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On September 22, 2000,
around 4:30 a.m., I received that dreaded phone call that, at one time or another, all of us will have to take. It was
my Dad telling me that my mother had a severe stroke and was in the hospital. Little did I know at that time that less
than 24 hours later, God would take her home. My mother, Betty Anne Gregory Heard, a loving, God fearing Christian woman
and the cornerstone of our family, had passed away at the young age of 58. Of course, myself along with the rest of
my family still struggle with the loss as I am sure we will for the rest of our lives as we miss her so very much.
Feelings of anger
towards God consumed us for quite some time, but then we began to read her poetry. We all knew she had written many
poems and short stories, but as we began to go through a lot of her writings we discovered that even in her death, she was
taking care of all of us. As I began to read, I could almost feel my heart beginning to heal and the anger turned to
understanding. She was with God and getting our home in Heaven ready for the rest of us. On the day of her funeral,
we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen and I made the comment to my family that Mom was up there
cleaning up already.
I made copies
of all of her writings and bound them in books for me, Dad, my brother Greg, and my sister Dana. That book is one of
my most prized possessions. I plan on taking some of them and eventually doing a Christian CD that will be called, "Memoirs
of a Mother's Love," but until then, I thought it would be nice to share some of them with you. I know if she
were here today, she would be thrilled for you to read them so I have included them below. I hope they bring you all
the joy and laughter they have brought our family...I know Mom would have wanted it that way.
Sincerely, Bucky
On February 26, 2008, this letter went out to friends and family from Bucky, AJ and Cydney. Hello
friends and family...
Some of you will be finding out about this for the first time. Last Wednesday sometime
between the hours of noon and 3:00 pm our beautiful little girls, Whitley Rose and Willow Wynelle, were called into glory
by our Lord Jesus Christ. We are heartbroken and right now it does not seem like the pain will ever stop. We are
trying to focus on our blessings, mainly our incredible healthy baby, Cydney Reese who has been our rock through all of this.
I pray that none of you will ever have to go through anything like this..........I know some of you have, but the main
thing we want to convey is that without the hope of eternal life that comes only through the blood of Jesus, we would certainly
never be able to survive this. Thank you all so much for your friendships and your prayers. AJ and I have been so overwhelmed
by your outpouring of love. We know that you are there for us and that means more to us than I could ever express in
words. We are having a graveside service for our babies tomorrow, Wednesday at 1:00 pm at Snapps Cematery.......Each
one of you are amazing friends and we thank God for you all. Keep on praying for us as we will for each of you. God
bless you all and keep you safe. Bucky, AJ, and Cydney Reese The
next three poems, written by Bucky's mom, were read at the graveside service. (Click titles below
to read poems.)
1. What Is A Baby?
2. Comfort
3. How Long Does It Take To Get To Heaven?
THE BOOK ABOUT ME
(May 1989)
The pages of my life, not yet quite complete
But filling each day with memories sweet.
The smile of each child, the kiss of my mate;
Remind me at moments that time doesn't wait.
My heart
takes a picture and stores it away
To be cherished again and again in my way.
The times of my life seem to go by
too fast
Why won't they stay, I want them to last......
When all of the pages are as God meant them to
be
The book will be finished.........
The one about ME.
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BELIEVE IN MIRACLES
(March 2000)
There's no place left to turn;
There's no where else to go.
He wants to fight the battle, Lord
But he's feeling mighty low.
Come and lift his spirits,
As only you know how.
Help him face what lies ahead
And give him comfort now.
I believe in miracles;
And I believe in You.......
My friend, he needs a miracle
Would you see what
you can do?
Let him feel your presence
All the love I know you'll give
If it be your will, Lord
Please help my friend to live.
Not my will but Thine be done.
In the name of the Father......
And Your
precious Son.
MY LIFE IS LIKE THE SEA
The tide rolls in to touch the shore
And peace
comes over me.
The palm tree sway beneath the breeze
and bring tranquility.
Such calmness fills my inner
thoughts
And peace surrounds my soul.
And worries seem to disappear
As waves so gently roll.
The
sea oats golden from the sun
Blow gently with the wind.
The sand is warm beneath my feet,
Such peace I feel
within.
Come fill my life with gentleness
As waters fill the sea,
And make me love the life I live
Because I live for thee.
