What is your name : Pat Duncan

Who do you want the poem written for: My parents, Joe and Betty Walton

Why do you want the poem written: It's their 50th wedding anniversary

What are the key messages you would like to send: The love and respect they have for each other, the positive, inspirational way they celebrate the good times and face the tough times together. Growing up, they were always busy, working full time jobs, but always seemed to have time for us. Their marriage, family and friends are very important to them. They are devoted to their famiy and loyalto their friends; once you become their friends, you are a lifelong friend!

Do you have any funny, sad, happy, embarrassing or otherwise memorable moments that you would like to share: These are thoughts my mom wrote about how they met and the "early days" (she's not aware of the poem): we met in our sophmore year at high school and were classmates at south kingstown high school but that our first date was in the winter of our junior year 1952 on our first date we went to a basketball game in cummberland, rhode island and that walter greene drove us there i remember your dad walking me to the door and he had on a bright red wool flannel hooded statium coat with toggle buttons it came to his knees he wore that on many of our dates after that first one oh my goodness memories so many on the day of our wedding nana insisted that dad have a glass of grapefruit juice in the morning before the ten oclock wedding mass........he was soooo nervous there we knelt at the alter and the grapefruit juice decided to rear its ugly head up it came i looked at your dad and he was as white as a ghost covered with beads of sweat,,,,,,, the grapefruit juice was in the cup of his hands the rings were on a gold plate to the left of us aunt mary reached for them we took the rings off i handed dad the gold plate which he put under his chin for the grapefruit juice then he got up and went out to the side room to the right of the altarleaving me there at the altar alone after washing up and cleaning up he came back in and sat in a chair beside me for the rest of the mass there he sat and somehow managed to stand up and we walked down the isle after the ceremony i remember on our 25th anniversary we went back to new york city and thought it would be nice to again stay at the knickerbocker hotel where we had stayed on our honeymoon we went into the hotel to get a room several men were sitting around the lobby in chairs just sort of staring into space (that should have been a clue!!) we signed in, paid for the room and went upstairs we entered the room oh, my, the curtains were all dingy and torn the whole room was dreary and so sad we couldn;t stay there we simply walked down the stairs and out the door did not even stop at the desk walked across the street and check in to the Taft hotelthe Knickerbocker had become sort of a flop house for poor souls it certainly had changed in 25 years it used to be quite the place in 1955 not anymore when all three of our girls arrived it was always in the middle of the night when those trips to the hospital took place and there was always hours and hours of waiting their arrivals dad would drive me to the hospital, sign me in, take me to the elevator, kiss me goodbye and then leave and go back home and off to work til dr nestor called him to tell him that the baby had been born... beth in 1955, mary in 1957 and patti in 1965 that;s what all husbands did in those days but in 1966 it the morning daylight we drove to the hosptal dad signed me in, took me to the elevator and he went back to grandpa;s house to help grandpa paint the house three hours later,,,,, just three hours the phone rang and the nurse told dad that the baby had been born and that it was a BOY dad;s reply was " Are you sure? It?s always been fifteen or twenty hours, and its always been a girl the nurse said well i am quite sure, but i will go and check, just a minute after a minute, the nurse returned and said Yes, I?m right It?s a boy and so a son and brother was added to our family These are thoughts/memories from the children, Beth, Mary, Pat and Joe: Many of the family trips we were lucky enough to take including: camping with the chuch families, skiing in New Hamshire, trips to visit the Boyntons (made even more exiting as Dad would invariably start to fall asleep), trips to Rhode Island to visit Grandma and Grandpa's house and meeting a new family friend or relative each time (mom would cry every time we left; she loves it there, dad waiting patiently in the car for her to say goodbye); trips to Aunt Mae's Taffy Shop, Georges Beach and Sand Hill Cove climbing the rocks and watching the boats; famiy trip to Hershey Park, all in blue beanie caps to stay together. The time they took, and still take with their children and grandchildren to help us with homework, go to every sporting and school event we ever participated in, or just shoot hoops, play pictionary or going for a boat ride. Dinner with dad after a little league championship and him saying how proud he was. Accepting gifts of love, hand made items, or those ties/hankies/wallets gifts year after year with exitement each time Family time at Thanksgiving and Christmas; hectic, stressful at times, but wonderful and full of exitement.

Do you have any other comments or thoughts: They both value education, worked hard, and enjoy time with family and friends. They have been truly enjoying their retirement, golfing, meeting new friends and spending time with old friends, wintering in Fl, spending summers on the pond and travelling.

