Meet William Dale Holland, a.k.a Billybuc. A Salutation For His 100th Writer's Mailbag.

There are many excellent and talented writers on Hub Pages, and there are many good and inspirational ones. Of course, a combination of goodness, inspiration, talent and excellence stir many a noble heart, and Hub Pages have writers who show both.

This has been demonstrated by some in their prose of sheer beauty, and others in their selflessness, variety, insightfulness and sacrifice. The writer William Dale Holland, aka Billybuc, exemplifies both. Giving and receiving; Receiving and giving; this is the noble game of life, and some people do this in a unique, wholesome and beautiful way.

Some of Billy's motivational pieces are so inspirational! This can easily be seen by the numerous responses and accolades that he gets. Billybuc most certainly gives, when he lets us know that we can change, as in, ‘You Cannot Deny What You are: A Moment with Bill Reflection.’ He tells it like it is in, ‘Are You a Giver or a Taker on Hub Pages?’ In his very popular Hub, ‘Life Sucks And Then You Die ….. Or ….

Billybuc most certainly inspires us by telling us his own story; to know that we can change for the better, and invites us to be PIPO people (positive in/positive out), living ‘life like a hummingbird on speed.’ He has created a website dedicated to this cause, and contributes in a very conscious way, to the betterment of mankind. It is consequently quite natural, when he asks us to turn our lives around and ‘see the sunshine rather than the ever-present stormy clouds.

’http://hubpages.com/literature/Billybuc-And-Ms-Dora-Two-Inspirational-Hubbers

Perhaps this is why the charming and loving writer Marlene Bertrand, has this to say about him:

“Bill Holland is a man who puts all of his heart into everything he does. He is a dedicated writer who honors his readers, taking us through thrilling journeys where we would not ordinarily venture on our own. And, when it comes to sharing his life with us, he is open, frank, and candid so that we feel secure in our relationship with him. I feel blessed to be in the company of such a fine and wonderful human being. My dearest Bill, congratulations for achieving another milestone.”

Speaking of Bill's writing expertise, a keen Hubber says:

“I’ve been reading your ‘When the Corn Died’ series and I marvel at your ability to capture the sound of people back then in your dialogues. I remember talking to my grandmother, who was a teen during the Great Depression, and she spoke just like your characters do. How do you do that? Then you jump to your ‘Billy the Kid’ series and write like some guy who grew up on the streets. I just don’t understand how you do that so well.”-Brenda

Bill says that he is an observer:

" I’m an observer. I was the wallflower at school dances, leaning against the gymnasium wall, watching everyone else dance and have fun. Put me in a crowded room and I’ll pull up a chair and just watch the crowd. I do the same thing when I’m downtown or walking through a grocery store. I observe and I absorb it all."

https://letterpile.com/writing/The-Writers-Mailbag-Installment-Ninety-Five

Salutations

Today we celebrate the 100^th instalment of his Writer’s Mailbag, a journey of sweet labour, all in the cause of encouragement, advice, selfless service and most importantly, Love. It is a monumental task. Certainly not easy to sustain a Mailbag week after week for 100 weeks; writing Billy the Kid sagas, Bobby Fix-it and inspirational stories to awaken and stir the Heart.

Love is the Law; Love is the beginning and the end of the journey. Love radiates the life of harmony, brightens the joy consciousness and sharpens the sword of intuition. It is the very pulse of being, and Billy, I’m sure, would agree with this.

His ‘When The Corn Died’ series is loving, charming, very grass-root and full of everyday life situations. It is indeed a masterly reminder of the everyday struggles which we all encounter from time to time. Bill has many admirers, and this is what Ruby has to say:

“Bill writes from the heart and seems to be able to put himself close to all the characters he writes about, also he's been down and out, has lost everything, came close to death, ( from alcohol ) and rose again, to be one of the best writers anywhere. To my thinking he is a man with a purpose/goal and nothing will deter him. When money gets low he goes out and finds a job but continues to write.” – Ruby Jean Fuller. She too, has her own unique and extremely sincere approach.

John Hansen, (Jodah) a very popular Hubber on Hub Pages and another great writer, touches on Billy’s urban farming, teaching, love for animals and nature … I wish to add his inseparable bond with his life-partner and wife Beverly Holland and their family; keen powers of observation; his love for The Catskill Mountains and nature ...

Ode to Billybuc

Bill Holland is a teacher,

It shows in all he does.

He teaches others how to write.

It's something that he loves.

He has an urban garden,

Raising rabbits, goats, and quail.

He teaches by example,

How self-sufficiency prevails.

