Ray & Jan

They met one night in October
Was it a Halloween trick?
Or had he really met a princess?
He was going to find out quick!

November came along,
And there was much to be thankful for.
She was just what he had dreamed of...
He couldn't ask for more.

In December she said "I do"
And became his beautiful wife
It was more than he had imagined.
It was the beginning of a beautiful life.

They went on to raise six children
With support from their family and friends.
Their love for each other continued to grow.
It seemed to have no end.

Now it's forty years later
And each one still depends on the other.
For laughter, for comfort, for kindness.
They are constant support to each other.

So here's to you Mom and Dad
For all that you have been,
Partner, Parents, Lovers
But most of all, Friends.

[peph]

I know I've read this poem before - a long time ago - but I've always loved it. I stumbled upon it once again and had to post it. It really is one of my favorites that my mom has written. Of course it was from a long time ago and they'd been together for longer than forty years. Grandpa Ray passed away April 24, 2010. One thing that all of us in the family remember spending hours just staring out the windows watching all the beautiful birds out on many bird feeders in the yard. He's the reason I'm in love with Goldfinch birds now.

Old Notes

I asked my mom for some of poems so that I could look through them and post a few on here. The last time she handed me a big folder filled with many papers. In between all the poems I found a piece of paper with this:

"The Proton excellerator produces ozone which causes a smell of blech. (Great - I finally get a little time away from home and the kids and I have to smell laundry the whole time!)Most of the other patients that I talked to are receiving 30 treatments. Since the tumor I have is so hard to kill, I will receive 44. I have passed the half way mark! 23 down, 21 to go. Last treatment is scheduled for April 20th."

And:

"Mayo Clinics radiation program offered me a 50/50 chance of controlling my tumor for about 5 years, the risk of side effects (blindness, loss of cognitive thinking) was considerable. Chance of permanent recovery 0%.
Loma Linda's Proton radiation offered me a 70-80% chance of permanent control - no more surgery - and a 5-10% chance of side effects (blindness, deafness, loss of cognitive thinking). These odds are definitely in my favor."