Pete wrote this tribute n honor of his and Barbara's 20th Anniversary on July 5, 1995.
The years are going by us fast, But our love will forever last, Your beauty is mine to behold, The likes of mine will only be told. The years have been good and bad, Years of happiness, days to be sad, But to share my life with you, Is truly my dream come true? Hold my hand, tenderest dear, Of life’s holding do not fear, With God’s permission I will abide, With you at my side. I stand proud at my several stations, As life unfolds its daily creations, I praise God to thee above, For your support and love. Remember my dearest, The sands of time they quickly flow, But daily on our love will grow, For it is God’s providence that we live, And it is His love I do give. I love you Barbara and always will, This the sands of time cannot kill, My heart in to yours will always be one, Till our deeds on this earth are done.
Love Is...
Love to me is a foundation of devotion Which my darling you have given me Times of happiness and sadness Of our everlasting memories A daughter although not of my blood Truly my family I so dearly love Laughter at life’s jumbled events To me at this moment heaven sent Memories we both have had My darling I am so awfully glad To share with you God’s gift anew Even the sadness of the past we’ve had Our trust in God has bought on a smile To our Life and its passage due I am just trying to convey in style My love I will always treasure you
my own birthday poem
"Age" - The Question of My Mind
In my journey of Life’s rough and rocky roads I traversed the footprints of my heritage past Through the loving spirit of my mother I have sowed Its greatness through each sunrise cast From the time I was born in my grandmother’s spare room To the challenges in Life I face to this day I know that the promise of Jesus in my heart and soul blooms That he is my only Master, the truth and the way Age is truly a question of the mind Its reality is in each of our hearts and souls Through the everlasting love of my wife I find The path of Faith as we seek the rainbows pot of gold So as the candles of birth are lit one at a time I give thanks to all my family and friends To my earth Angel sister Sylvia and my children all Our Circle of Love in my heart and soul will never end
In Birthday memory of Ida Marie Putaansuu
Fifty-one years ago “Mom” clasped Jesus' hand To be gathered into Heaven’s renewal of life Through earthly times of troubled sands In my faith she abides within the great light My book of teaching reaches my soul To share with God what I could not see For now as my years of wisdom starts to unfold Of the pains of false love she is eternally free In my heart she flies with the angels of God Watching over our family through days and nights Her embodiment is of the rainbow above the sod That helps to make the load in my heart light I leave this spent moment of my heart In homage to all those families members of God’s promised land Their gifts of love and the wisdom to impart Will abide through the changing of the Hourglass' sands. Poetry is the Vision of the Soul through the spirit of one’s soul.
A letter to mother
Dear Mom it now makes it Fifty nine years Since I had lost your beauty to hold I was only but a child filled with tears From the many stories of truth told I’m sorry I ran away from you at the train I never would have had the truth been told Through these years the fact of Life in me remains That you were more precious than diamonds and gold I want to thank you mom for the gift you gave That I have inherited through my heart and soul From the words you left behind with others As you sought shelter from cold Mother each word I write are of your love That you were denied on this earth I now abide I give you my Praise through our Lord above As I traverse this journey with your spirit in me is ALIVE
Rest in Eternal Peace, Sylvia, Edward, Peter
faith in our life
Life can be surrounded by happiness and joy It all depends on the plan you employ Giving of your love is a good start As long as it’s from within your soul to start We traverse this earth for a reason As the bible says there is a time and a season A time we are given to plant Faith’s seed That will carry us through as long as we believe Each day we awake is a reflection to us all From the years gone by when we were small Life is a bending circle we want never to end In reality its truth upon our hearts will ascend We live for our children so they can receive The heritage of loved ones in their journey to be My children and I mean all of no matter the age Truly Life does has it challenges and rocky roads I just want you to know that I hope and pray That my Faith in you all will lighten your load"
A Fathers Love is not Lost
In loving memory of Richard A. Todd
We turn to our God on this day In seeking the comfort to our hearts and souls That this loving Father has been led the way To the promise of what the bible unfolds Just as the Love of our God will never cease Richard’s reflections of life will not end For beyond the golden gate at his souls release The great re-union of the new life in Heaven begins His love of those that he has left upon God’s earth Will never be swept away from the sands of time The heritage of his wisdom given since his birth Were a gift of his faith and love combined On this day we commit but a mortal part Of the impressions to others he gave The Love we so treasured will never depart It lives on in our thoughts and actions to stay Richard’s earthly challenges are now ended He now sails Heaven’s endless seas His memory will live with his family forever It will be in the refection of all his children to see
