Something To Remember

Part of being a "Perfectionist" is having everything neatly sorted and labeled.  Friends and family have often teased me about my obsession with the label maker.  Just about every room in my house (with the exception of the garage and my husband's workshop, which I gave him full reign of long ago) have totes with labels on them.  From the time my girls were born, their play area was neatly organized and they learned very early on how to put their toys away.  Every kind of toy they had, had a bin it went in and not only was it labeled with the type of toy that went in it, but it also had a picture on the bin of the toy so the girls knew where to put things away.  Now that I think about it, "Neurotic" might be a better name for me.  I am probably the only parent on this earth that would know if one block out of 50 was missing!  I'm also the opposite of a hoarder, I've been known to throw out import documents, so when I do save things, you can be certain that they're special and neatly filed in a labeled tote.

I love to sew, quilt and create things.  Our guest bedroom has had to double as my sewing/crafting area for the past 12 years we've lived in this house.  A couple of weeks ago, with my daughters now teenagers, I wondered why we still had a "Play Room" in our house.  The girls went through the room and categorized everything into three piles: keep, donate, throw away.  I guarantee you that if they chose to keep an item, it was nicely placed in a labeled tote in each of their closets in their rooms.  Their play room then became my paradise (and now when my parents or other guests stay the night, they actually get a roomier guest room).

Being the "Neurotic Perfectionist" I am, I have kept a drawer of items I needed to file with my sewing/crafting stuff.  Today, as I finally got the chance to clean out that drawer, I found a special "card" my parents gave me when I turned 40.  I need to back up 15 years, ever since my parents became "Mamaw" and "Guga," they would make special cards for each of their four granddaughters on their birthdays.  This sheet of paper always included pictures from throughout their lives and a special poem that "Guga" writes for each girl.  My sister and I only get these cards on "special birthdays."  My 40th qualified as a special birthday.  NOW, is the TRUE treasure of this blog, I want to share the card they made me for my 40th.
These pictures don't do it justice, but it's the poem that I'm most excited about sharing.

 It's been forty years since our Shawna was born,  
Her pictures show she was a cutey.
At each stage of her life she kept her good looks,
Better yet kept her great inner beauty.

In first grade she attended Magnolia School,
Was quite shy in her cute little way.
In fourth grade at Valencia a switch must have flipped,
She was hard to suppress, we must say.

At Pioneer she was a popular girl,
A good student and leader worth praising.
Then high school the usual highs and the lows,
But her trust in her God was amazing.

Shawna worked hard through her college years,
Went to school, held down jobs, served the Lord.
And "All things work out for the good," it is said,
Meeting John on the job, her reward.

First Kiley, then Makenna were born to the Moores,
They both are a grandparents treat.
And also the dogs and cats filled the house,
Goat and horse and much more up the street.

A constant for Shawna through most of her life,
Has been Stacia a friend link no other.
Through the ups and the downs, the thicks and thins,
They have always supported each other.

Shawna is faithful to serve where she can,
Guatemala and Kenya she blessed.
She'll continue to give and support those in need,
May the next forty years be her best.

I'm so thankful for this treasure, which is not in a labeled tote in a closet, but hanging on my magnetic board above my sewing area.