Christmas Letter 2009

I finally got around to writing our family Christmas letter. I try to make it fun every year - a bit more than the typical "our family is awesome" (although, we ARE awesome, make no mistake about that!). Parts of this poem may not rhyme or fit well because I had to switch out the kids' real names for their blog names. But either way, you're all on my Christmas card list, so here you go. Enjoy! And happy holidays everyone.

p.s. If you would like an actual hard-copy of the picture and poem, I'd love to send you one. Really. All of you. Even if it's just so that you can have more Christmas photos on your fridge than your roommate or neighbor. I'm all about competition. Just tell me so in the comments or send me an email at gerbdonna at gmail dot com.

This year was exciting, fantastic and fun!

Let me tell you some of the great things we have done.

Allen & Coolister came back, all ranting and raving

From scout trips with rafting and camping and caving,

And biking and hiking and canyoneering, too.

There is nothing that these two scouters can’t do!

The oldest 3 kids are involved in all sorts

Of reading and writing and singing and sports.

Cross country was great for Coolister(16) and ElemenoB(15)

And basketball’s in the equation as well.

Thumbelina’s(13) in “Annie” and an all-girl choir,

All-a-Boy’s(10) a Webelo who loves a good fire,

He, Thumbelina and Cowgirl are writers of prose

They always impress us with what they compose.

Cowgirl(8) was baptized because she turned 8,

She, All-a-Boy and Princess think choir is great!

Princess(6) loves the first grade and lunchtime at school

She always says ‘awesome’, thinks reading is cool.

Hubba(5) loves trains, dirt and video games,

(And he thinks that Hubba is really his name).

Curly(3) enjoys singing and drawing with colors.

She loves to drink milk and play with her brothers.

Can you believe our happy Little O turned one?

He thinks that destroying and biting are fun.

But we’re always a sucker for when he will come

And snuggle up to us while sucking his thumb.

Allen’s year (in numbers) has been mighty fine.

He’s been alive for 40 and at his current job for 9.

Want to know what’s happening with me; Gerb, the mom?

Go visit gerbsrandomthoughts.blogspot.com.

For you in our lives, we count ourselves blessed.

We wish you all peace, love and much happiness!

Autumn Leaves

Today I am thankful for kids who love autumn as much as I do.

In Utah autumn is just a blink between summer and winter so we try to enjoy it fully while it's here. We play in the leaves, bake up pumpkin-infused treats and eat them until we almost turn orange, and marvel over the brilliance of the changing colors on the mountains that surround us.

The photo above is by Thumbelina, taken a couple of weeks ago just down the road from where we live. It is our favorite local tree, towering over a vacant field. In the autumn it transforms from green to the brightest of yellows and then slowly creates a blanket of leaves at its base until the winter winds have blown every last one away. The day Thumbelina took this picture she was admiring the sunset and suggested we see how it looked behind this tree. The word breathtaking comes to mind.

And then this morning I found a little orange booklet on the table, a Halloween book which All-a-Boy has been working on in his class at school, containing the following poem which he authored:

Leaves jump from the trees,
Diving into a suicidal fall,
Autumn has arrived.
Autumn brought its cold winds,
Autumn has brought its gray skies.
I hear the wind knocking at my door,
Like an anonymous guest,
Waiting to be let in.
Clouds hang overhead,
Threatening me with their ice and snow.
I smile.
Autumn is amazing.

Amazing, indeed.

Simple Perfection

Early morning sunbeams
Find my face, warm my skin
A gentle reminder
It's time to begin

Around the house I wander
All things rest in their place
I pause at each doorway
And savor each face

One by one they wake
I greet them with a smile
Or, "Good morning, Sunshine!"
(I'm so versatile!)

We sit 'round the table
Share stories and laughter
Indulge in some pastries
And speak of dreams after

This day then provides
Substantial time for me
To spend with each child
Such grand company!

We have time for writing
For singing and baking
Enjoying the sunshine
And memory-making

There's time for the garden
Even time for a walk
My dear spouse and I find
Some time just to talk

I am not judgmental
There is no time for fault
All negative thinking
Has come to a halt

At day's end the sunset
Is completely divine
Its breathtaking beauty
Is etched in my mind

The children then relish
The stories that are read
And drift off to dreamland
When tucked into bed

I soak in a warm bath
Write words that inspire
Eat something indulgent
And then I retire

Now, candy and flowers
And gifts are all grand, but
My preference is elsewhere
This is where I stand

These earnest words I've penned
Reveal the things I'd say
If asked how I would choose

To spend Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms who are reading this.

May your day be filled with all of the simple pleasures that bring you happiness!

Onion, Where Art Thou?

Today my fridge has a distinct onion smell
Yet nary an onion is there.
What could be causing this lingering scent?
Is there a ghost onion somewhere?

