All I have to offer you is ME, Charley Pride

Autos of Art:

1961 Nash Metropolitan

This is an end to yesterday's blog.  I was saying Sherry played some Charley Pride:

I don’t know why it hit me so hard, but Charley sang a song, “All I have to offer you is me.”  Words like “The only Gold I have to offer is in a wedding band,” and “No mansions with crystal chandeliers, etc.  All I have to offer you is ME.”

I quit singing along, She looked at me and saw the wet eyes and asked, "What's wrong honey?"

I looked over am my girl and I actually choked up. Remembering a member of the National Honor Society, a beautiful intelligent girl who said “YES” to a HS dropout. I didn’t have enough education for a good job, making $78 a month as a PFC in the USMC. When I married her I did not consider how I would support a family, buy a home and a good car. (I owed $250 on my car with a huge dent in the driver’s side. She took her Christmas savings and paid that so we would have no debts).

After she said YES, I made some promises. Once we passed a house on a hill, she loved it.  Big man, I boasted. “I’ll get you one.”

 LOL  It has been a long journey, lots of bumps. She lived in a Chicken Coop, tent, and a house with no plumbing with two kids.  BUT there was always ME.  And that was in the beginning and for many years.  BUT I had HER love. So, I looked over at that girl who had taken me at face value, and on this trip, at 80 yrs old,My brain put it all in perspective. Together we had made a life. We never went hungry. She alone supported us at times and followed me over a lot of this world.

This is repeating I am sure. My first W-2 form was $946 for the year 1956. Today our property tax alone is  over 8 times that amount.  We have been debt free for many years.  Tears were in my eyes as I drove, because back then, I had nothing to offer a beautiful lady BUT ME. Somehow she had faith in what she was getting. What I didn’t KNOW was her magic and ability to make ends meet. It was she who started me in the direction of general contracting; it was she that insisted we live debt free. 

She never did get that house on hill, but she did get a house on South Main St in her hometown. The only house in town with an indoor heated swimming pool.

That home is long gone now, we graduated to our condos and then on to a nice motor home.  I was 16, she 17 when we fell in love. I was 17 when we married and I moved her into a 200sqft trailer. Now at the age of 80, I tell her in our 62 years I have moved you up 2800sqft then back down to 300sqft, that is still an increase of 100 sqft of living space.

  All this reflecting is because of a simple song that said, “All I have to offer you is ME”. We were remembering two young people whose only asset was true LOVE! 

Our plans are to have a continuing love story until the end.

Thanks for reading the shipslog. 

Nite Shipslog

PS: I was successful in building. But I have never failed to give her credit for the majority of my success.  Of course she was successful in her own career as a clerk and secretary. She  has a choice of 5 homes or a motorhome, she still prefers the 300sqft Motorhome. That is my girl, still the most beautiful girl in the world.  

What is not understood by many is that she did not get an engagement ring nor a wedding band in the beginning. At the time our church did not accept rings. So she didn't even get the gold band.  I did later correct that and gave her both. 

If you have read this far, I appreciate it. I am glad on a quirk I suggested trying to listen to music.  It must be easier to cry as you age. ;-)