foundation of life
A house to me is many things One is the Foundation of life To all inside it will bring Warmth from the fireside bright There are rooms of many colors Painted to the desires of each A family of many sisters and brothers That through dedication they will teach The lessons of life that each offspring needs When they leave the shelter of their home To carry on with each of their chosen deeds Such as building a home of their own A home is a special treasure That through time all should share A good time of happiness and pleasures In this our foundation of love and care
Of Hearts & Souls United
In honor of Peter & Barbara Todd 's 39th wedding anniversary 07/05/2014
Together we pledged words of Love In witness of our Father God Of sharing what we have inherited of above Who guided us through earthly sod? We have walked the footbridge of Life Over the tide that ebbs and flows Truly Faith and love has guided our nights Protecting us wherever we would go My darling my heart will always treasure The many years we’ve been given to share As we traversed in all kinds of weather In all it’s challenges your always there The Sands of Time can never be stilled Love is a foundation that we have been blessed Through all our trials and tribulations With special guidance of earths angels Combined with the touch of God’s caress
hand me downs
Tracing our years that have passed us by We can reflect on the hand me downs we wore Such as the shirts and pants we could not buy Or the responsibility of doing our chores Hand me downs of a brothers bike or Fathers car Or the wedding gown from the day that mothers wed The family pictures we always treasured Or just the words of loved ones said Hand me downs that helped us grow In the wisdom we as children were blessed to share What we do with our hand me downs that guide us true Hand me downs are the blessings of love From the hearts of Fathers and Mother's Hand me downs are also the circle of Faith That we hold as God's family of sister's and brother's
my souls' inner passion
As I reach into my heart in search of mind To pass on to you the love from my soul My Darling Barbara through my heart is defined You are the passion that abides in my soul Our Love has conquered many mountains Of life’s struggles and problems as they unfold My dearest our union of Faith has been like a fountain That enriches all the greatest of love to hold On this Special Valentine’s Day I embrace your love as if it were just new My beautiful wife I just want in witness of God to say How much I in our journey truly love you It is my prayer this day that God will impart All the greatest of Life’s treasures to you due My darling in our sands of time you abide in my heart As my inner passion gives my undying love to you.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
pictures
(Written 2010; updated 2014) With clouded mind I look upon These beautiful pictures in my room I search my memory for names long gone While reflecting on the white of the moon The mother I grew to know, the other of my seed Both of them by the grace of God I loved The hurt in my heart of their love I need Through them I renew my faith in God above So many pictures of my passing life Such as the children of my bloods seed The heavenly blessed picture of my wife She is the right hand of my conquered deeds Pictures of my sisters and brothers, nephews and nieces My granddaughter and great grandson's I love to pieces These are the miracles of God’s given graces I will never loose them of my possessions While I traverse my path under God’s watchful protection
if i could have walked in his shoes
In my youth Dad was a giant of a man Always greeting each passer by with a smile Each precious moment he walked God’s land He lived his life with the greatest dignity and style. His mission in life was to give what he could To make life for his family and friends better. Dad was a man that firmly stood By the laws of nature and the biblical David’s letters. If we could have walked in his shoes Maybe we could have inherited his dedication - The challenge in Life is not to loose The Master Plan of our Father of Creation. I may have not walked in the shoes he’s worn But I’ll treasure the advice he gave; Is it not in the promise of Jesus that we are to be re-born? To our place in Heaven that God has saved.
Dads and guardians of our youth
There are many ways to describe a Dad They are Uncles. Foster Dads and Granddads too In our youth they kept us from being sad Teaching only Life’s realities and truths Pulling us back when we chose the wrong road Supporting us in all Life’s denials They helped us carry our soul’s troubled load Through all our journeys as a child How can we describe a Dad with such a spark of life? Is in the reflection of what a Dad can give Through the love of his family by teaching them right This is the inner being of them in their faith we live Our Dad’s are our own very special treasure That have been passed on to us in values they hold true Their Wisdom so far beyond any measure Is a gift of God through them to you?