I searched and I sniffed and I shifted some bowls
Not a scallion came into sight!
Perhaps I'll bake cookies, put them in the fridge
And hope it smells better tonight.

New Shoes!

I ran into someone I had not seen in a long time the other day. "I wish I had new shoes on!" he lamented. I grinned. I had not thought about that in a while...

Long, long ago in a place not too far from here I used to work as an American Sign Language interpreter. Every morning I would go to an elementary school and enter the classroom of a teacher who did not appear to enjoy her job. My assignment was not to jazz up the teacher's lectures in order to keep the child I was interpreting for awake... although I often wished it was.

One day, something exciting happened. Miss Teacher came into the class with a twinkle in her eye and a poster in her hand.

"Do you know what happened yesterday, children?" she asked, smiling. They all shook their heads, wondering what had caused this transformation. "I bought new shoes!" she answered, shifting her feet at different angles to show off her new purchase. "And guess what happens when we get new shoes? We say the 'New Shoes' poem!"

She turned and hung the poster she carried in the front of the room. It was decorated with all sorts of shoes she had cut out from magazines and various advertisements, and in the middle was the poem, 'Choosing Shoes'.

And I fell in love. (With the poem, silly.)

Soon after this I changed jobs and interpreted at a state college. We often had meetings that were less-than-exciting... until one day when all that changed.

"Does anyone have anything to bring up?" the boss-lady asked as the meeting began. I looked around. Everyone was doodling on paper or otherwise trying to stay awake. And then I saw them... Boss-lady had on new shoes. I raised my hand.

"I notice you have on new shoes, boss-lady!" I pointed out with all the excitement I could muster. Everyone looked. She smiled. "Yes, I do. Thank you for noticing, Gerb. Anyone else?"

I raised my hand again. "Do you know what happens when someone is wearing new shoes?" I asked. And before she could answer I stood up and said, "They get the 'New Shoes' song!"

I immediately broke into an impromptu dance, reciting the poem in a sing-songy manner directed at boss-lady. I ended with a flourish and sat down to the applause of my co-workers.

"Thank you, Gerb," boss-lady said, laughing. "Anyone else have new shoes?"

I sang for 2 more people that day and for several others since. I noticed that people often happened to buy new shoes the week of our meetings... coincidence? I think not.

How about you - got new shoes? Well, go slip them on and enjoy...

Choosing Shoes
by Frida Wolfe

New shoes, new shoes,
Red and pink and blue shoes.
Tell me, what would you choose,
If they'd let us buy?

Buckle shoes, bow shoes,
Pretty pointy-toe shoes,
Strappy, cappy low shoes;
Let's have some to try.

Bright shoes, white shoes,
Dandy-dance-by-night shoes,
Perhaps-a-little-tight shoes,
Like some? So would I.

BUT
Flat shoes, fat shoes,
Stump-along-like-that shoes,
Wipe-them-on-the-mat shoes,
That's the sort they'll buy.

Why Green?

(photo from glassrootsofmontana.com)

I was thinking back recently to a time when writing poetry was my life. It defined who I was, it helped me to get the feelings I had deep down in my innermost core out onto paper in as abstract or concrete a way as I desired. Some poems took days to compose, some hours, some minutes.

One such poem I wrote became a favorite. It came to me one day as I sat in the alcove under the stairs in front of apartment #6 of Bay Village Apartments, pen and notebook in hand. I loved this poem so much that it even inspired my favorite color for that year - as well as the purchase of my beloved first pair of Chuck Taylor All-Stars (back before they were cool). It contained only 6 words:

Why Green?

Because blue loves yellow.

I don't expect that to be earth-shattering for anyone out there.

But it still makes me smile.

But Can You Find The Wooly Mammoth?

The toys! What a mess! I thought with despair
As I carried the laundry beyond the top stair.

But before I could utter the guilty child's name
Mary Poppins came to mind and I made the mess a game.

I turned things around (you can, too - if you try!)
By seeing the mess as a game of I Spy!

I spy a monkey, a Lego (or two)
and a doll with a permanent mustache tattoo.

I spy a wheel, Clark Kent in disguise,
and a red floppy hat with some tough looking eyes.

I spy a train, a brown and white pup,
and a baby that I can't resist picking up!

Now it's your turn. It's easy! Just give it a try.
Enjoy your home's messes by playing I Spy.

Silent Sentinels

My favorite time of day is twilight - when the sun just begins to sink below the horizon, casting shadowy pictures all around. A close second would be midnight - when I am up in the mountains or in some place away from the bright lights of the world and the stars in the sky are countless and brilliant. I get to experience the night sky in all its beauty when I camp, which is one reason that I love to do so. Last year when I was lucky enough to attend Young Women's Camp with our church, I had time to enjoy the earth's beauty, in solitude, in the darkness.

The colors of midnight
Shroud the earth
Yet hope shines through
Tiny pinpricks of light
Revealing a fraction of heaven