I have been truely blessed by my sister who has written a poem for my big
50th birthday this month. I have added it to this page because it was written
with much love.
New Year's Gift
It was the middle of the winter, the first of the Year
The roads were unplowed, her plans were unclear,
It was cold and it was windy and the snow was piled high,
Irene was getting anxious, her time was drawing nigh.
Fred was hard at work when James Small hurried by
There's a big storm a'comin and you've got to really try
He said, Get your wife off of King Street, listen to what I say,
Remember there's a little one who's well on it's way.
The year was '52 and the plow was broken down
They had to get Irene to her Mother's across the town
So Fred gathered some men, with Vernon out ahead,
They decided upon a toboggan, it was easier than a sled.
There was Earl Daggett and Frederick and Ashton Fleet
Such a bad blizzard, it nearly froze their feet,
Thirteen in all came and pulled with their might,
They thought they'd lost Cheever when he went out of sight.
Irene was bundled up in Florence Linton's quilt
Little Gary was hanging on when the sled was on a tilt,
Across the hill they struggled til Grandma's house was in sight
They pulled a little faster, things were going to be alright.
Two days later, she knew that it was her time
At midnight, she said, Dear Frederick, get a taxi on the line,
Phyllis Zwicker was the driver, Fred held her hand all the way
The storm was beating fiercely, and North Head was far away.
At four o'clock in the morning, a cute little boy arrived
His hair was blond and curly and his mother had survived,
Irene and Fred were estactic, they had chosen his name as Chris
He was so dear and precious, on his forehead they placed his first kiss.
They brought him home in the middle of a wild, winter storm
To a home full of love and where it was nice and warm,
Gary was now a big brother who was as proud as he could be
He wanted to help Mama by holding baby on his knee.
When Chris was just a few days short of three
His mother sat him on her knee,
She leaned right down and in a whisper
Said, I've brought you home a baby sister.
Christopher began to grow and played happily every day
He soon became friends with the children down the way,
He learned to play ball and ride go-carts on the hill
Skating at the Klondike, he sometimes took a spill.
Like most boys, he wanted to build a camp to call his own
With hammer, nails and old boards, he struck out alone,
He pounded, sawed and nailed, he really had a nack
A little camp arose along the path right out back.
Everyday he went to school and soon had to catch a bus
Down King Street he would run, always in a rush,
A friend named Jeff Ingalls one day he would meet
They hunted rabbit and squirel, a feast that they did eat.
Chris loved to tell jokes and he read tons of books
The girls all gathered round so he took several looks,
And if there was a time that you were feeling down
You just could hang around Chris, the crazy class clown.
After graduation, he headed off to join the Air Force
He survived basic training because he's strong, of course,
He was stationed at many places, he travelled far and wide
There was Queen Charlotte Islands way on the other side.
While he lived in Kingston, he fell in love with Iola, his bride
They married on a hot July day in a ceremony right outside,
From Kingston they moved down south, Bermuda was the spot
Michael and Jennifer were born there, with love that couldn't be bought.
Chris had to go to Germany and then to Alert for a while
From out west, they moved to Greenwood, travelling quite a mile,
His work was in the Dental Corps, he loved the job so well
He kept the office laughing with the jokes that he would tell.
Then off to Goose Bay, Labrador, his family and he did go
They settled all in for winter as there would be lots of snow,
They wanted some pets, so they thought of some names
They put in an order and two dogs were shipped by plane.
After a few years up in Labrador, they packed up again one more time
On to Petawawa they moved the gang, along with dogs on their line,
The children have now graduated and moved on to do their best
With Chris and Iola left back at home with a very empty nest.
Fifty years have flown by since that prenatal ride o're the hill
Life has been great and yet there's much, much more to fulfill,
The birthday this year is half a century, we been told
But we know without a doubt, Chris doesn't look quite that old.
We want to send him our love and hope that his special day
Is the best that he's ever had in every little way,
