A Gift of Real Love

As I sit and gaze at your picture I travel back to days of yore To the ranch on the Nebraska prairie And the place where you called home. I came to teach their school And was introduced to you My life changed at that moment For what I saw was a man honest and true. A man who since age fifteen Has been on his own His reputation it was good And he worked nine years for the former 101. He had just moved up the valley To their uncle's ranch When I came upon the scene A city girl it seemed but I wasn't really green. My mom was from her dad's Nebraska ranch Not to far away And her sister taught an Indian Government school On the Rosebud Reservation.. My brother and sister A cousin my age and I Shared a life similar to the life My Billy had. Well, not really I'm afraid We were a few years younger And though most of our time was spent on horseback There were no cows involved. We played in the White River Rode calves and hogs While Billy at this same age Had himself to support. Now it was my turn to grow up I took up teaching to go back to the plains And met the man of my dreams Who my life did change. Snowed in following a blizzard in March And five miles away Billy rode down the valley horseback Just to see me one day. By then we already had marriage plans But we hadn’t told a soul It wasn’t till April Fools Day We finally broke the news. We ranched, raised our kids And worked at Truck Parts Forty-seven years and 2 weeks later God called you home. I had truly been blessed With a good, honest, hard working man Who is still here for me. I thank You God with all my heart, Amen. Three Christmases you have been gone For Cathy it is four, it just doesn’t seem fair But God has taken from you the pain you had And I will always be grateful for that. I love you dear and Merry Christmas.