For Sale: One Used Saddle

To hear my dad describe Mr. Garland Webb is quite a salute to a great cowboy. He was a gentlemen cowboy, who removed his hat for a lady and his boots in the house. He treated his friends fairly, and his enemies wisely. His neighbors were like family. He was loved by many and envied by all.

At eighty years old, Mr. Garland was still swinging a leg over the saddle to ride fences and check cattle. He was a cowboy of all cowboys. I needed a saddle and he had his son’s thirty-year-old saddle for sale. I reached out my hand that held a hard-earned hundred-dollar bill. That was a lot of money, back then, for a young ten-year-old girl to save. He reached out his hand and took my money. In exchange, I got my saddle.

My parents taught us by example, how to manage money and explained that  it was a tool to utilize and not a master to serve. In our home money was not given as allowance. It was earned by the work we did. As kids, grumbling and complaining seemed to follow close behind us when work presented itself, but today the lessons have paid off in dividends. Our parents made sure we had opportunities to earn extra money. We would go with mom after school once a week to clean the hallway and laundry room of Mr. Harvey’s apartment buildings. He hired her to clean six apartment buildings and she paid us to help her. We also would do odd jobs for our dad out at the barn to earn extra money. No matter the job, my folks always paid a “workin’ man’s wage.” They wanted us to appreciate the money that we earned. Our regular, daily chores were completed each day, and these were not paid. We were a member of the family and  expected to do our part to help.

I couldn’t have been more than five or six when we began learning to handle money. Kids are smarter than we give them credit for. I remember dad and mom explaining to us about the tithe. It was always to come out first when we were paid. We were to honor God with ten cents out of every dollar we made. They explained he would always take care of all our needs as we honored him with the money we earned. In my six-year-old mind, I had decided that ten cents out of every dollar wasn’t a bad deal; He gets ten cents and I get to keep ninety. Even at that age, I could see how I came out ahead! After our tithe, we were taught to give some, save some and spend some. As we grew older and began to hold part-time jobs, our budget grew as well. We had funds for our budget such as; car maintenance, gas, insurance, clothes, entertainment and fun things we wanted. My parents were always right there to help direct us, but they were not our personal ATM machine. When emergencies arose, they were there for guidance, not payment. There were very few times that I could remember, my parents paying for an emergency. My parents were raising adults, not children. It was our responsibility to be prepared for emergencies. I can still hear them say, “The storm is coming, sis! Are you prepared for it?” When we are prepared for the storm, an emergency simply becomes an inconvenience only.

When I met Charles, I knew I had met my match. He was a well-balanced working machine, a cash-only man. I remember thinking, where do I sign to make him mine?! We both knew we would never “get” without giving to our finances. Wanting something for nothing is like wanting to be skinny while eating a Big Mac. That’s upside-down; It’s confusion. God never operates out of confusion. He has a system that works. It requires discipline and restraint, but it will create responsible, hardworking adults who are productive in society. His system requires me to put my hands to the plow and get to work. We knew if we stayed within the guidelines outlined in His word, it would create balance, order and riches.

Mr. Garland has been gone for many years now, but the lesson that saddle purchase taught me lives on. Today, that saddle is almost sixty-years-old with nothing wrong with it,  that a little saddle butter wouldn’t fix. When Eva is older, I plan on telling her the story  about how I purchased the saddle, she is now riding in. It’s a simple lesson with powerful truths. Money comes from hard work. I pray this principle comes back to her each time she holds out her hand to exchange money for a saddle.

Be diligent to know that state of your flocks and give attention to your herds. Proverbs 27:23

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