A Poem

Years ago I wrote a poem that got published and someone requested that I post it here. It was written when the girls were little (ages 6, 4 and 2) and was meant for all three of them, but since then Tiffany and Rochelle's eyes have changed from blue to hazel/green. Go figure. Anyway, I miss those days.
Here it is:

The Wild Flower

Wild blonde hair

Vibrant blue eyes

A hesitant smile on her grubby face.

In her outstretched hand she holds some uprooted wild flowers.

"Mommy, these are for you."

I love you is written all over her as she awaits a reply.

It's just a bunch of weeds to the inexperienced eye

But to her mother it is a most exquisite bouquet of roses,

A gift from an ardent admirer.

As the child waits, the mother stops her task and smiles.

She takes the humble gift,

Together they place them in a vase to sit in the window,

For mother knows that long after the flowers have wilted and gone

The memories of a precious love go on and on.

~Vickie Anders

Best Poems of 1995

The National Library of Poetry

Early November

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted. Time surely flies. So, what has been going on with us? A little bit of this and that. David was working crazy hours again and we can't seem to get used to his new afternoon shift. The girls and I miss him so much in the afternoons. We looked forward to dinnertime when all of us sat down, prayed, ate and joked around. Now we get that in snatches on the days when he is off.

We recently went to the pumpkin patch in Montz, LA and got some Creole and Mexican pumpkins so that David can make his DELICIOUS pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. It is tradition for him to make Thanksgiving dinner and he has done so without fail since the year after we were married. (We celbrated our 19th year on November 6.) I always look forward to Thanksgiving, sometimes even more than Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and what it means to me as a Christian, but I can't stand the cutthroat commercialism of it. The way I see it, why should we compete to give the best or most expensive gifts? The best gift has already been given and nothing we can do will ever compare with the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Anyway, off my soapbox. The problem with Thanksgiving is David's pumpkin pies :) I usually end up having to roll through the rest of the year.I get pretty plump and it's all his fault. He shouldn't cook so well. :)

Hmmm, went off on a little rabbit trail there, back to the pumpkin patch. We used to go to the pumpkin patch every year and for a long time, because of David's work schedule we haven't been able to go. It is always fun to go out and pick your own pumpkins. We all tend to scatter- like an autumn easter egg hunt to gather our own pumpkins. You are only allowed on pumpkin per person and you also get a ride to the pumpkin patch in the back of a tractor drawn trailor. We try to see who can get the biggest pumpkin. Heather has the longest standing record at 40 pounds. I don't know how the girls and David chose their pumpkins but I know how I did. I went out as a real consumer and did comparison shopping that involved finding the biggest pumpkin I saw, carried it until I saw another one that looked bigger, then checked the sizes and moved on with the larger one to repeat the process. It was fun. I ended up with the biggest pumpkin of the group. There were about 30 people in the pumpkin patch at the time. This year I am the pumpkin champion but not the family record holder. My pumpkin only weighed in at 22 pounds. We should get a few pies out of that one.

David is one test away from his Associates Degree in the theological Seminary. He has all A's and one B. He will then go on to work on his Bachelor's Degree. I am proud of him and his dedication to his studies.

Heather has returned to working on her GED after a 2 week visit to her granny Glenna and paw Jake's house in Mississippi. She just got hired to work at Dollar General today, she starts tomorrow. She also spends some time going to different functions with her friend David. He's a pretty nice guy, is in the Army National Guard and comes from a good Christian family.

Tiffany has been having headaches and we had to bring her for a CAT scan. The results came back yesterday and everything seems to be ok with her brain and sinuses so they think she may need to go to an eye doctor, which is possible. She does her homeschooling on the computer for a couple of hours a day. She's doing well with that by the way. She has four A's and one B.

Rochelle is doing well. She is greatly anticipating the Gaither concert in Mississippi in December. Everyone who knows Rochelle knows that she loves the Gaithers, Mark Lowry and David Phelps. Rochelle can spout out biographical information on the Gaithers and their friends without thought. She is becoming an authority on them and if we need to know anything about them, a song, who someone is in a video, and what they are like she can tell us. She also loves to draw Mark Lowry. She's getting pretty good at it. She is also working on some crochet projects for Christmas. I wish sometimes we could put her schoolwork in a Gaither format so she could excel. Her grades are B, B,C, A, and B.

The girls have another friend that comes over regularly and his name is Chris. Chris and Rochelle share a love for the Gaither music and often she will bring out her new cd's or the videos and the girls, Chris and I will end up singing along. Chris lends a hand whenever needed too, often without being asked. I appreciate him and try to show him by feeding him every chance I get. He doesn't seem to mind :) There's a running joke between him and my David. David tells him he can't eat here and I feed him. It's all in good fun though.

There has been a little sadness here lately. My friend Summer has lost her grandfather and we attended his funeral. Also, my 6 month old nephew Benjamin has been really sick lately and they can't find out exactly what's going on. My poor brother Jimmy, and sister-in-law Teresa are at their wits end trying to find out what's wrong and they don't know what to do next. They all need your prayers. I will keep you updated on Ben as often as I can.

That's about it for now...until next time take care and God bless.