Heads Or Tails

Skittles started her own meme/challenge that she calls Heads or Tails.

This week's theme/prompt is:
HEADS - Flower

Tonight I gave the 9th speech of ten to fill the requirements of Toastmaster International, for me to receive my Advanced Communicator Bronze award. I got a really fantastic evaluation for this speech (at Toastmasters, all is evaluated), and other members told me it's the best speech I've given so far (since I joined again after 10 years away from the club). It felt awesome!! It seems I always run out of time, finishing the writing of the speech while driving to the meeting, having no time to rehearse it before presenting it. This time, I wrote it several days in advance, then took the time to practice, practice, practice. I followed the short speech with a poem I'd written in 2003. It was to be a 5-7 minute talk, though I did go over a bit, 7:32... not too bad, but it's the first time I've gone over my time. In practice, I was able to do it within the time limit, so not sure what happened, but these things do fluctuate. Sometimes you have to pause and let the audience laugh, or maybe you talk a bit faster or slower than when you practiced, or who knows. Anyway, this following is the speech I wrote, though it was given not word for word, but fairly close. I've changed the names to protect the innocent... and the not so innocent. I have chosen the names of flowers to replace the peoples names so that I can count this as a Heads or Tails post, hahaha.

Speech Title: No Bigger Thank A Minute

Toastmaster intro (set up the occasion for the audience): Don your Sunday Best… top if off with your Party Hat! Hop in to the Time Machine & “Whooosh”! It is now August 28^th, 2008 & you’ve just arrived at a Birthday Party!

I don’t know why her parents only gave her one name. Maybe it’s because she was so small they didn’t think she could handle more than on. However, little Lily Dogwood would prove to be a very strong little lady!

Mister Toastmaster, Fellow Toastmasters, Welcome Guests!

In 1923, when just a babe in arms, her parents still traveled to and from town by horse & buggy. On the way home one day, heading down Snake Hill, they hit a bump & Lily flew out of her mother’s arms, out of the wagon, down the bank & came to rest at the very edge of the creek… unharmed!

I first met Lily on January 8^th, 19__ , the day she brought me into this world. By then she’d given birth to 4 children… and buried one of them! So I had 2 older sisters & 1 brother. In ’59 another brother was added to the mix. Yes, folks, little Lily Dogwood is my mother. She married Agave Cactus Flower in July 1948 & devoted her life to being as good a wife and mother as she could be.

Some of my early memories include:

- Mum pulling us kids around the kitchen on some kind of mop type thing. This was how she polished her freshly waxed floor & spent time having fun with her children.

- Mum breaking a wooden spoon on Snapdragon for writing bad words (in ink) on Marigold’s pencil case. (Of course, the spoon was already badly cracked from going through the wringer on the washing machine a few times as Mum put the wet laundry through to be wrung out, before she hung it out on the line to dry.

- Mum putting fresh, warm milk through the separator, separating the cream from the milk… much as she’d just separated the milk from the cows.

- Mum saddling Gypsy for us so we could ride her. Gypsy was a 16HH horse, her back higher than Mum was tall. It was a big heavy saddle & Mum picked it up, over her head, & threw it up onto Gypsy’s back.

Mum & I, as I’m sure most mothers & daughters do, have our disagreements… there were a few of them that were pretty bad, as I recall. Yet, we’ve always managed to get past them & move on. Now, every time we talk on the phone, or in person, as we say goodbye we always say “I love you!” to each other.

All of little Lily’s brothers & sisters have passed on now, as has her beloved husband of 50 years… and several of her friends… though she still has many friends as well as her 5 children, 8 grand children, and so far, 8 great grands. She lives on her own & not only does she still drive, but she words as a volunteer, driving around town delivering meals to ‘shut ins’, most of them younger than she is.

Yes, little Lily (Dogwood) Flower has proven to be one very strong little lady. She has lived an incredible life & continues to do so. I hope that when I turn 85 I will have been an inspiration to as many people, and been as good, honest and giving a person as Mum has.

I’d like to share a poem that I wrote, called “God’s Blessing”:

“This could be a blessing in disguise”
I said to myself one day
“Well, thank you, Mum”
I then just had to say,
For she had often spoken to me
In just this very way.

Life does have its challenges,
This we all must know,
Yet Mumsy’s words of wisdom
Have helped my life to grow,
And through my very existence
Allow the Spirit of God to flow.

When I hit a big brick wall
And my life went all to…. Well,
Mum has always been there for me
Listening to problems I had to tell,
Lifting me up and dusting me off
Each time on my knees I fell.

“I don’t think I can make it”
I don’t know the way!”
“Oh, you’ll make it,
Because you’re a Flower,” she’d say.
I ask myself, “Without Mum,
Where would I be today?”

I am so very grateful
I’m telling you… oh brother,
I have looked around at many
And simply want no other.
I know that I am truly blessed
Having Lily as my mother.

Written: June 28, 2003