Cliff and Edna

The first time they met she ran away.
But a plan was in place she could not change.
And it wasn’t the dreams she’d once dreamt
They exploded and died in a wartime event

The first time they met made his heart race
The young British beauty seemed out of place
Here in Canada in a Maritimes town
They shared war and its memories for loves common ground
At the Lord Nelson Hotel their marriage began
In his home village of Sable they settled down
A new life together but not fully planned
Sable Baptists were hard on a newcomers stand

It wasn’t long ‘tll she took three kids in hand
And followed their father to a British new land...

She stepped down from a train in Castlegar, B.C.
Mountains and bush as far as she could see
He’d gone ahead and a logger become
You do what it takes with a family to fund

It’s not what you do a as good Baptist son
And the cry if his parents for urgent return
Had him go back east dutifully drawn
Sick in the moment when he knew he was wrong

And they tried once more to make a go of it all
But in 7 more years headed west once more
This time Alberta was destined to be
Home with four kids in the family

Maybe they never had time to love
Maybe they didn’t seek help from the Lord above
But as children each of us knew
Our parents loved us and did all they could do
To give as their values to carry through life
To love our own children as they did us
And the commitment to this has proven so true
Passing it on is the least we could do