"Bart"

You know he was a good one,

A friend for all to see,

A saddle pard, a brother,

Who meant a lot to me.

The best horse that I ever owned,

He found ‘ol George Strait,

I never would have rode him,

‘Cept for my friend who wouldn’t wait,

But was always there to help me,

An encourager, you know,

Quick to laugh and sometimes cry,

Though his tears he’d rarely show.

I was with him when his sweetheart,

Said good-bye and passed away,

With him when he kept on going,

Though I would often hear him say,

That he should have been the one to go,

And not his wife so sweet,

But came to trust the Lord above,

And lay it at his feet.

A man who would defend you,

And do what must be done,

A man whom you could count on,

In trouble or in fun.

And we rode the miles together,

Sometimes gathered cattle, too,

We had fun at the rodeo,

My friend was always true.

Folks get sick and recover,

We believe it and we pray,

But this time he got weaker,

With every passing day.

And then my friend was going,

And he was almost gone,

Too far to go and see him,

But I prayed hard and long.

And then he just stopped breathing,

Went peaceful, what they said,

I know he went to heaven,

But I’m shocked my friend is dead.

So long, Bart, I love you, man,

I’m thankful that I knew,

A cowboy and a top hand,

And a faithful friend like you.

There won’t be a day goes by,

I won’t think of you and be,

Thankful for our trails together,

And we’ll ride again, you see.

“Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints.” (Psalm 116:15)

My friend, Bart, went home to be with the Lord today. I will miss him, and can hardly believe he is gone. Whenever a friend like Bart crosses over, heaven becomes more real to me. My parents and grandparents are there. My sister is there and the mother of my children. Some of my very best friends are there, and I know I will see them again. I think of the moment when they left this world and went into the Savior’s arms- absent from the body, present with the Lord. For them the race is finished and the battle of life is over. Ours continues, but the Lord knows when it will end. Life and death and life after death are in His hands. We are ready for any and all of it, in Jesus’ name.

Lord, make us ready, in Jesus’ name.

Personal photo horseback with Bart Massey.