could nibble. With us both having different mind sets, he started hopping and bucking. I hung on until he calmed down, then I bailed off and growled through clenched teeth, “You don’t ever do that again!” He was shaking and looking as if he wasn’t sure what happened. When he’d calmed down, I walked him into the dry land and mounted. We finished our ride, with him jumping at every little thing.

As for the photo shoot for the cover picture, he was a true gentleman. I saddled him up, strung all the props on his saddle, and we marched out through the property looking for a place to take the photo. When we found the spot, I unloaded the props and he went to eating the grass. I’d push on his hips to make him move different ways so my daughter could figure out the best angles and photos, but he was very tolerant of us. More so, than a person would have been.

Bud is eight years old and with his personality and stocky build, he’ll be around many, many more years for my riding pleasure.

If you have read my latest release, Outlaw in Petticoats, featuring Bud on the cover, I’d appreciate your vote over at Love Western Romances. http://www.lovewesternromances.com/index.html

Nicole, thank you for having me here today. I enjoyed sharing my equine friend with you all!

Guest Blogging Today

Come visit me today at the Scandalous Victorians blog site as I talk about social etiquette in the Victorian era. You just know I had to work in something about cowboys...

Another blog worth checking out (I read it nearly every day) is the Behind the Garden Gate blog over at TWRP. Check it out if you have time!

Happy Reading!

Nic

In Esteemed Company

We all (assuming everyone reading this is a fellow author) dream of finding ourselves on a best seller list. Finding yourself on a bestseller list with the likes of Stephen King, James Patterson, Clive Cussler, Janet Evanovich, Sherrilyn Kenyon and JD Robb is almost too good to be true. But I've been following this site for a few weeks and finally have stopped trying to convince myself that it's a mistake. It's real!

Check out the Sony E Reader store listing of best selling mass market paperbacks and find yours truly at #10 (down from #2 a couple of weeks back!) with Small Town Christmas! http://ebookstore.sony.com/bestseller/mass-market-paperback

I wonder if these big guys are looking at any of these lists and wondering "who in the heck is this Nicole McCaffrey person and how'd she get into our exclusive little club?"

If I'm dreaming, please don't wake me!