As I sit here looking out over New York City I find myself looking back over my life and everything I have gone through and how much I have grown up from the little girl in Ohio. That little girl grew up loving horses and living in the country, all of which I kept in my life. I could never give those up.
It is hard to think about what my life would have been like if I had not followed the path I took. That one fateful day at the Ohio State Fair brought me the love of my life and so many things changed for me. Mike was so handsome, and he sang love songs like no one else I knew. His charisma on stage had all the women falling in love with him. His smile in their direction melted their hearts. Mike was taller than me and his black hair fell just on the top of his collar. I always knew he loved me from the moment he told me.
Mike and I loved just being together. He learned more about the horse industry from me, and we loved going to the horse shows at the fairgrounds that week. I got to teach him about what makes a good halter horse and I even taught him about pleasure and dressage classes. Over the years he did learn to ride, and he became a great equestrian.
The night he gave me the silver heart necklace was magical. The candlelight caught the silver, and it was so beautiful. I could not believe he remembered me finding it at the Montana Silversmith booth and falling in love with it. At the time, I was only working part time and I couldn’t afford a necklace like that. I barely had enough to pay rent and put food on my table. Oh, that necklace caught my eye and when he gave it to me, he also gave me his heart.
Back then we didn’t have cellphones or anything more than an answering machine. There was no texting and no emails. You had a rotary phone and the U.S. mail service to communicate. If only we had cellphones and texting, it would have made communications so much easier. If we did have those luxuries, I wonder if we would have fought so hard for time together? We made time for each other, arranged meet up dates and worked hard to keep our relationship going. I called him, watched for him on the television show he appeared on and left messages on his answering machine. When he was on the road, he would leave me cute messages on my answering machine or just funny little calls. One day he left a message on my machine that only said, “Purple hippos can fly.” It was an exhausting day and to get that message just made me laugh. Little things like that meant so much to me.
I have always felt Mike was sent from God. He was a rock for me and the person I could lean on when I needed someone to talk to or just to be with. Many times, relationships are built on simple things. Ours was built on love, honesty, giving 200 percent support to each other and just being there. We did not always have to talk, just to sit next to each other or watch the TV together. I loved hearing him talk about singing and the show he was doing. There was so much pride in his voice, and I feel in love with that man.
The Silver Heart necklace is something I have always kept close to me. I am wearing it today to give me strength and to believe in who I am. My family is close to me, and I give them all my heart. This Silver Heart necklace is part of who I am today and my love for the man whom I have never forgotten.
Sue
**You can purchase the silver heart necklace at montanasilversmiths.com/nc4701.
