My identical twin girls are 28 years old today. They were a complete surprise to us in two different ways, and then have been surprising us ever since. We intended to stop at having only two children, a boy then a girl, and THOUGHT we had something permanent done, but 9 months later I found out I was pregnant. SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

All through the pregnancy I had kept asking the doctor if I could possibly be carrying twins because of the weight gain. "NO, NO," He kept saying, "only one heartbeat, thus one baby."

I went into labor six weeks early. April was born at 1:30 AM. 4 pounds 10 ounces. The doctor didn't notice anything different, but the nurse did. LET'S HEAR IT FOR ALL THE NURSES OUT THERE! "Doctor, "she said, "she sure feels rigid," when she felt my tummy.

I'll never forget the look on that poor doctor's face. He said, "Well, let me check." Sure enough he felt a foot inside of me. "There is another baby in there!"

One problem, my labor had completely stopped and no matter how hard they tried with shots to get it started again, they couldn't. The poor doctor was really sweating by this time. "Well," he said, "we need to get it out, so I'll just have to reach in and pull the baby out," and that is exactly what he did. All 4 pounds 3 ounces of Amy entered this world at 2:35 AM, an hour and five minutes after her twin sister.

They are both happily married. April lives in Dallas, Georgia and teaches third grade at an at risk school and Amy lives in Lubbock working for her PhD at Texas Tech University and just became Mommy to Charlie on January 30th.

I wrote AS THE DRUM BEATS when they were little. I already posted it once earlier, but would like to share it again with those who haven't read it as I honor TWO of my five children.

The darkness my Dear Sister
Is filled with love and warmth,
Although the drum continues
Its sound radiates a nearness
That I do not quite understand,
Yet my whole being seems fulfilled
By its sweet gentle rhythm.

Yes my Darling Sister
It is very dark, but yet
I understand your feelings
As the drum continues to beat,
My heart is filled with warmth
And your nearness makes me safe,
As I continue to feel unafraid.

The time is coming closer, Dear Sister
And the light will soon appear,
Please do not be frightened
As the drum will keep on beating,
And the warmth will keep you safe
We will soon be close once again
But for now, Dear Sister, good-bye.

I am a little lonely
Now that Sister has gone away,
But soon I too will see the light
And the secure dark and warmth
And the continuing drumbeat
Will no longer be a part of us,
Yet Sister and I will be together once again.

MOM MOM

Way in November I posted this, but I want to post it again. We are like a family at our school for the most part. I have wonderful, loving and trusting friends. There has been so much cancer and diseases plaguing our small community, and now another dear friend has been diagnosed with MS. She is such a kind soul and so caring. I wanted to post this for you, Dear Becky.

I felt the touch
of your soul today
It echoed the kindness
you always display
The warmth it radiated
touched my heart's core
Giving me a feeling
of wanting much more
You knew my needs
and you sought out God
Along the prayer path
you tenderly trod
On my behalf
you bowed your head
Seeking God's source
in my stead
You quietly prayed
making a plea
That I once again
be heartache free
I want to thank you
for your kind way
Of dealing with problems
during our earthly stay
You are so unique
such a dear soul
I fervently pray
for His blessings to flow
Did you feel the gentle touch
upon your heart today?
I asked God to send it
in a loving, caring way.

Thoughts and visions dancing within my mind
Twisting and twirling without reason or rhyme,
Too many things are swirling about
Please make them stop before I shout.
Why are we doing this to ourselves?
No time to think, no time to dwell,
We push ourselves to the edge, the rim
Not taking time to pray to Him.
How did we get in this fine mess?
Could it be from God, our Book Of Life test?
Are we right or are we wrong?
He only wants to make us strong.
In our beliefs, in our faith
We cannot give in, we cannot wait,
To journey toward a better way
If we just take time out to pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, please be with us
Let us believe, let us trust,
That this old world is just a stopping place
Until we are judged by His saving grace.

So much has happened since I wrote here last
The days took off like a rocket's blast,
Hard to keep up, hard to hold on
From young to old, it isn't long.
Time is spiraling out of control
We have to be careful to grab ahold,
Or we can become lost in the shuffle
So many things would be better off muffled.
We have this desire to run too many races
With wild crazy eyes and smileless faces,
Running here and racing yonder
Never taking the time to ponder.
What is in this earthly life for me
That will help me reach toward eternity?

God has blessed me all of my life
Watching over me, helping me get through life's strife
I was a daughter, then became a wife
Chuck has been my husband for 35 years of my life.

Eleven months into our marriage our son Bill was born
Misti came too early, our hearts were torn,
Yet in the end she was healthy and smart
Five and a half years later we had quite a start!

Identical twins, April & Amy joined this earth
It was quite a shock at the time of their birth,
Now they are married to two great guys
They celebrate their 25th birthday with contented sighs.

Melody, the youngest, who could forget?
She's 21 and sometimes has the college frets,
But she'll be okay as she finds her niche
Wanting a life that will help her get rich!

All of my children have their feet on the ground
As they go through life hopefully heavenward bound,
They are gentle people with gentle souls
How can I be sure? Because a mother always knows!

Priceless is the joy they have given
Their determination has been God driven,
I pray they will always let God come first
So they'll always go forward instead of reverse.

I know my poetry isn't the best, but somehow I always feel a little better when a poem bubbles up from deep within-I know the kids and a few other people think I am a little "OUT THERE!" I'm not really-I am who I am and that's okay-My energy and blessed life are God originated-YES! But without my beloved husband, outstanding children & the most precious Granddaughter (two Grandsons since this was written) in the world, my earthly being would be pretty useless. Their love is what carries me through my darkest thoughts and they pull me through to the glorious light of love and happiness.

Remembering my last born
With eyes so big and brown
Remembering her smile
The way she would frown
It was hard on her
Being number five
Going through the years
Trying to survive
Where did the years go
They passed by too fast
I barely had time
To enjoy her past
She's eighteen now
Not a baby nor child
She's a college student
Still not meek nor mild
I don't really know
About this empty nest
The hours get lonely
Yet I try my best
After all that was the purpose
To raise them all up
To be out on their own
To enjoy a full cup
My job is complete
I raised them God's way
Now it is up to them
If a Christian they'll stay
I know I wasn't perfect
Only Jesus could be
I just pray they will remember
I will love them through eternity
Dear God I want to thank You
For all the blessings I've received
For all my beautiful children
For all that they have achieved
I may not have done some things
In quite the right way
But I just want to thank You
For each and everyday
For my Mom & Dad & sisters & brothers
And all my wonderful friends
When my life's chapters are finished
It'll only be the beginning, not be the end.