What style of poem would you prefer (happy, sad, romantic etc.): happy, humerous, romantic

Please choose which package you would prefer: Deluxe

Would you like a copy of the handwritten drafts: No

Do you have any last comments or thoughts: It seems they found the key to living 50 years together in marriage takes enormous love, respect, hard work, communication, commitment, a sense of humor and a little luck.

The Golden Key

You met in your sophomore year at high school, your first date was in your junior year, in 1952, you went to a basketball game in Cumberland, Walter Greene drove you there (what a nice thing to do). Mom remembers Dad walking her to the door, he wore a bright red wool flannel hooded stadium coat, and that's where this story started, over 52 years ago, and that's one of the nicest lines I've ever wrote. Because it wasn't long before you could hear wedding bells, Dad was nervous and the grapefruit juice said "hi!" There you knelt at the alter, Dad white as a ghost, and in his hands, he kept the juice (or gave it his very best try). The gold plate, once for rings, became a sick tray, and Dad had to leave Mom at the altar, all alone, thankfully, after washing and cleaning up, Dad came back, and managed to get through it all (with just the odd groan). You went to New York for your honeymoon, and you stayed at the Knickerbocker, if we recall, in 1955, it seemed quite the place to go, but over the years, it took quite a fall. Because you went there for your 25th anniversary, the shady men in the lobby should have given you a clue, but the room (dreary and sad) and the curtains (all dingy and torn), decided very quickly that the Taft was the thing to do. But we digress, so back to the story, because the girls were waiting to come along, always 15 or 20 hours, always in the middle of the night, so when Joe arrived, Dad thought something was wrong. Because he arrived in less than three painting hours, and Dad asked the nurse if there'd been a mistake, by that stage, he'd grew accustomed to us girls, he wanted to make sure Joe wasn't an imposter, a fake! Of course, he wasn't and now the family was complete, complete to make some wonderful memories, too many to list, just know that each and everyone is simply precious, there's not one that we would have missed. We've gone camping with the church families, and in New Hampshire, we learned how to ski, Dad would fall asleep on the way to the Boynton's, and Rhode Island was always a great place to be. We'd visit Grandma and Grandpa's house, and there, we'd meet a new relative or family friend, Mom would cry every time it came time to say goodbye, Dad would wait patiently in the car for the tears to end. There were trips to Aunt Mae's Taffy Shop and George's Beach at Sand Hill Cove we'd climb the rocks and watch the boats, we went to Hershey Park, all in blue beanie caps to stay together, (we couldn't afford to all have the same colored coats). But you've always given us so much in our lives, in truth, you've given the greatest gift, that's your time, you still go to every school and sporting event, truly, you've put the reason in every rhyme. You'll shoot hoops or play Pictionary, and we've always enjoyed a boat ride, and we know we couldn't have chosen finer parents, we know we couldn't - even if we'd tried. . I remember dinner with dad after a little league championship, I'll never forget him saying "I'm proud of you, son", and we've had so many great hectic, stressful family times, but at Thanksgiving and Christmas, how else does dinner get done?. Over the years you've accepted all the ties, hankies and wallets and all the hand-made items, our gifts of love, you've accepted them all with such excitement, it's like they've been sent from the heavens above. But the truth of the matter is that's where you came from, because with you in our lives, we've been truly blessed, and of all the parents in this world, we know we're lucky, we know because we do have the finest, the very best. You've taught us about the value of education, how to work hard and enjoy time with family and friends, and now you're truly enjoying your retirement, and you're finding now that summer never ends. And the love and respect you have for each other, well, it's enormous, one of the biggest things on this earth, and you've been such wonderful parents and grandparents, yes, every one here knows your true and honest worth You celebrate the good times in such a positive, inspirational way, yet, you face the dragons and the tough times together, growing up, you were always busy, working full time jobs, but you always seemed to have time, we were never put on the never. Your marriage, family and friends are very important to you, you are devoted to your family and loyal to every lifelong friend, and you've been friends to us too, more than parents, now, there's one more thing we'd like to say before the end. Because we just wanted to say thank you, I guess we've never said just how wonderful you are, but if our love for you were a distance, then it would be further than the furthest star. It seems you've found the key to living 50 years together, it's about taking responsibility and not passing the buck, it takes enormous love, respect, hard work, communication, commitment, a sense of humor and more than a little luck. And we just wanted to say Happy 50th Anniversary, I guess that's really what these words are for, here's to you, Mom and Dad, you're truly wonderful, and here's to your everlasting love, for evermore.

Copyright www.agiftofpoetry.co.uk 2008

Allen Jesson

Comments:

The poem is wonderful!!