STORY:
"OK, here's my situation: My husband John does so much, and I do so little! Except clean & manage the linens, do the seasonal decor, do the household bills, and drum up social occasions. Meanwhile, he wakes up early and makes coffee, cooks a lot because I work late and often the dishes too. He shovels most of the time, takes out the garbage & recycling. I leave the cupboards open and stay up late with Facebook. He does a lot of the litter box cleaning for Xena & Myko. He puts up with my many rules, including only Xena (my girl cat) on the bed with us, not Myko (because of his spiky hair) I guess I'm trying to say thanks for the every day household sustainability in a poem! Mary. Thanks!"

POEM:
I'm not sure this is what they had in mind
When they fought for women's liberation
But who knew that in 2008
Men like you would walk the nation?

Cooking & cleaning to your heart's content
While I work ungodly hours
You gladly pick up the extra work
That shouldn't be yours, but ours

You'd give any woman a run for her money
And you do it without being bitter
While I'm busy socializing on Facebook
You're scooping the kitty litter

Secure in your masculinity,
Your manhood's never in doubt
Have I mentioned that you look really hot
When you take the garbage out?

It takes a truly modern man
To handle this role reversal
I'd like to tell you that I might change
But this ain't no dress rehearsal!

But honey, you still wear the pants
You make all the key decisions
Except for which cat gets to sleep on our bed
That requires a woman's precision

I guess we do what we each do best
I believe I've proven that point
I know I'm the lady of the house
But thanks for running the joint

Thank you for putting up with me
John, you truly are a saint
I must be doing something right
Cause a domestic Goddess I ain't!

TESTIMONIAL
“Wow, I am extremely impressed! You really put the facts all together nicely, with appropriate sentiments. Wow! My husband thought it was very clever, too - and he is a writer. Thank you, Mary.”

STORY:
“A star employee of ours, Ellen, has just been promoted to a job that is outside of her comfort zone. We are thrilled to have her there, but she seems to be lacking confidence. We would like to encourage her as she takes on this new challenge. Can you help? FYI, we will be giving her a plant for her new office as a gift to accompany what you’re going to write. Thanks.”

POEM:
Sometimes life plants a new seed
A challenge perhaps our soul to feed
If there’s courage to take that chance
In a new direction we will advance

We chose you with confidence and pride
Honored to have been able to keep you inside
Like the plant of life, you will bloom and grow
And a new range of colors soon will show

With each new day you will cultivate
New skills that will take you from good to great
A nurturing mind will flourish within
Glad that on this new path you did begin

We have all the confidence that you can do it
Just persevere and put your mind to it
You’ve already shown your potential so far
In no time at all you’ll be a true shining star

TESTIMONIAL
“We just gave Ellen her plant and poem together and she was truly touched. We love the way you incorporated the plant references into what you wrote – it perfectly summarized what we were trying to say! Thanks again.”