[JeanieK]

Every year I write a poem for my Christmas greetings.

This past year, I worked on putting together a family calendar, for a family of 75. The fpoem is about making the calendar.

Enjoy.




Christmas 2007


The making of a Family Calendar

A cold January, with time on my hands,
To keep myself busy, I thought of a plan.
A nice calendar would be easy to make.
I’d ask of my family, some pictures to take.

The plan seemed quite simple; I had lots of time,
to do this small thing for this family of mine.
I sent out a message that photos were needed.
‘Twas mostly ignored; so message repeated.

I started the project with photos I had.
I finished some pages, and they weren’t too bad
I cropped and I cut and I copied and pasted.
The pages were filling, no corner was wasted

When starting the project, we were sixty four
But changes were needed to make room for more
In mid February, there came a new life,
when Owen was born, to Danni and Bryce.

Then came announcements of weddings to come
More room would be needed; I’d have to make some
Amanda and Tina were going to be wed,
to Eric and John, respectively said.

Then Alan announced, that his heart turned to jelly
O’er his girlfriend Angel and sweet little Nellie.
Resize and adjusting and finding more places
I had to make room for a few more new faces

In June there arrived a new little blessing
when Joy made new parents of Eric and Leslie.
More photos arriving, more cutting and cropping
The family kept growing, it just wasn’t stopping

Then came a wedding, a groom and two children,
I made room for Kennedy, Eric and Dylan.
The third of July, a new bundle from Heaven
for Jessi and Adam, their new baby, Evan.

I wrote down the names and I checked off my list.
I sorted through pictures to see who I’d missed.
I counted and rechecked and then thought “Oh Dear.”
Some photos are missing, not everyone’s here.

I sent out an email to carry my plea.
Search for these photos and send them to me.
To come from a family this large is a blessing.
I can not complete this if someone is missing.

What started as something, to just keep me busy,
now had me frustrated, and in quite a tizzy.
A new message sent to remind all the slackers,
to please send some pictures, stop watching the Packers.

This was a huge task, I had to surmount it.
I just could not finish ‘til each one was counted.
The rest of the photos had finally come,
but all was not finished; I waited for one.

In mid November, the last photo came,
from Morgan and Ailsa, of new baby, James.
I went through the pages, each photo is matched,
to a name on my list, I’m finished at last.

It’s the end of the year, my dear sakes alive.
We were sixty four, we’re now seventy five.



Joann and Gordie, Cindy, Dianna,
Ryan and Ashley, and Haley and Hannah
And there’s one of Rick, and Brandon and Joe
Those are some good ones of them in the snow

Here’s Donna and Karl, and just look at that,
there’s a good one of Jane and Mia and Matt.
Tracy and Joshua, Ian and Pam,
Connor, Larissa, Kate, Dean and Sam.

And here is my own page as full as can be
There’s one from a wedding of just Bert and me.
Tracy and Bryan and Eric and Leslie,
Shannon and Joe and Adam with Jessi

There’s Ailsa and Morgan and Danni and Bryce
This page might be full, but it sure is nice
Alivia, Avery and their brother Owen,
there’s Evan and Joy, just look how they’re growin’.

There’s Carmen with Daimon, they’re out playing ball.
That’s Jordan with Katlyn, he’s sure getting tall.
Joshua and Jack with their new brother James,
I go down the list and I check off the names.

Here’s Phil with Marlene, and there’s Andrea too,
and Tina with John, from a trip to the zoo
There’s Alan and Nellie with Angel, her mother
Now don’t they look happy, all hugging each other.

Now here is a photo of Jody and Stan,
And that’s one of Tim. He is now a young man.
This photo’s of Adam, he soon will be back,
from his tour overseas, with the troops in Iraq.

Amanda with Eric, her husband to be,
And Melanie’s boyfriend is with her, I see.

And finally Roger and Lynn with their crew,
Joseph and Jamie and Jeremy too.
Kennedy, Dylan, and Eric and Jen,
I check off their names, and that is the end.