I have two children now full-grown
A lovely daughter and handsome son
My daughter was my very firstborn
So for this poem, she's number one

Her birth date comes in early July
She has beautiful strawberry blond hair
And I love to see her let it fly
In the summer breeze without a care

Her coming first was such a blessing
Because I really wanted a girl
Back then all parents were left to guessing
When she arrived she was my pearl

I spent much time sewing for her
Her clothes were all hand made
Outfits of dresses and pinafores
Of fine cloth that would never fade

I'd dress her up 'til she looked so nice
And then have her portrait made
She looked just like sugar and spice
She was always up to grade A

Often I would take her to church
Outfitted in her new and best attire
And on a pew, she would quietly perch
Or in my lap sit as long as required

To school, she was sent at age five
No kindergarten needed for her age
First grade was where she arrived
Because she could read from a page

I remember the fun she had in our pool
Swimming together with family or friends
It was the very best way to keep cool
Just splashing and laughing till day's end

My daughter also loved to read
In her room with the door closed tight
And no one could ever succeed
In disturbing her, as hard as they tried

Her brother was four years younger
And their personalities did not mix
Although he became bigger and stronger
She managed to dodge most of his tricks

She learned early that work paid off
When mom hired someone to clean
She approached her mom with a cough
And said,” On cleaning and laundry I'm keen.”

So mom started her off at an early age
$80 dollars for a week's worth of work
Mom found that she really did engage
From then she finished all the housework

When mom came home on Friday afternoons
The whole house smelled of Clorox and soap
Everything in place and daughter humming a tune
She'd accomplished more than mom had hoped

The next hurdle this girl had to face
Was learning to drive and get licensed
She had her permit but shrank from the race
This was becoming a real family crisis

So mom thought of a trick that might work
$5 dollars for each hour of driving practice
You guessed it, my friend, it worked in the end
Daughter soon was driving without sadness

Now it came time to choose a career
So mom and daughter looked over the choices
Daughter only saw one that she didn't fear
A course without speech and loud voices

X-Ray Tech seemed to be a good fit
For a girl that hated public speaking
So she quickly signed up for it
And got her degree, without freaking

And a great X-Ray Tech she did make
Got a job driving a truck all around town
Pulling X-Ray equipment to take
Where ever nursing homes did abound

When this part of her life was secure
She met a guy at a party so fun
She was 25 and very mature
They started dating and love was begun

Their love grew and they came to understand
That they were meant for each other
So he took her by the hand
With blessings from father and mother

On her wedding day, she walked down the aisle
A beautiful bride for all to see
With her dad giving her away in style
Forever a faithful wife she would be

Now married for 22 years since that day
She has three sons to call her own
And she's still great at taking X-Rays
Far and wide her skills are well known

Caption it...
CUS