Mother's Touch
A mother’s touch is her grace and smile Or the tender kiss at each embrace. A mother’s touch is in her cooking style Teaching her children not to waste. The faith in her God she passed on, Her hand encircling ours as we grew, The cloths she washed that we wore, The wisdom we have now by all she knew. A mother’s touch is like the brush of angel wings Combined by the light of Heaven’s glow. We reflect as we loved how she would sing As our torn clothing from playing she would sew. To those Mothers of yesterdays and tomorrows We give you all the honor and praise For the precious time God gave us to borrow - We wish you all a Happy Mothers Day
world's treasures
It is said that the most held value Is the world’s precious diamonds and gold. Yet we need not far to travel For within our mists greater treasures unfold A mother’s love is truly precious They watch over us through all the days and nights In times of life’s fears she’s courageous A mother is to our youth a guiding light So treasure this there special day By giving them your thanks for there undying love Show them how you love them in a special way For this love should be a reflection of God above Mother’s they may be single or wed for years beyond measure They even could be miles away, or live down the street They are the greatest of all the world’s treasures Who have molded and shaped our lives complete A very Happy Mothers Day to each and every one May the blessing of God be with them this and everyday That all their trials and goals be won “ Mother’s “World’s Treasure’s in each and everyway.
Happy Mother’s Day 5/03/01
mother temp
As I wander through my mind of memories One special lady comes to my mind This kind lady that the word love defines Who in my growing years was so kind to me She has taken me from home to home Through my childhood in life to roam Wiping away my face to dry my tears Freeing me of all doubts and fears Standing tall watching all Of God’s children so tender and small A thankless duty but never to ask Favors for her any of her life long tasks Numberless families she did aide A gift of her God she was gave Dear Lady of my young life I thank you for the protection from all strife
Dedicated to Mrs. Lennihan
children at play
I hear the laughter of children at play As the snow begins to fall to the ground The sky covered with clouds of gray Each morning as the birds make their sounds The smile of each child’s face Such a wonderful sight to see Little girls with pretty pink lace Little boys imagining what they want to be Dreams of riches filling their heads As they seem to grow before your eyes Don’t let them fool you, they’re not easily led For their wise as the eagle that fly The young are our future rule Teach them what is right Encourage our young to stay in school Through education they will reach greater heights
Happy ¾ Birthday
They say that gold represents fifty years But what represents three quarters So my sisters, here’s wishing more to you Mother Ida’s oldest daughter For you have dried my many tears To me through life you have been true The years have passed swiftly by You can tell by the color of our hair But as each morning brings new tide Each day is of fresh new air Although dear Sister, age is of only the mind Not of what we say or even do To me, Sylvia, you have always been kind Of all my thoughts, your love I hold true May the blessing of God shower upon you All the happiness that he can shine For it’s God’s will that makes hearts new Sister Sylvia, you’re one lady hard to find For the love of God is in your heart Reaching out to others with your love It is the love of God you will never part As he watches us from his heaven above So as you extinguish each candle’s flame I will pray to God for his grace For it is truly of his spirit and name That has blessed us with your Hope and Faith
inner door
The sands of time stopped on that tearful day When my mother was freed from her imprisoned room In my search of her being words of the unfaithful to say That her life was of just a pitiful doom Little did they know of this Special Mom, God’s treasure? This lady with a heart that would melt like gold A loving Soul by today’s standards beyond any measure Of the true meaning of a mothers love to unfold Trapped in a body filled with sickness and pain Treated like a Leprosy or a invading germ Many a days homeless through sunshine and rain With trusting heart and a soul that burned Jesus heard her cry to enter the inner door As she begged her Savior to let her to be saved From her earthly world of hate in her prison room explored Now part of my heart and soul her life to me gave
dad's day
There are many ways to describe a dad Although we often fail to do In times of happiness and even times sad They give their love and protection to you The hero of cowboy's who wore the white hat The gunman with the fastest draw The fisherman with the biggest catch The greatest pitcher we ever saw Dad's our protector and provider Of lasting friendship and personal fame Men of spirit , sportsman and fighter So proud we are to share his name We thank them for their sweat and pain The sleepless nights we were ill The clothing on our backs , lessons gained Chances that we were given our future they helped build