I used to watch him watching me, but he was respectful. He was married and I was in a relationship. Our time together was short lived, but the acknowledgement of each other’s feeling was evident. How peaceful I was in his presence. He was going to die soon, and he brought such peace to my life. We sat by the waterside; we ate lunch on the beach. We walked through the graveyard where he was to be buried. All the while we were respectful because he was married and I was in a relationship, but we knew that we were once kindred spirits and once shared a life many moons ago. He helped me to see the wonders of my life as he prepared me for his death. The love that we shared was that of innocence and an acknowledgement of what could never be, at least not in this lifetime. So, we settled for gazing into each other’s eyes and being thankful for the gift of life, its greatness, and the wisdom that we had gained over the years. I was going to miss my warrior husband of yesteryear. I was his wife in another life, but not this one. He was dying and there was nothing I could do, so we sat in awe of each other and prepared for his next resting place. On the day of his passing, I was away on a trip. A friend of mine called to tell me of his passing. I wept like a newborn baby as I boarded the plane to return home and attend his funeral. While on the plane I looked at the clouds and there he was, mounted on his white horse adorned with his warrior head dress, and as he rode away, he said YAHE (I have arrived). I continued to weep as he danced in the clouds and then road off into the sunset. I long for my husband of yesteryear. Even today in his absence I have remembrance of the walks on the beach, sitting by the seaside, and the walks through the graveyard. I know that he still loves me and I, him. I know that one day I will see him in that happy hunting ground in the sky. YAHE, rest in peace LITTLE DEER.