Loving Your Work - From the Heart, with John Willard
Channel: CNA TV - NAHCA Broadcasting Network
Date: 03/09/2019

Hi friends, John Willard here- just back from the wonderful CNA-FEST In Little Rock, Arkansas. I want to thank NAHCA and all the CNA members in attendance for the graciousness they showed the Old Gentleman Poet! I have a great show for you today and if you’re not already subscribed to CNA-TV do me a big favor and hit the subscribe button down below. 

As you may know I’ve often talked in my shows about Doc McCracken- I always remember him saying- “Whatever a person decides to make their life’s work money is not the most important- loving what you do is!” And Doc McCracken definitely loved what he did- caring for people just like NAHCA and CNA’s! 

There was no better example of loving what you do than the old cowhand Tom Blasingame Who as a child dreamed of working on a ranch. At 18 years of age in 1916 he headed out to the Texas Panhandle and hired on to the famous JA Ranch the spread started by Charles Goodnight.

The JA Ranch was the biggest ranch in the Texas Panhandle with well in excess of one million acres- it was a paradise for Tom!

On a usual workday Tom would ride 100 miles and besides working the cows he found he had a knack for breaking horses. And he would take part in breaking 40 four year old colts every spring. Tom said-“I never hit the horses much when I was breakin ‘em, Maybe a little slap on the neck or somethin’ just to let ‘em know they did somethin’ wrong. A horse is purdy smart. He knows when your abusing him and when you’re not.”

Tom lived in an old bunk House on the spread with no phone or electricity, his lone luxury being a transistor radio. He visited his wife Eleanor on the weekends just north of the ranch. Tom didn’t drink, smoke or gamble like most of the hands, he figured it took focus off of the job- he did like to chew tobacco though but even quit that to save his teeth so he could still eat beef jerky.

On December 27, 1989, Tom climbed off his horse Ruidosa, laid down on the grass, folded his arms across his chest and died. When word got back to the rest of the cowhands not one of those rough and tough Cowboys had a dry eye! Tom died just two months shy of his 92nd birthday having worked the ranch for 73 of those years! He lay there, arms folded with a wry smile having loved every minute of the work he did for those 73 years on the beloved ranch where he is buried today next to Eleanor. 

Many things will catch your eye- but only a few will catch your heart- pursue those.

You can reach me on Twitter @JohnWillard47 and for any of you CNA’s out there watching that aren’t NAHCA members yet follow the link below to become a member- you’ll be happy you did.

I’ll see you next week friends, until then-
This is John Willard, from the Farm!            


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