Dee Dee

This was a lady who paid the price:
Born in a little house in Kentucky,
Her father died when she was an infant.
She moved in with her grandparents on their farm
And watched the adults pass away with the seasons,
They lost the homeplace at an early age
And lost her hearing to scarlet fever.

She struggled for an education
At a time when most women
Were dissuaded from learning.
She married for love
Then lost their dream to the Depression
And her husband to heart failure,
A young widow, taking her place
As deputy county clerk
In a Christian county,
In the available workplace,
To support two daughters
Through college and marriage
And grandbabies, even me.

She lived alone for so many years
In first floor apartments
In Hoptown and St. Pete,
And shared her enduring faith
And love and happiness.
Laughter, like water from a fountain,
And still shares her love,
Despite her passing
To a greater reward than was her stake
During her time here on earth.

Surely, she gave more than she was given;
What a teacher she was, and what a lesson:
She gave.