It’s been called the “Gateway to the White Mountains”
This beautiful Valley on the banks of the Little Colorado;

 It once had a "Modern Store", but being modern
Became an uncomfortable fit for folds here… 

Cuz this is a place where our flag still flies, and where children
Still stand when the stars & stripes pass

It’s a gateway to a place where women still walk
At dawn, dusk and dark

This is a place where there are silent nights;
A place where you can see your breath, and the milky way

It’s a Gateway to a place where kids
still respect their father’s name;
Where raising a family
and celebrating 50^th wedding anniversaries
are still in vogue.

It’s a place where gambling means a hand shake on a milkshake,
And where get-to-gathers are still opened
with prayer and the Star Spangled Banner

It’s a Gateway to a place where commons talk openly of God,
preach of God, and pray to God;
A place where churches are still being built

It’s a place where strings of Red, White, and Blue between light poles,
And family dances mark the beginnings of July

It’s a place where handicap parking is still reserved for the handicapped
And where people still honor those who fight for Freedom

It is a place where a drive by shooting is part of basketball,
Where gang related activity is a wild horse race,
And where car jacking is putting a friend’s car on blocks

This is a place where neighbors still help neighbors,
Where good deeds still go nameless,
And where hot bread and homemade apricot jam
are still legal tender

It’s a gateway to a place where folks still wave to strangers,
A place where there are more dirt roads than locked doors

It’s a place where there are more denominations than stop lights,
A place where all join in prayer at Thanksgiving, and for rain

It’s a place where gated drives are barbed wire,
And where restricted access is a cattle guard,
A place where class separation
is a responsibility of the school master

This is a place where winter nights
are an excuse for serenading and hand holding,
And where the Lazy, Hazy, Crazy days of summer
are still celebrated

It’s a gateway to a place where the past
secures the future… God willing

Steve Hamblin