"Butter Mints"

Butter Mints

A bowl full of butter mints

dyed in lovely pastel tints

remind me of wedding and baby showers,

and cakes decorated with flowers.

The promise that a union brings

with the exchange of wedding rings.

Gifts galore, silly games.

Books full of baby names.

All the excitement and hopeful joy

of welcoming a girl or a boy.

Oh, those memories from way back when…

Now I want to go to a shower again!

Lauretta E. Hertel is a born-and-raised Washingtonian who has enjoyed many years of being a nanny and is looking forward to dedicating more time to writing and photography in her retirement.

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).

SHARING STORIES is featured on www.northwestprimetime.com, the website for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. The newspaper can be found in the greater Seattle area and other Puget Sound locations. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type "sharing stories" in the search function above.