2002-07-25 - 3:53 p.m.

Cousin Jackie

The Creator

Have you ever wondered why,

There are birds up in the sky?

Have you ever wondered too,

Why is there a sky so blue?

There's trees and grass, and pretty flowers,

brought to Life by April showers

There's cool water, to quench my thirst,

Somebody must have been here first.

He created a world, for all to see,

all That was, is, or will ever be.

So if you're down, and feeling bad,

Look at the beauty, to be had.

It will lift you up, There's no doubt,

You'll soon see what lifes about.

He created all This, for you and me

a greater gift, you'll never see.

----------------------------

That was written by my cousin Jackie this year. He is one of the most important men in my life. I haven't had much contact with him the last 45 years, until Mamma died in 95. He loved her like his own mom and has kept in touchwith me since, by phone and letter. He is my true cousin, the only child of my mom's youngest sister, only a little older than my mom herself. Her name was Margaret and she died in the late 30's or early 40's when Jackie was a very little boy. She had left his dad and was married to another man who disappeared out of the picture. I never knew the whole story of Jackie's real dad, will have to ask him if he knows anything. Anyway, Grandpa and grandma adopted him. He became my uncle. I think mamma still lived at home first and then married and had me. Grandma died when I was 4 and Mamma took care of Grandpa and Jackie. Whe even lived next to their house for a while in a trailer. My mamma became Jackie's mom so he became my brother. I called him 'my cousin-uncle-brother' He was tall, rawboned, brown-haired with a clear complexion and clear blue eyes. I never knew him to do a dishonorable thing.

As a teen and young man, he lived with grandpa next to us. Grandpa was a scary old man in his 90's who drove his team of horses, Prince(white) and Cyclone(black) 7 miles to town to drink up his money. He chewed snoose, had a straggly white mustache and unkempt hair. My mom tried her best to keep a decent place for them, but grandpa was cranky and undid her efforts quickly. He had an old grey cat named Tagalong who would follow him as far as he could to town and then come home. One time Grandpa found him dead along the road and brought him home and laid him behind the cook stove to bury in the morning. In the morning, Tagalong was alive and lived several more years, longer than Grandpa I think. Made quite an impression on this little kid!!

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