Surprises!!!

I LOVE cooking up surprises and I'm cooking one right now for my parents.  I have to sit on it till much later, but it's sooooooo exciting.


In 2002, my parents celebrated 50 years together.  This year will be 60 years.  That is amazing to me.  I've been married to Jim for 23 years and that feels like a lifetime to me.


About 4 years ago, my parents had a total fire loss of their home.  Everything.  Very little was salvaged and what was saved probably shouldn't have been.  I remember right before I returned to my home from the initial clean up I went into the room at my brother's house where he and mom were bunking.  I found him sobbing.  I just held him and reminded him that we still had him and mom the rest didn't matter compared to that.  The house burned for 6-7 hours while my parents slept.  I can't think about that much without a shutter.


In the house were generations of mementos and memories.  This is the house of my childhood and will always be home in my heart.  It was a 150 year old beam constructed farm house.


People graciously helped replace copies of pictures and the such.  There was one thing that dad had asked me about when he came to visit this winter.  I hadn't really thought of it much since 2002, but he asked me if I had a copy of the poem he wrote mom.


I looked when he asked, but couldn't find it.  I even thought I may have an electronic copy- nope.


I pack rat terrible and have annoyed myself to no return.  I'm cleaning.  I've been working in my sewing/craft room lately.  I was getting ready to throw away some scrapbooking scraps and fanned it.  Guess what?  Yep, there it was.  Treasure in a pile of trash.


Maybe one day, I'll ask if I can share the poem here, but for now the treasure is safe at heart.  I  love being the hero and today, I'm a hero.  I returned a gift from my father to my mother.  One they thought was lost forever.