My life is like the churning sea,
First calm, then rough, then calm again.
God
planned it so I'd turn to Him,
And take him by the hand.
MY BELOVED
(December 20, 1974)
As I sit by my beloved
and we gaze into the fire,
I have so many memories, to fill my life's desire.
For we have shared some
moments more precious than pure gold,
There is no way to measure, the happiness we hold.
Our children each
are special, but when they have gone their ways,
This one with whom I've shared my life, will fill up all my days.
I know that God sent him to me to protect me with his love,
For miracles have surely come to us, that were sent
from God above.
Thank you God for the happy times and for the sadness too,
Because you gave me my beloved,
to cherish my whole life through.
A THANKSGIVING BLESSING
(November 26, 1974)
Bless each family here today,
Keep us close to thee each day.
Bless
each child and meet each need,
Help them know not hate or greed.
Bless the love that we do share,
Keep
us ever in thy care.
Bless our loved ones far away,
Let them feel our love today.
Bless us all
that we may be,
Ever faithful God to thee.
Bless each home where love and giving,
Make us know we're
really living.
BE A FRIEND TO YOUR BROTHER
(September 4, 1974)
What burdens your
brother should burden you too,
For when he is troubled, can he come to you?
But why would he come, seeking
you on this day,
Will you listen to him, or simply turn him away.
For who is a brother, if one doesn't
care,
What good is friendship, if there's nothing to share?
What good is this life, if your brother is
sad?
Make him feel better, and you will feel glad.
Help with his problem, and in no time at all,
His
burdens will lessen and seem very small.
Each moment is precious, so treasure each day,
Be a friend to your
brother, never turn him away.
DANA ON TURNING 19
(July 24, 1990)
written for my sister, Dana, on her 19th birthday
It
seems like only yesterday, and without us turning around
The toys and dolls were gone but not memories that abound.
Nineteen years ago it seems, into this world you came,
Tiny fingers reaching and you didn't have a name.
Then Dana was decided on, it seemed to fit you too,
Somewhere along the way it changed, and you became our "Pooh".
Loving you came easy as you grew along the way,
Changing right before our eyes, changing from day to day.
Once again we've changed your name, you're now our Dana Beee....
Full of life and loving it, just like your
Dad and me.
Love you Honey,
Mom
(We called Dana, "Danabee", because
when she was little and would start to cry, she would stick out her bottom lip as far as she could and say, "Beeeeeeeeee"!
It still stands to this day as most of her family and friends still call her that. Now that AJ and I have our little
Cydney Reese, and my brother has his little boy, Branyon, Dana proudly embraces the title, "Aunt Beee"!)
THE
LEGEND OF THE SHELL NECKLACE
(October 9, 1999)
My sister found this poem and had this to say when she sent
it to my dad on September 30, 2000, just days after Mom passed away.
"Hi, Dad! Came across one little
cute poem that wasn't in Mom's book. Writing it now as Greg will appreciate it. He's bound to remember
the ugly brown, gaudy shell necklace we both bought for her in Panama City. Well, she gave it back to me last October
with this little poem."
I now think it's time
That this necklace comes to you.
So wear it with
pride,
As I know you will do.
For many years ago
My little girl and little boy,
Gave it to me,
And exclaimed with great joy!
Mommy, if you'll put
The shell up to your ear,
And listen real good,
The ocean you'll hear.
I couldn't have been prouder
Of those little ones of mine,
So I wore
the shell necklace
And I think now it's time.
To give it with love
As Mothers often will do,
So
you can hear the ocean
As it echoes, "I LOVE YOU"!
My mother went on to write
this little note........
"Keep this always, my beautiful daughter, and pass it on to one of the girls someday with
a poem you can write. One of these days, they will give you a special love gift, then you can pass that on to the other.
You are, "My Little Girl", now and forever.
LOVE IN BLOOM
Though they were barely old enough
Young
love was then in bloom.
They made mudpies and swept the floor
With mother's beat up broom.
An old
box made a cradle
Such an ideal baby bed.
They had to sit upon a box
Her Dad had painted red.
She
served him oatmeal cookies
Her Mom had baked that day.
You could tell that even then
True love was on its way.
