Jake the Rancher

Jake, the rancher, went out one day
To fix a distant fence.
The wind was cold and gusty
And the clouds rolled gray and dense.

As he pounded in the last staple,
And gathered tools to go,
The temperature had fallen
And the snow began to blow.

When he finally reached his pickup,
He felt a heavy heart,
From the sound of its ignition,
He knew it wouldn't start.

So Jake did what most of us
Would do had we been there.
He humbly bowed his balding head
And sent aloft a prayer.

After turning the key the very last time,
He softly cursed his luck.
They found him three days later,
Frozen stiff in his old truck.

Now Jake had been around in life
And done his share of roaming.
But when he entered Heaven, he was shocked -
It looked just like Wyoming!

Of all the saints in Heaven,
His favorite was St. Peter.
(Now this line, it ain't really needed,
But it helps with rhyme and meter.)

So they set and talked a minute or two,
Or maybe it was three,
Nobody was keepin' score -
'Cause in Heaven, time is free.

"I've always heard," Jake said to Pete,
"That God will answer prayers,
But there's a time I asked for help,
Well,... He just plain wasn't there.

Does God answer prayers of some,
And ignore the prayers of others?
That don't seem exactly right -
I know all men are brothers.

Or does he randomly reply,
Without good rhyme or reason?
Maybe, it's just the time of day,
The weather or the season?

Now I ain't trying to be a smarty,
It's just the way I feel,
And wonderin', could you tell me-
What the heck's the deal?"

Peter listened patiently
And when Jake was finally done,
There were smiles of recognition,
And he said, "So, you're the one!

That day your truck, that wouldn't start,
And you sent your prayer a-flying,
You gave us all a real bad time,
With hundreds of us trying.

A thousand angels rushed to check
The status of your file,
But you know, Jake, we hadn't heard
From you in quite a while.

And though all prayers are answered,
And God ain't got no quota,
He didn't recognize your voice,
And started a truck in North Dakota.

(Author: Unknown to Me)

PAGE DEDICATION

To My Friends

Ken & Bette

Thank you for sending this to me.

Copyrighted ©October 18, 2002 by Angel45_2B

All rights reserved

SONG TITLE

"Where or When"

Hillary's Midi's