Dear Crystal,
We were so excited to hear the news
About your recent birth,
Another spirit from above
Has found his place on earth.
He is a part of a loving family now,
So many blessings from the start!
Because of goodly parents who honor
The Lord with all their heart.
May you be blessed in your sacred callings
As both a mother and a wife,
As you take on the responsibility again
To care for another life.
Should the wonderful (but stressful!) days ahead
Become heavy for you to bear,
Just remember God placed friends in your life
Who will always be right there.
Cherish these first weeks, months and years
For as you very well know,
Time has a way of passing us by
With how fast our children grow.
Congratulations on your new baby boy!
We are so happy for you.
Love,
Shauna, Becky & Jenn
The Rest of the Story
This poem was written in Rapid City, South Dakota when I was
part of the Relief Society presidency for the women’s organization at church. The
woman the poem was written to was part of our presidency group and she already
had a number of kiddos at home.
Although many of these poems blur together for me during this
time of life, I wouldn’t be surprised if this poem was included with a dinner or a large pack of diapers. You can feel the
friendship we felt with her through this poem.
Who is the last person close to you that gave birth to a baby
boy? Feel free to use this poem to go along with your own gift of love!
My family does not have any secret recipes, but we've been able to wheedle a couple "secret" recipes from OTHER families. >:D My favorite of these is a cream-and-ganache eclair cake. It's amazing. The other one I can't speak about because it might actually get someone murdered if their family knew the secret spread.
ReplyDeleteI think part of it is a military perk. People know that you're only in their life for a finite amount of time, other than some contact online or the occasional miraculous visit or chance run-in. Food is a great gift to give people you won't see and also a great way to remember them. Every time we make bulgogi (a favorite in my house), I remember Lucas - a very handsome Korean boy I had a serious crush on at the mature age of ten. Bulgogi was his mom's recipe. :) Every time we cook these "secret" meals I think we remember people we loved and miss, so my family doesn't believe in secret recipes. The most -sacred- recipe we have is for pierogi, but anyone who wants that can have it even though, or maybe because, it is so special to us.
OMG Haley, that's awesome! I love how you've secured some of the precious "secret" recipes from other families. That's just great. And isn't it hilarious how it seems certain people guard those family recipes with their LIFE?! Too funny.
ReplyDeleteYou may remember I have an affinity for watching Korean dramas on Netflix...Now I'm dying to try your Korean recipe!! I need it...seriously!
Finally, I couldn't have captured the sentiment any better myself, "Every time we cook these 'secret' meals I think we remember people we love and miss..." which is why, upon my mother's deathbed, I will reverse the tradition she held and share all my precious secret family recipes with all those I care about. When something is so special, I agree wholeheartedly with you that it should be shared with others!