"Sleety Day"

I don’t know why we had to go,

But remember that we went,

Coldest day of winter,

No doubt that we were sent.

To haul our horses to Pike Road,

And ride to close a gate,

Me and Sid and sleetin’ rain,

We both would sooner wait.

Could be we moved some cattle,

Which might have made more sense,

Than loping far to close a gate,

On that five-strand tall cross fence.

I remember just how cold it was,

I remember what I wore,

A black old felt Resistol,

Jean jacket, nothing more.

I thought I need a better coat,

And gloves would sure be nice,

‘Cause by the time the chore was done,

My hands and feet were ice.

We climbed back in Sid’s pickup,

Thank God that thing would run,

The heater blew my fingers,

And helped unthaw me some.

Just a little chore we did,

A long, long time ago,

A cowboy and a cowboy kid,

My old daddy made us go.

Sid is gone and Dad is gone,

And I am far gone, too,

It’s funny just what comes to mind,

The things we used to do.

We’ve had some cold the last few days,

Snowed in Texas ‘bout an inch,

Been breakin’ ice off all the troughs,

And feelin’ winter’s pinch.

But I have a heavy coat to wear,

Lined gloves to keep me warm,

Been tendin’ stock for all these years,

But every winter storm,

Reminds me of a sleety day,

In the pastures of my youth,

The cowboy way is all I know,

And that is sure the truth.

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24, NIV)

Life is measured by days more than anything else. Weeks and months, and years and decades matter, but days are the most memorable. Do you remember your first day of school, or when you got your license to drive, or your wedding day, or when your mothers died, or when you were baptized? The moments of those days impact us emotionally and come back to us via our memory. This scripture and others like it tell us each day is a gift from the Lord. What we do with it is our gift back to Him. From birth to death the best thing we can do is rejoice and be glad in the Lord. Let us…

Lord, help us rejoice in the day You have made, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mikel Donahue, used by permission. Thanks, Mikel, and God bless you.