"Hamley"

They sent word I was needed,

Couldn’t think what for,

Far out at the cow camp,

Off the grid and then some more.

Way before a cell phone,

But even now no way,

Too far for a signal,

There was no news for days.

So, you see how it surprised me,

That day I trotted in,

To find a note there waiting,

Delivered by my friend.

He lived just under forty miles,

From where we had our camp,

And had received a message,

And drove out like a champ.

To let me know my uncle died,

And you could tell he hoped,

That good old uncle Charlie,

Would throw us all some rope.

But turns out my old uncle,

Never really had a thing,

The only thing of value,

Was what he used to bring,

With him to the cow camp,

When we gathered in the fall,

He had a Hamley saddle,

That was a beauty, y’all.

And he left that saddle to me,

‘Cause I was the only one,

Who still chased the bovine,

Just like he had done.

So I oiled up that old saddle,

And I hung my brass ox bows,

And I made both the cinches sure,

As any cowboy knows.

And then I started riding it,

And, oh my, what a seat,

And everyone who saw it,

Thought it was really neat.

And I’m still out here tryin’,

To keep on keeping on,

With that old Hamley saddle,

That I ride upon.

And , no I am no richer,

But then again, I am,

‘Cause of my old cowboy uncle,

Out where the cattle ran.

It’s things like this old saddle,

We should be thankful for,

Instead of being greedy,

And always wanting more.

So thank you, uncle Charlie,

And praise the good Lord, too,

He never sold his saddle,

And when his days were through,

He made sure I got it,

The good old cowboy way,

Saddle up and get it done,

I still can hear him say.

“For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves…” (Romans 14:7, NLT)

This verse means that no one lives their lives in a vacuum. If we live for the Lord, He uses who we are and what we do to bless and benefit others. And these blessings do not end when we die, but continue to be used positively in the lives of those we leave behind. That’s why our spiritual rewards aren’t tallied until history comes to an end. Only then will what we do be accurately judged and evaluated. Let us live so that what we do continues to be a blessing, even after we die!

Lord, use our lives to bring You glory and bless others, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Jason Rich, jasonrichstudios.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Jason, and God bless you.