Oh the memories this picture brings! I am the one on the left and My Dad's little sister Abigail who happens to be one of my two best friends is on the right. I remember that the boxing gloves were way too small because they were a six year olds Christmas present and they hurt my hands but I didn't want to give up. But she beat me -I had to give up because my hands hurt. Even though I may look short in the picture I have almost always been at least an inch taller than her, And I am just a few days over seven months older than Abigail. But me and Abigail weren't the only ones who were boxing with those gloves, Dad and his brother Thomas were boxing, and Jonathan and Grandpa Coghlan, William and Patrick Henry, Kaitlyn and Loly. (short for Alaura)

Gather ye Roses

Gather ye roses while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying;
A world where beauty fleets away
Is no world for denying.
Come lads and Lasses, fall to play
Lose no more time in sighing.

The very flowers you pluck to-day
Tomorrow will be dying;
And all the flowers are crying,
And all the leaves have tongues to say,-
Gather ye roses while ye may.

by Robert Louis Stevenson

I chose this one because it reminds me of a spoof that someone did of it:

Gather kittens while ye may,
Time brings only sorrow;
And the kittens of today
will be old cats tomorrow

I love poetry so I think that I'll post some every once in a while.
What really grabbed me was the part about the beloved books,
I think that I like whoever wrote this!

Home

Home!
My very heart's desire is safe
within thy walls;
The voices of my loved ones, friends who come,
My treasured books that rest in niche serene,
All make more dear to me thy haven sweet.
Nor do my feet
desire to wander out except that
they may have the glad return at eventide-
Dear Home

Home! my very heart's contentment lies within thy walls.
No worldly calls hath power to turn my eyes
in longing from
thy quietness. Each morn
when I go forth upon the duties of
the day
I wend my way
content to know that eve will bring me
safely to thy walls again.
Dear Home.

by Nellie Womack Hines

Knock! Knock! Knock! Came the sound on Alexandra's bedroom door. She grimaced. That would probably be her Dad ready to very loudly and very off-keyedly serenade, sing, implore, and command her to get up! "Mmph!" she grunted. She was not ready to be woken up yet. But it was her Mom, "Hey wake up Alex! Arise your soul arise." Alexandra sighed, lay there with her eyes closed for a minute, then she sat up and got up. Later that day she sighed again. She was not ready to give her speech at the Wishing Club presidential meeting. Once every 6 months the Wishing Club elected a new president, vice president, and secretary. (which she found amusing considering the people in the club were ages 10-13 + there was thirteen club members). "Oh well", she said to herself, "There's no going back now!" Once up on stage (3 wooden crates put side-by side, + 5 stacked up to make a podium) she cleared her throat into the soda bottles that served as amplifiers and said, "This term I have found a couple of wishes in the wishing box which I find funny. Would you like me to read them?" "Yes!" everybody shouted.(obviously eager to hear). Pausing dramatically she plunged her hand into the wish-box. "OK here is one from Tiffany Sawyer, March 9, 2006. Ahem." she cleared her throat again and read, "I wish that I had a pink 20 passenger seat limousine with a Jacuzzi and a TV." Alexandra stopped reading and looked up in time to see everybody in the clubhouse roar with laughter. She smiled and held up her hand for silence and they quieted down. "Thank you, thank you, but let's save your energy for the rest, shall we? Now this one was by Diana Montoya on April 4, 2006. "I wish that I had a green Unicorn. I would ride him all over the world in a couple of minutes." Again the gales of helpless roaring and again she held up her hand and the roaring subsided into scattered titters and giggles "Now one more by Meredith Peters "I wish that i had a wand that made peple see things from my point of view when I pointed it at them" .after reading a few more wishes Alexandra finished her speech and at the conclusion was heavily applauded.By the time all the club members who hadn't volunteered to stay and help clean up had gotten most of the soil out of their hair (from rolling around in helpless laughter) and gone home, Alexandra had changed out of her new lavender silk dress and into, a green tank top and some shorts (she had volunteered to stay and help clean up and put away the crates and folding chairs) and once they were done the vote-counters walked up to her and said: "Congratulations on all the applause you got but... we're afraid that you didn't win the campaign". Alexandra stood up and blinked a couple of times and said "Thank you for telling me. I am not very disappointed.I suppose I didn't really expect to win... but give my congratulations to the new president " With that she flipped a strand of honey blonde hair over her shoulder, turned and walked home wondering if she would have even enjoyed being president.