Full Name: Donna Stiles

Who do you want the poem written for?: Jessica

Why do you want the poem written ?: High school graduation

Key Messages: How proud we are of all her accomplishments and what she has become (through her hard work and perseverance), how excited we are for her and her new beginnings (knowing that she will be successful), how blessed we feel that the Lord gave her to "us" and has allowed us to be a part of her life

Other Comments: My husband and I have always said, "If the Lord had given us Jessica first, we would have had ten (10) more children." She has been the blessing of our lives, the type of child/daughter that every parent dreams of. She is bright, hardworking, thoughtful, caring, loving, and kind.

I home schooled Jessica for three (3) years (5th-8th grade) and she and I developed a very special relationship but it made returning to school difficult for her. She had to redevelop friendships because she had not been part of the group for so long; her behaviors were more mature than most of her friends causing her to be looked upon as strange and different. She has overcome these issues as she has always done, silently, never asking for help, with maturity and a gentle spirit.

We know that Jessica will be successful in anything she sets her mind to. She is not one of those kids that things come easy to, she just simply works hard (studies, practices, etc.) to achieve her goals. She has been to Westminster (the dog show) in junior showmanship (age 12). As a freshman, she played soccer in high school with her team placing 4th at state soccer, ran relays and the open 400 in track, also going to state and winning with her relay team, she has been a cheerleader for a year. Her senior year she gave up sports to work to save money to help with upcoming college expenses.

She is a treasure, the kind of treasure that many people search for all of their lives and never find. We are so lucky as her parents to have been able to watch her grow and become the person she is today. She has given more to us than we have given to her.

Style: Heartfelt

Package Type: Deluxe



The poem was shortened from my original draft....

Treasure

Jessica, you are simply our treasure, a treasure that is so rare to find, and we thought we should tell you this, because we do have a few things on our mind: We're so very proud of you, you should be especially congratulated, you've studied and worked hard, and in more ways than one you've graduated. Through hard work and gritted determination, you have finished high school and achieved, you have faced some trials and tribulations, but you did it because you had a dream and you believed. You overcame your obstacles, with maturity and gentle spirit, you discovered the secret to a happy life, was to love life and be in it. It is not just your achievements, but truly the person you have become, we are so thankful for this wondrous gift, one proud Dad and one very proud Mom. As your parents, we have always said: "She makes us want ten more", you are the child every parent dreams of, and you are really who these words are for. We remember the three years of home school, and of those memories we're extremely fond, we grew so very close at the time, and undeniably, we developed a special bond. But we know returning to school was hard, because you were more mature than your mates, but as always, you persevered, you'll always be able to manage your destiny and fates. You'll be successful in anything you set your mind to, because you'll always work hard to achieve your goal, you have such an amazing, inner strength, you must have a very beautiful and satisfied soul. You're bright, hardworking, thoughtful, you're also caring, loving and kind to all, you've given us more than we've given to you, but that doesn't in any way make us feel small. Jessica, you are indeed a treasure, we feel so very lucky, so very blessed, and if you haven't guessed it by now, you are a rare and precious diamond, a treasure, simply the best.

Copyright www.agiftofpoetry.co.uk 2009

Allen Jesson

Comments:

John and Donna kindly replied:

"If you have any recommendations after our changes, please let us know. Also, Allen, since you copyright your poems, we need your permission to use a portion of this poem in Jessica's vanity ad in her senior yearbook. (Yes, OK. Ed) We will have to shorten it even more due to the limited space but this poem is so packed with wonderful thoughts that it will still come out just great.

Thank you so much for your prompt work. It is very special to have a talent such as yours. You incorporated so many of our thoughts and the personal information we sent you. It truly makes this poem, one of a kind.

We have no objections to your publishing the poem and there are a million Jessica's in general, only we will know which Jessica the poem is talking about.

No autograph please on the final, but it would be nice to receive the handwritten draft. Again, thank you.

Thanks again - John and Donna Stiles"