Meeting the Sweet Grass

By: Joe Glueckert

Narrated by: David York

These short stories are the memories of a 16-year-old boy born and raised under the Big Sky, Montana. His dream of working on a ranch and becoming a cowboy was fulfilled in the late 1960s when he spent three summers on the "Sweet Grass," a four-generation ranch. He came to know what the predawn call to "rise and shine" meant, how it feels to milk a cow with callouses on your hands, to be tossed off the back of a horse and hang on to the reins, and all the other skills required to become a ranch hand.

In the process, he came to love the ranch family and discover why his boss said that ranching is not for atheists—since a farmer needs to partner with God, who is the Creator and, in his word, gives clear instructions. Their reverence was expressed not in many words but in the way they treated their family, other people, their cattle, their dogs, and the land itself. They worked hard and rested on the Sabbath. They put their trust in God and were rewarded with his smile.

During these summers of learning the ways of the land and the Sweet Grass, he became a young man and later moved to California. He had a successful 37-year career with a utility company, where all those skills served him well.

He still remembers the smell of the grass in Montana and what he saw in the Big Sky.

©2023 Joe Gluekert (P)2023 Joe Gluekert