For my 30th birthday, my Grandmother gave me the most touching gift I have ever received. When I opened the present it was a frame with a piece of cardboard covering what had been framed. She told me to turn it over and on the back was an envelope which had written on it "Read First." Inside was a little story about a girl named Cathy and her poetry. I had trouble making it through this story without choking up. You see, when I was very young my mother, Cathy, passed away. Once I read the story my Grandmother told me that I could remove the cardboard. What she had framed was the poem mentioned in the story. I shared the poem and story with some of my neighbors and coworkers over the next couple of days and they all thought that it was a lovely poem. Two days after I received this gift, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked. One of my coworkers pointed out that he thought that the poem, titled "Peace and Love", was quite appropriate for what our country is experiencing. As a result I wanted to share this little piece of my mother with as many people as I could. Included here are the story and the poem

Follow these links to view them:

The story

The poem in her handwriting

The poem typed out