My Open Mike Speech
From the basket of miscellaneous remainders of Shane and Dorcas' wedding I just dug out the napkin on which I wrote notes at the reception for what I wanted to say to the audience. Here's a reconstruction of what I think I said.
Twenty-two years ago when Shane was born [He got married on his birthday.] we already had a son and thought a daughter would be nice. Instead we got Shane. But now Shane has brought us a daughter, and having both Shane and a daughter is nicer than having just Shane [or just a daughter].
Most of you who know Shane know he's got lots of initiative. If you were writing about that you would put it in bold, all-capital letters. When he was growing up, that often meant he was working on the next project before I had recovered from the previous one. You notice I have gray hair. Now you know why.
Over the years, Shane has done lots of different things to earn money. When he was probably around 12 his uncle gave him a calf that was too weak to suck. He tube-fed the calf till it was strong enough to suck on its own, and that calf grew up to produce a number of nice beef calves.
When he was about 14 he and his brother started a firewood business.
When he was 15 he bought a car with a bad engine, then got a good engine from a salvage yard and replaced the bad engine himself. He drove the car for a while, then sold it for a profit.
After I started teaching I hired some household help. When the regular person could no longer help, Shane volunteered to be my housekeeper. So I hired him, and he cleaned the house from top to bottom every week. I think Dorcas will be glad to know that he knows how to do that.
Shane gained lots of experience through these different projects.
[I didn't say this, but it was me who brought the calf home in the trunk of the car, who drove the truck to the salvage yard to pick up the engine, who took the boys and their chain saws to the hedge row to cut wood. Shane's projects usually required some help on my part--since I was the only parent at home during the day. I was often operating outside my comfort zone in these endeavors. Hence the gray hair. Grant also usually helped Shane with his projects.]
Dorcas' mother told me yesterday that Dorcas was a very shy little girl. We've never had a shy girl in the family [and I'm not sure that we'll know quite how to act].
Dorcas' initials now are DFI [Dorcas Fern Iwashige]. I hope she uses those initials to remind her of something else: Don't Feel Intimidated.
I'm also glad that there are now two Mrs. Iwashiges in the United States.
Twenty-two years ago when Shane was born [He got married on his birthday.] we already had a son and thought a daughter would be nice. Instead we got Shane. But now Shane has brought us a daughter, and having both Shane and a daughter is nicer than having just Shane [or just a daughter].
Most of you who know Shane know he's got lots of initiative. If you were writing about that you would put it in bold, all-capital letters. When he was growing up, that often meant he was working on the next project before I had recovered from the previous one. You notice I have gray hair. Now you know why.
Over the years, Shane has done lots of different things to earn money. When he was probably around 12 his uncle gave him a calf that was too weak to suck. He tube-fed the calf till it was strong enough to suck on its own, and that calf grew up to produce a number of nice beef calves.
When he was about 14 he and his brother started a firewood business.
When he was 15 he bought a car with a bad engine, then got a good engine from a salvage yard and replaced the bad engine himself. He drove the car for a while, then sold it for a profit.
After I started teaching I hired some household help. When the regular person could no longer help, Shane volunteered to be my housekeeper. So I hired him, and he cleaned the house from top to bottom every week. I think Dorcas will be glad to know that he knows how to do that.
Shane gained lots of experience through these different projects.
[I didn't say this, but it was me who brought the calf home in the trunk of the car, who drove the truck to the salvage yard to pick up the engine, who took the boys and their chain saws to the hedge row to cut wood. Shane's projects usually required some help on my part--since I was the only parent at home during the day. I was often operating outside my comfort zone in these endeavors. Hence the gray hair. Grant also usually helped Shane with his projects.]
Dorcas' mother told me yesterday that Dorcas was a very shy little girl. We've never had a shy girl in the family [and I'm not sure that we'll know quite how to act].
Dorcas' initials now are DFI [Dorcas Fern Iwashige]. I hope she uses those initials to remind her of something else: Don't Feel Intimidated.
I'm also glad that there are now two Mrs. Iwashiges in the United States.
posted by Mrs. I at
7:48 PM
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