From LarryW (Larry) - SECOND PLACE WINNER
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VALENTINE HEARTS
WAY BACK WHEN, I was BORN IN CALIFORNIA, SAN JOSE to be exact, so could be called a CALIFORNIA KID. She was an ARKANSAS RAZORBACK who came to CALIFORNIA from MINERAL SPRINGS to visit her BIG SISTER.
She was more like the GIRL NEXT DOOR than a BROADWAY SHOWGIRL, but she had that special FLAIR. GOOD LOOKING? Absolutely! FLASHY ‘N SMART at the same time. Was it LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, or was it ONE LONELY HEART meeting another? We acted like CRAZY KIDS, but our responsibilities were NOT FORGOTTEN – four children, two were mine and two were hers. We couldn’t wait, so it wasn’t long before our WEDDING DAY. We had our HONEYMOON in CARMEL, but knew that we would be COMING HOME to find the difference BETWEEN DREAMS AND REALITY. It wasn’t JUST THE TWO OF US, we were OUTNUMBERED from the start.
When we moved to GEORGIA, we might as well have moved ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. We knew no one, but at least we did not have to explain our COMPLICATED FAMILY TREE. We began a FAMILY TRADITION, then another one. We grew together and tightened our FAMILY TIES.
You know, there must have been PANIC IN PRESCHOOL when our two-year old twin boys arrived that first day. They had BOUNDLESS ENERGY. The younger daughter went with her brothers, the older one went to FIRST GRADE. Soon it was a BARBIE DOLL and a L’IL RED WAGON. Then it was BALLET and BASEBALL. Often they were ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES. It seems like only a few years later when there was a LINE DRIVE to right-center, part time jobs, a VARSITY CHEERLEADER and a HOMECOMING QUEEN. Then it was GRADUATION DAY. I felt like a LOTTERY WINNER when Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship came along to help with college tuition.
Then they were ALL GROWN UP, and soon we watched one girl walk DOWN THE AISLE to start her own family. Years later, the other daughter flew off for an HAWAIIAN HONEYMOON. Then it was time for the boys, one wearing a TUXEDO at his AFTERNOON WEDDING, the other flying off to exchange vows in the CARIBBEAN.
We now live near AUGUSTA. We look forward to a FAMILY REUNION which could be a CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION where we can enjoy OUR GRANDCHILDREN or perhaps a GULF COAST SUMMER VACATION where we can see how big they’ve grown - - as long as we’re not SWIMMING WITH SHARKS!
When you are young, some tell you that life will not be a BED OF ROSES and that YOUNG LOVE is not enough to see you through. MAYBE SO. I think we BEAT THE ODDS. Sure there were HARD TIMES, but by COMING TOGETHER we could make it through. I am FULLY BLESSED. I hope you can tell that my wife is a VERY SPECIAL person . She is MY BEST FRIEND and MY DELIGHT. Truly, MY CUP OVERFLOWS. ONE DAY SOON I will be LOOKING INTO GOD’S EYES and I will sing Him a HYMN OF PRAISE just to say THANK YOU for sending her. She is still MY VALENTINE.
