This is a speech I did a for my public speaking class and I thought it turned out so good that I'd share it with all of you! I think my grandpa is just so precious. I can't wait to get to know him better. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it..
On July 30, 1945, a member of the air force serving in World War II wrote in his personal journal the following, “In a letter Jean once asked me to “dream a pretty dream for me.” Little does she know. Just how many I have could only be compared to the stars that come out at night.”
The speaker is Stanley Porter, my grandfather, and the Jean he refers to is my sweet grandma. Stan and Jean grew up together and fell in love at 15. My grandmother fondly recollects the times he picked her up on his tandem bike to go out for a date. My grandparents were “going steady” up until Stan enlisted for the war and was sent out.
In response to my grandmas request to “dream a pretty dream for me”, my grandfather wrote,
“Dream a pretty dream for us sweetheart,
That we may be together, not apart.
Dream that I love you with all my heart.
And you’ll have the dreams I dreamed from the start.
From distant states I dream of you,
Dreams that come from a heart that’s true.
Dreams that make up all of our tomorrows,
Dreams full of life’s sweet love and sorrows.
Dreams now take your place, my only.
Dreams bring you back when I am lonely.
For now let our dreams suffice
Bridging the gap to our happier life.”
When Stan returned home from the war, he and Jean were married. Together they had 7 children, 35 grandchildren, and a constantly growing number of great grandchildren. They were both great examples of acceptance and kindness, and their love for each other was apparent. My grandpa is no longer with us , and I can only imagine what kind of emotion the last verse holds for my grandma.
"Dreams now take your place, my only.
Dreams bring you back when I am lonely.
For now let our dreams suffice,
Bridging the gap to our happier life.”
i love grandpa stan soo much! i can't even explain and i have never met him, but my interest in him grows more and more, and i can't wait until the day when i meet him, i think about it a lot, what he would be like. I want to know the man who loves grandma jean so dearly, i love grandma so much! thanks for posting this es, i LOVE reading it always.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh!!! So precious! :) I have tears in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad, your Grandpa had a way with words. Grandma Jean still reads that poem daily. She keeps a copy in her scriptures and cherishes it. She said the last paragraph means more to her now than ever before. Thanks for writing about it - you must have been inspired to use that poem.
ReplyDeleteI meant to post on this a week ago, but blogger was being weird. I wanted to tell you how cool this post was. So neat to read grandpa's words. Thanks Es!
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