“Keep me searchin’ for a heart of gold. I’ve been a miner for a heart of gold.”-Neil Young
It was 1898 and Virgil and Allie Earp had been married twenty-five years happily and without children.
One day, Virgil received a letter from Jane Lavin in Portland, Oregon saying that she was his daughter born to Ellen Rysdam in 1862 (a previous marriage). Virgil was serving in the North/ South conflict.
Upon receiving the letter, Virgil planned a trip to Portland where he connected with his daughter and three grandchildren along with harmoniously reuniting with his previous wife, Ellen. In the years following, Virgil and his daughter would exchange visits.
Meanwhile, Allie Earp became extremely jealous and divorced Virgil in a fit of rage.
False.
Allie was there in Oregon and journaled a thought while there. “It was a meeting of great feelings and after these had been dispensed with, they went to her home.” She was not jealous but overjoyed. She writes, “All these years and me and Virge never had a baby and here was Virge finding out for the first time in his life he had a grown-up young lady daughter, Jane!”
All remained close until Virgil died seven years later. October 19, 1905, Virgil Earp passed away at the age of 62. He and Allie were married 30+ years. She by his side as he breathed his last. “Light my cigar and stay here…and hold my hand.” She did. Allie Earp–she’s one to admire.
She moved to Los Angeles and lived another forty-two years after losing her longtime lawman hubby. She and Adelia Earp Edwards (Virgil’s sister) were long friends and the two share a gravesite in Mountain View Cemetary in San Bernadino. Allie was 98 at the time of her passing.
Virgil was buried in Portland next to the plot where his daughter would eventually be laid to rest
—
There is no room for bitterness within the bonds of unconditional love for another. Allie Earp is one of those from the past that can help all of us in the present. Sometimes it can be understandably difficult to accept unexpected news or events especially when it involves someone we love dearly. An empathetic perspective to the entire situation will allow the sudden news to be filtered properly before it manifests into something greater than it actually is.
Neil, I think we found one of those golden hearts you were searching for in back in ’72.
Allie Earp is a hero. She was married to one of the grittiest lawmen that helped keep Western towns in order. He was a hero at times in his own right. Maybe he played the villainous role a time or two in his younger days, but Virge had the strength, confidence, and graft needed to navigate more than a few life-threatening situations. Maybe those situations were just a bit easier knowing that his “Allie girl” was by his side supporting him through it all.
—
This is a challenge to be the “Heart of Gold” those in your life are searching for. Be the hero in the story. This world stage has casted enough villains. Be like Virge and Allie and be a hero.
Whether it’s being a hero for loved ones in arm’s reach or a hero for teammates on the field, be the hero in your own story. Don’t search for another. You might be searching forever like Neil Young in ’72. When the root is fueled by unconditional love, the actions will always lean towards the heroic.
“What we learn about the ‘Past’ does not give us absolute truth about the present” as Howard Zinn writes but it certainly can help shape our mindsets to be part of the solutions in the present. “It is a race in which we can all choose to participate or just watch. But we should know that our choice will help determine the outcome.”
Choose the hero role every day and in every situation. The choice is there in every moment.
—
A simple message from the heart inspired by Virgil and Allie Earp. Thank you to Tom Clavin for the extensive works covering the Earps and all of the Old West. I suggest Dodge City and Tombstone if you want a deeper view into more heroic characters from the past. You’ll find vindictive villains in those books as well. Which will you embody today?
Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’
Whit W.