Sympathy and A Remembered Western Saddle

I've only ever made two sympathy cards, this one and one other for John's Uncle Ron. That one was black and white too but without the ribbon.

The lady who's died I met a very long time ago. I was about twelve or thirteen. My friend and I (both pony mad) were entering into the local carnival as a cowboy and Indian. We'd arranged to hire two ponies from the local riding school for the day. (yep they let us do that back then!!) My friend wanted to dress her pony in a real western saddle. We'd seen this lady with a pretty pony and this lovely western saddle. So egged on by my friend we both knocked on her door a week before the carnival and asked to borrow it! Can you believe the nerve of us!! Asking a stranger such a thing! Very kindly she said, the saddle didn't belong to her but gave us an address. We called in on this address and after knocking on the door, we were waved at by two giggling girls, a little younger than us, from an upstairs window, saying their parents were somewhere in the garden having a party. After wondering around the overgrown grounds of this house for almost an hour we came across a man, who my friend bravely asked about the saddle. Me? I was puzzle why the man was wearing make-up, eye liner and bright blue eye shadow and kept my distance! It seemed the saddle had been made for a Shetland pony, so would be too small. So disappointed, the following weekend we entered the carnival, me as the Indian, because I was used to riding bareback, my hired pony dressed in feathers and patterned blankets, me, bare foot, a brown leather look top, a bow and arrows and 'war paint' and my friend as the cowboy. I won a prize but unfortunately my friend didn't, blaming the fact that she didn't have a western saddle.
I lost touch with my friend. Years later, I rented the field right next door to the Lady with the Western saddle. I had my own ponies now. She had three daughters, the two youngest about seven and ten, would sometimes venture out into the field, and soon started 'helping' me brush my ponies. More years past and I found myself working for the man in the blue eye make up and I met the Shetland pony who wore that western saddle! His daughters and his wife owned a saddlery store...Round about the same time...the first lady with the western Saddle had divorced her hubby. John's mum and dad had parted too. The lady with the western saddle married John's dad and her hubby married John's mum! Strange how things work out. John's dad died many years ago and the lady with the western saddle married again and we lost touch but it's her who this card is for. And my memories of her are very hot summers days, the dust blowing up as my ponies cantered towards me, her two youngest girls waving across the field from their garden, (two of her three girls now have grandchildren!) the smell of freshly cut grass drying in the field...and the thought of that western saddle.
The verse inside reads,

Although no words can help,

To ease the loss you bear,

Just know that you are in

Our every thought and prayer.

Freebie Font: Amazone BT
It just proves life is one big puzzle and we have to find all the pieces to make the picture. And this has been a Quirky clue...Thanks for stopping by.