About Me

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Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, United States

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Amy

She was not an accident; the story is this:
Junior members of the Winnetka Womens Club
Had to fly up to senior status at thirty-five.
So a lot of them had babies that year.

Amy was seven years younger than her sister
Had two brothers ten and twelve years older.
She was the family pet;
Nicknamed boo by her siblings.

She was too young for kindergarten;
We should have held her back.
And did for seventh grade.
In high school she blossomed as an actress
  and choreographer.

I taught her how to drive, cool and confident,
Sometimes driving boyfriends on dates.
Drama school in college was a mixed success,
Never quite achieving a stage personality.

She was a beautiful young woman,
Romanced by one suitor after another.
All she turned away, never seeming
To be able to commit to married life.

She lacked the fire in the belly that acting requires,
Drifting along as a waitress and paralegal.
When into her life came a newly minted M.D.
With issues of his own in relationships.

He damaged her psyche, but inspired a resolution
To become a doctor herself, a pediatrician.
Moving in with her sister; she took difficult pre-med courses
Until another episode derailed her plan.

Perhaps she couldn't face the reality of medical school.
A third mental episode ended her life.
There is no greater anguish than that suffered
By couples who lose an adult child; a life's promise is gone.

Do I regret that we ever had a fourth child?
Never, our lives were enriched by her presence.
Not a day goes by that I do not think about Amy,
And be glad that she was our daughter.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Ode To First Daughter

She was an adorable baby.
When her father came home from work,
He would scoop her up on his lap,
Bouncing, giggling, and squealing.

Early on, she realized that she was
Different from her two older brothers.
She could wear clothes that they didn't,
Especially her "nightgrown."

Memorable moments:  when she ran a
Very high fever while her mother was
Out with the two boys, and had
To be rushed to the doctor's office.

Then, when it was evident that her
Foot was rolling inward, she had
To be taken to the "piggy doctor"
For fitting a corrective shoe insert.

Keen competition from her brothers
In schoolwork brought out a
Methodical side to her nature that
Later became determined pursuit of her goals.

Exposed to good times with a privileged
Hippy element at summer camp, she fancied
Herself briefly as one of culture's rebels,
But that gave way to a common sense outlook.

From Scarsdale High to Wheaton College, Mass.,
She vowed never to marry a Harvard lawyer.
But of course, that's exactly what she did
While pursuing a retailing career at Macy's.

She excelled in the tasks of management there,
Which later found usefulness in raising a
Sterling group of three only children,
Inspiring them to be good, better, and best.

She is a paragon of a wife and mother
Amongst the baby boomer generation,
With years of service to her church.
(She escapes to the paradise of Cape Cod!)

Ode To First Daughter

She was an adorable baby.
When her father came home from work,
He would scoop her up on his lap,
Bouncing, giggling, and squealing.

Early on, she realized that she was
Different from her two older brothers.
She could wear clothes that they didn't,
Especially her "nightgrown."

Memorable moments:  when she ran a
Very high fever while her mother was
Out with the two boys, and had
To be rushed to the doctor's office.

Then, when it was evident that her
Foot was rolling inward, she had
To be taken to the "piggy doctor"
For fitting a corrective shoe insert.

Keen competition from her brothers
In schoolwork brought out a
Methodical side to her nature that
Later became determined pursuit of her goals.

Exposed to good times with a privileged
Hippy element at summer camp, she fancied
Herself briefly as one of culture's rebels,
But that gave way to a common sense outlook.

From Scarsdale High to Wheaton College, Mass.,
She vowed never to marry a Harvard lawyer.
But of course, that's exactly what she did
While pursuing a retailing career at Macy's.

She excelled in the tasks of management there,
Which later found usefulness in raising a
Sterling group of three only children,
Inspiring them to be good, better, and best.

She is a paragon of a wife and mother
Amongst the baby boomer generation,
With years of service to her church.
(She escapes to the paradise of Cape Cod!)

Ode to First Son

He was the baby who traveled, at six weeks,
From Fort Knox, KY to Bad Wildungen, Germany,
With stops in New Hartford, NY, and Brooklyn;
Harbingers of events in the future.

For three years, he had a nursemaid to care for him,
Gaining a brother in Frankfurt, Germany.
At Camp Pickett, VA, Santa Claus brought him
A pedal-driven jeep with B Company markings.

At age six, his parents made a binding decision
To enroll him in the public school,
Thereby cementing their determination
To leave Catholicism for the Episcopal Church.

Thereafter, they aimed at living
In towns with the best public schools.
So the better part of his education
Occurred in Winnetka, IL, and Scarsdale, NY.

Before his freshman year at New Trier High School,
He wanted to go out for football, but lacked
Twenty-five of the 150 pounds required.
So his mother found a local soccer team just forming.

That became a determining factor in his life.
He took to soccer as a natural talent.
Acquiring the nickname of Prancer for
The way he approached and kicked the ball.

His sports heros were international futbol stars.
So he went on to Hamilton College, NY,
To study economics and Spanish, which
Led him to a career in international finance.

Chance ... or the hand of God
Brought him to a Spanish language program
With a beautiful tutor from Brooklyn
Who became his wife and mother of two fine children!