Cowboy Spirituality
(Part 4 of 4)
By Phyllis Coletta
The high-powered city boys are unwinding, and laughing loud and plenty by Day Three in the wilderness with Johnny and his buddies. Yet Johnny Ray’s powerful spirituality draws out the pain and fear in people, bubbling troubles to the surface to be healed. By the world’s standards, Johnny’s not an “educated” man but inevitably, after everyone has retired one guy will hang behind, wanting to stay up and unburden himself to Johnny Ray, wanting to reveal a fear, a secret a pain because Johnny is like a shaman and a shrink. No, he’s much better than a shrink because he is free of the shackles of dense theories and years of conformity. Johnny Ray just brings his living presence to the campfire and it’s as real and intense as the flame itself, which draws out the darkest secrets of a powerful big city surgeon.
When I went out on the trail through the Wet Mountains of Colorado with Johnny and seven other folks I was transformed by this man. This is what happens in the presence of truly spiritual people. I have a degree in theology, I have been in churches throughout the world, joined sanghas to meditate and practiced with a Hindu yogi. But I have never met anyone with a more powerful belief than Johnny. He is pure faith in the body of a rodeo man; he is fearless and lighthearted, sure and calm. As we’d wend our way up the magnificent Rockies I’d hear Johnny at the back of the train, leading his pack horses and singing at the top of his scrawny lungs. I’m sure I’ve never heard anything as beautiful as the sound of Johnny singing on the trail.
Johnny Ray will be moving on from his stint in Colorado, living the nomadic life of a real cowboy. Back to Texas to rodeo, then maybe off to Alaska to guide more pack trips. Along the way, he’ll regale everyone with his quick wit and cowboy wisdom. He’ll happily give away his love of life, his faith in God, dispensing deep joy like warm slices of his apple pie.
How does a man who has suffered so much come to such peace and joy? Johnny’s answer is uncompromising: God saved him from his trials. His good Lord created the blanket of stars he watches with wonder, the cold creeks he bathes in and the magnificent mountains he climbs. Staying close to God’s greatest creation, Johnny found a way to forgive himself. There is nothing we can do that cannot be forgiven and Johnny Ray is living proof of this.
We are so lucky to have Johnny Ray here with us. His cowboy spirit is so big it touches you right now, where you live. Through his faith and courage, his simple song of joy on the trail, we are healed. He is the manifestation of the power of love and forgiveness. Who would think that a rodeo cowboy could teach us so much about faith in God? Having already experienced the worst of hell, Johnny is back to help show us how to live a life as beautiful and magnificent as the Rockies he adores. His cowboy spirituality teaches us simplicity and strength.
“The good Lord made these mountains,” Johnny says, his blue eyes sparkling, “there is nothing He can’t do.”
Phyllis Coletta is a "recovering lawyer," cowgirl, writer, teacher, and inspiration to folks in general, especially at Bear Basin Ranch where she and her partner run KB Mountain Adventures. For more info, see http://www.kbmountainadventures.com
posted by Denise Michaels @ 8:44 PM
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