Cochise, The Cartwrights, and Me

My daddy loved the horse that Little Joe rode on Bonanza. It was a black and white pinto and its name was Cochise on the show. It had another name in real life, but it was Cochise to us. My favorite was Chub (ridden by Hoss, of course). I thought Sport (ridden by Adam) had pretty feet. Buck (ridden by Pa) seemed a little prissy to me. Anyway, I always wanted Daddy to have a horse just like Cochise, so I decided that I would get him one. My plan was pretty simple, but full of flaws. I was about eight years old when I hatched this idea. As far as I was concerned, it was a brilliant scheme. I would marry one of the Cartwrights. Then, I could find out exactly where they got Cochise and ask them to get one for Daddy. They were rich and they could afford it. I didn’t care which one I married. Adam, Hoss, Little Joe, or Pa – made no difference to me. Secretly, though, I was hoping it would not be Pa. He wasn’t so fortunate in the wife department and had already had three of them to die on him. I was thinking that I might fare better with one of the sons. It wouldn’t be a bad life. I could live at the Ponderosa and make trips to Virginia City to shop. I wouldn’t have to cook, because Hop Sing was there and he was already the cook – and I suspected he was responsible for the laundry, too. The house was huge and nobody would stop me from sliding down the banister of that big staircase. I always admired Adam for building that house and having the good sense to include that great big fireplace.

One night while we were watching Bonanza, I told Daddy about my plan to get him a horse just like Cochise. To his credit, he didn’t laugh out loud. He did point out, in a very kind way, that the Cartwrights did not actually exist. What?? They do, too! I see them every week right there on television. They live in Nevada, for crying out loud. It’s a long way from Alabama, but so what? It still exists. And if I have to move there to get Cochise, so be it. Besides, if they aren’t real, my plan is doomed! I knew Daddy wouldn’t lie to me. I never felt quite the same way about Bonanza again. No Ponderosa in my future. My relief at not having to marry Ben Cartwright and meet an early doom did not overshadow my disappointment at missing out on that horse for Daddy.

I think God probably enjoyed all those plans, plots, and schemes I devised in my childhood. How thankful I am that I don’t have to depend on my own brainpower and abilities! And how thankful I am that God is always there - whether I am in a mess of my own making or otherwise – to rescue me.

Today, as I sit in the treatment room at the Cancer Center all plugged into bags of medicine, I am reminded of how much God loves me. This is not my life as I would have designed it, but I have never been more certain that God is going to take care of me. Your journey is not the same as mine, but it doesn’t mean it is easier. Just as difficult as cancer – only different. I loved my Daddy enough to marry Pa Cartwright. My Heavenly Father loves me so much that He gave me His Son. And He holds me close and comforts me – especially when my plans get all messed up. He loves you that much, too.

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing.   Zephaniah 3:17