On Hub Pages he is billybuc,

His Mailbag's widely read,

At fiction he is brilliant

For writing, he has bled.

To me he is a mentor,

An example to us all,

Of how to be an author,

Who help others when they call. – John Hanson. Copyrighted 25^th May, 2016.

Brief Life-story

William Dale Holland, a.k.a Billybuc, was born on October 13, 1948, at 14.10 hrs one Wednesday afternoon in Tacoma, Washington. Bill was put up for adoption, and spent the next nine months in eight different foster homes. By the end of June, 1949, he was malnourished; suffered from poor nurturing and turning blind. One might say that perhaps Grace from above intervened, and he was finally adopted by Evelyn and Dale Holland and two weeks later, he regained his sight.

The young Bill had a good childhood. He was small for his age, but finally grew to a fairly normal size. He was a happy child with good friends and a great neighbourhood to explore; a safe environment that fostered learning and love.

Twice divorced, Bill tripped and stumbled often, as he found his way through life. When times got tough and answers were not forth-coming, he turned to alcohol, fighting with his demons for decades. Nevertheless, young Billy remained ever grateful to his birth mother saying:

“I will forever be grateful to my birth mother for giving me the greatest gift she could have given me.....LIFE!” http://hubpages.com/family/A-Letter-To-My-Birth-Mother-Who-I-Never-Knew

Studies and Craft

Bill graduated from Seattle University with Degrees in Marketing and Economics and from the University of Puget Sound with a degree in Education. He did eighteen years as a classroom teacher and held twenty-five other jobs over the years. Bill also owned and operated three business. His first novel was self-published in October, 2011, and has since either worked on or published works such as Resurrecting Tobias, and the Billy The Kid series.

A prolific writer, Bill engages us with humour and passion, with an uncanny ability to hold our attention with his sincere, adept, yet practical no nonsense style.

Bill is the founder of H.O.W. (Humanity One World), a movement formed to encourage others to help make this world a better place to live, thus making a difference, one person at a time. He would love us to join him in this noble cause to create awareness for human unity, cooperation, harmony, love and the spirit of oneness. Bill is on Facebook at .https://www.facebook.com/groups/294777667307474/.

Awards

One of Bill’s favourite quotes is:

"To strive, to seek, to find...and not to yield." –Tennyson.

For him, it implies the ability to search … a quest and an indomitable will to strive; to never give up; to reach for the stars … and this spirit you will have seen in his weekly Mailbag, as well as his Billy The Kid series and much more.

In 2012, Bill won Hubbie Awards for Most Helpful Hubber and for The Most Beautiful Hub.

In 2013, he won the Hubbie for Best All-Around Hubber, a feat repeated in 2014 and 2015, as well as Most Supportive Hubber.

He most certainly deserves much more for his tireless support and service to others, relentless yet organised pace at producing novels and smaller works;(novellas) his work for Humanity One World (H.O.W) and other delicious treats.

Bill And Bev

Bill met Beverly, his life-partner, in 2007, and between the two of them, they have five children. The oldest is Matt who is a registered nurse and part-time farmer. Second in line is Tyler, late twenties, who works in retail, and then Andrew, a carpenter. Leo is fourth and he’s in California working on a farm and Allora is probably still in college. Billy has a loving relationship that will last a lifetime. A student of life, interested in anything and everything; his hobbies include hiking, fishing, exploring, reading, gardening and of course, writing.

Bill has been employed for over fifty years! A tribute to hard work and the power of resilience, assiduousness … diligence. His first job was working in the Proctor Bowling Alley. Benefits included free bowling and so he was overjoyed. Billybuc was a lumberyard gofer, a store owner and in his own words, a retail grunt.

He shovelled pig poop and coal into blast furnaces; sold and delivered wine and beer, mucked out stalls and drove a taxi, delivered newspapers and yes, is now writing excellent books and short stories as well.

Bill and Bev share a lot in common, like twin souls. She has been working close to forty years, and her list of employment opportunities is equally varied and interesting. Bill tells us that they were both single parents; both understand which side of life’s bread is buttered. In his own inimitable style, Bill says:

“There are days we haven’t had a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out, and there have been days when we were flush with cash.”

Bill has had six-figure incomes; been homeless; owned fine cars and hitched rides to a homeless shelter. With his present experience, wisdom or prudence, Bill has come to understand that while the journey has been useful, it is where we are now, that counts. Bev helps in a profound way with this insight. According to Bill,

“Bev and I are in love with life. We are ecstatic. We are rolling in clover. We are….well, you get the point…our happiness has nothing to do with what we do for a living.

