The son of a good friend of mine was to get married in the Fall. He and his fiancé, Cindy, hired me to photograph their wedding. Having heard that I wrote a poem on a dedication plaque for the local library, they asked me to write something for her father who was recovering from a stroke. No commercial card seemed to express her love for her dad and they thought a more personal message to be more fitting. The bride-to-be told me how wonderful her dad was through the years and how he was determined to walk her down the aisle, no matter how slowly he walked. Here's what I wrote.

Dad, dear Dad,

Whenever life wasn't fair

You were never not there.

I remember my party

When nobody came

You said, "They just forgot"

And took all my pain.

When my little dog died

You stood by my side.

And when I needed a car

It was your cookie jar.

When I finished with school

You cried like a fool

And if it's heaven I share,

I know you'll be there.

Your Cindy

Another time I needed a poem for a bride and groom to give to their parents on the wedding day. I printed it on parchment, rolled into a scroll and tied with a rose and a golden ribbon.

Dear Mom and Dad,

If love could flow

Like ink from a pen,

If words could show

How I feel now and then,

I am what I am with you inside;

You gave me so much

In which I take pride.

I know there were times

When I made you sad

But you both understood

And gave all you had.

If I could live over

My whole life through,

I'd still want to be me

And you to be you.

Your daughter

Emotion is everything.

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