The Dusty Bible Remains
 

My grandma has a cedar chest
That has stood the test of time
When you go to open the lid
The smell is still divine
Handmade by my great grandpa
Inside is a carving that gracefully reads,
"To my darling wife with love, through all eternity"
There I thought this so beautifully planned
For God surely stood there beside him
As he guided his working hands
A wedding present from long ago
For her young and lovely mother
Where she once packed her cherished belongings
Saying goodbye to all their friends
Their parents, sisters and brothers
There they would make their way
As their marriage had just began
From Oklahoma they would descend
In a covered wagon, with leather rein in hand
The cedar chest carried a wedding dress
With gifts of fine china and linens
Newlyweds they were, looking for the promise land
And as they rode that wagon
They held their dusty bible in hand
Their faith would carry them onward
Across the hard and barren plains
And as I gazed into that cedar chest
Where memories of faith and love smelled so sweet
Upon my glistening eyes lay tears
My humbled heart could not refrain
Amid the old photographs and keepsakes
The dusty Bible remains
Though the binder has started to crack with age
Fading... where once was glistening gold
In my hands I hold the greatest message
Of faith and eternal love
That you or I will ever read
Or that the world will ever know

Brenda Conley © 2002
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