Absolutely nothing! I am happier today working on our urban farm than I was driving a Porsche to my business back in the 70’s. I am happier today with a used washer and dryer than I was thirty years ago flying to Mazatlán for vacation.

IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER!

And do you know why? Because happiness is an inside job! It makes no difference today what I do for a living. It makes no difference what Bev does for a job.”

Bill’s Dad

Bill’s father was a child of the Great Depression. He worked hard all his life and barely scraped by.So he was determined that his only son would have it better than he did. But whether he was conscious of the love he showed or not, we will never know, perhaps. Let us let Bill speak again:

“He failed to realize that every day he modelled love for his son; that it was that modelling that led me eventually, to the realization that love is the most important thing in the world. Not education, not money, not a three-car garage, not any of that extrinsic b.s, but Love!”

Bev and Bill seek to teach their children that lesson as best they can. http://hubpages.com/family/Days-of-Our-Lives-Episode-Four-What-Do-You-Want-to-be-When-You-Grow-Up

Dale LeRoy Holland, was born in 1919, in St. Louis, Missouri. He went to the Army and served during World War 2. Bill has obviously acquired great strength from him. After the war, he returned to the States, married, and he and his bride moved to Tacoma, Washington, where in 1948, they adopted the blind son we know as Bill. Dale Holland died suddenly in 1969. I read Bill’s words, and my eyes become tearful. I feel poignant, touched.

“I was home from college for the weekend. My dad and I were watching Johnny Carson. Mom had already gone to bed. During a commercial my father got up and went to the bathroom, and thirty seconds later I heard a crash. I ran down the hallway and found him sprawled across the bath tub, half in, half out, his face contorted in pain.

It was January 8, 1969. Snow was falling outside and it was bitterly cold. I can still feel it today when I trudge along the path of memories, a biting cold that seeped through the windows and demanded your attention.

I ran back down the hall to the wall phone in the kitchen, dialled 911 and told them we needed an aid car, my dad was having a heart attack and please, oh God please, hurry. I hung up, ran back to the bathroom and held my dad. I was so scared. Tears were flowing freely and I remember being ashamed about the tears because dad wouldn’t want me to cry but dammit, I couldn’t stop.

I told him I loved him.

And he died. It was 11:52 p.m., January 8, 1969. Eight minutes before his fiftieth birthday. I still miss him today, forty-six years later.”

Bill’s mom was to die with cancer in 2003, some 34 years later.

”the sky turned as black,

As an ex-lover’s heart shovelled,

As lightning split the sky,

And thunderheads rose with a vengeance.” –Bill Holland

From Dark Shadows And Into The Light

We all carry burdens, and Bill himself has told us, that he had his fair share, as he went through a life of alcoholism, broken relationships and bad dreams. Bill says that at'

‘fifty-eight I was spinning out of control, exhausted and not a happy boy at all.’ Bill Holland.

During such terrible times, he missed his father very much.

“How many times have I wished he was still here? I needed his counsel during the divorce for sure. I needed him to ruffle my hair during those dark days of alcoholism, and I needed him to show me the right path a thousand different times over the span of my life. I just wanted to sit down one more time and pick his brain and have him tell me, again, that I shouldn’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff. I wanted him to tell me one more time that a man earns respect through his actions, not his words, and the only true legacy we leave is determined by the degree of humanity we exhibit.”

There are still nights when I’m in bed, the covers pulled up under my chin, and I swear I can feel the weight of him as he sits down beside me. He tucks those covers in tight, snug as a bug in a rug, he says, and he asks me about my day and if I’ve done any good during my waking hours. I tell him about it all, and he nods, and smiles, and then leans over and kisses me on the forehead and tells me he’s proud of me, and says the four most important words I have ever heard…..”I love you, Bill.” -2015 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)

http://hubpages.com/family/My-Father-My-Friend-A-Moment-with-Bill-Reflection

I will end this Hub with a most sublime and deserving tribute to Bill from his friend, Eric Dierker:

“If I needed to turn to someone I would know who. If my spirit was broken and hell grasped me I know I could turn to him for a helping hand and good comforting advice. Men in need of faith can call their Saviour. But real men call on each other as a conduit to that Saviour. Bill is a conduit to find that love of life that we need to save us. Bill eschews religion but lives by love of his fellow. Peace and rest can be found in him. Oh sure there is much to learn about writing from Bill, but there is much more to learn about life from him. Perhaps he is a great business man. Perhaps he is a great farmer. But much more than that he is a great friend.”

-Manatita, 26^th May, 2016. The Lantern Carrier. ©Copyrighted.

~ Awakening The Inner Light ~