They Were

We always found some magic in the little things in life Never worrying about material things the way people do now There was no extra income, barely making ends meet But we always made it through the hard times somehow Struggling was a way of life, not a reason to complain Helping out your neighbor was just the way that things were done Men worked in the mines, women worked in the home Everyone was busy long after the setting sun There were no governmental dependents waiting for a check No entitlement minded robots like we have today We were responsible for our own support The world owed us nothing, we all paid our own way They were better days just struggling to survive We had a sense of purpose, thanking God we were alive Sometimes I cry for yesterday when life was so very hard Our lives may have been embattled but our wills were never scarred We had little materialistically, without a spoon to stir If you ask if they were harsher days, I’ll tell you yes, they were We had love and understanding no matter what would occur If you ask me if they were better days, I’ll tell you yes, they were.