The Gift

"This is the Woman I gave you So love her with all your heart Use 'Husbands, love your wives' When tempted to depart I put magic in her touch And sunshine in her gaze Her loyal love is much You cannot help but praise Her beauty grows within her Her spirit, quiet but strong Her heart, devoted and tender A refuge to all who belong A blessing to her children A true and excellent wife A precious gift from Heaven I gave to bless your life Thirty-eight years and counting My gift has straightened your way I kept a strict accounting Of each and every day Now be a man and tell Me Where do you find the fault When words to her are salty Not preserving, unlike salt" "Your words cut me to the core Like the sting of forty lashes Beth, forgive me, I implore I repent in dust and ashes"