The boy is now a young man
Oh my he has grown
His girl is quite a lady fair
Her pigtails too are gone
The time has passed by swiftly
And soon they will be wed
They will have a home to call their own
Just
like they always said.
HEAVEN HERE ON EARTH
(January 11, 1977)
Lord,
I hear you calling but please don't take me now.
I have only half the floor mopped, and I just don't see how
I can leave right at this minute with so much left to do.
Beds need making, clothes need folding, and lunch left
yet to do.
Three loads of clothes have been washed with two more left to go.
The sewing machine is piled high,
I need so much to sew.
I have some errands to see to, before it gets too late.
Lord, I hate to ask it of you,
but could you please just wait.
Just give me a little longer, my children are still so small.
If I had to
leave them now, they would not understand at all.
They depend on me so very much, in everything they do
Like
homework, Bible reading and even praying too.
My husband needs me most of all, he's like a little boy.
He's
proud to say that I am his, that fills my heart with joy.
Being needed by my loved ones, that's a satisfying
worth.
Lord, you see they've made for me a Heaven here on Earth.
Amelia (July 4, 2000 - 11:30 p.m.) Written by Betty Heard as seen through Greg's eyes This next poem was written in the form of a song, for my brother Greg and
his beautiful wife, Amelia's wedding. Mother had already picked out her dress for the wedding and was so very excited
about welcoming Amelia (and all the potential grandkids) into the family. Sadly she passed away just months before
the ceremony, but this poem/song is absolutely priceless to us.
My heart fills
with pride as you walk down the aisle, In my life, you're the warmth of the
sun, and I smile. I want to reach out, touch your face with my hand And wipe away your tears of joy, because I understand.
(Chorus)
There's a moment in time and this is our day We
become one, forever we'll stay. Until death do us part, I will give you
my life, We'll belong to each other as husband and wife.
If I could take time to hold forever this way.... Remember your smile and hold on to this day. Time
is so precious, and years go too fast, But we'll have these memories of our
love that will last.
(Repeat Chorus)
Your eyes say the things that my heart wants to hear, Our hands join together, and I feel you so near. I've
dreamed I would marry someone like you, And today I'm now certain that dreams
do come true
To Find God's Plan (Betty G. Heard - August 1987)
How do I recognize, where
God is leading me? Am
I walking in his path or wandering aimlessly? Questions that need answers, a heart that needs some peace, Doubts, I fear, will drown me, tears
that need to cease.
I ask Him for direction,
but did I run ahead And
try to find the way myself, instead of being led If this is what I did, oh Lord, forgive the mistake I made Take my hand in yours again, let me walk the path you've laid.
Here
is another one of mom’s poems that she wrote in "song" format. She even sent it off to
a company that put music to it, but she was never too thrilled with what they had done. Hopefully, I will
do better as this is one of the ones I intend to record. It reminds me of the song, "Butterfly Kisses,"
a little..........though much better in MY eyes! Mom was sooooo awesome! THE
OLD ROCKING CHAIR (Betty Heard 2000)
(Verse 1) Sittin' in our bedroom is a very special
chair Where my wife
rocks our first baby with tender loving care, She doesn't see me standing just outside the door I listen to her sing this song that I've never heard before.
(Chorus) Please, keep my baby safe Lord, protect her through the night Wrap your arms around her and kiss her at day's
light Let angels guard
her every day, that she'll grow up to be As strong as this old rocking chair that my mamma gave to me.
(Verse 2) Sitting on that front porch now, in that
very special chair My
wife rocks our new granddaughter with tender loving care A summer breeze is blowing and I'm standing at the door Waiting to hear her sing the song I've heard
her sing before.
(Chorus) Please, keep my baby safe Lord, protect her through the night Wrap your arms around her and kiss her at day's
light Let angels guard
her every day, that she'll grow up to be As strong as this old rocking chair that my mamma gave to me.
(Verse 3) Sitting on another porch in that very special
chair Where our
children and our grandchildren were rocked with loving care My daughter sits in the rocker and I in a wicker swing She smiles down at her baby and then she
starts to sing.
(Chorus) Please, keep my baby safe Lord, protect her through the night Wrap your arms around her and kiss her at day's
light Let angels guard
her every day, that she'll grow up to be As strong as this old rocking chair that my mamma gave to me.
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