God’s Gifts in My Life

By Abby Lindgren

How should I begin?

Let’s start with Jesus who saved us from sin.

What about Mary, our queen Mother?

God picked her above any other.

There are the animals that make Earth bright and fun.

I’m grateful for the stars, moon and sun.

Don’t forget friends and family!

These are all God’s gifts to me.

Abby entered this poem in the Catholic Daughter's education contest last week and won first place at her school. Originally, her entry was going to be a Music entry. Unfortunately for Abby, she didn't read all of the rules about submitting a song in the contest. First she had to compose an original song (lyrics, melody, harmony and accompaniment) and then she had to perform the song and burn it on a CD and submit the sheet music and CD. Steve & I were stumped on the burn a CD part.... should we record it on a video then separate the video images from the sound? How the heck is that done? Additionally, Abby had never written a musical score before, but was confident that she could do it. It didn't help that Abby asked for help with her idea two nights before the deadline and had other after-school activities on top of that. In lieu of making the music CD and I suggested a poem entry instead. Abby revised her lyrics to fit the 8 line maximum requirement and turned it in. Next thing we knew, she won. Sometimes my procrastinating daughter ups my anxiety level a notch or two! I'll let you know if she places at the state level.