"My Birthday Wish"
was created especially for

Michael Jeremy Smith
at the age of 8

With love from
Mom and Dad
November 9, 2001

Mike awoke on November 9th,
and shook the dreams from his head.
"Today is my favorite day of the year.
Today is my birthday!" he said.

His family came in and said with a grin,
"We know what we should do.
We should have a great big party,
a party just for you."

So Mike made a list of all his friends,
inviting them to come.
They brought over gifts,
and played lots of games,
and everyone was having fun.

Then it was time for the birthday cake,
and Larry, Wayne and Bob began to shout.
"Hey Mike, make a wish,
take a deep breath,
and blow all the candles out."

So Mike closed his eyes
and thought to himself,
"Which wish is right for me?
There are so many wishes
from which to choose,
I wish I could wish for three.
But from all the things,
that I've been told,
that's not the way it's done.
So I'll go through my favorite wishes,
and try to pick just one."

"Maybe I'll wish to be an astronaut,
who flies a rocket to Mars.
I'll go in search of unknown worlds,
and sail among the stars."

"Or maybe I'll wish to have a pony,
That lives on an Atlanta farm.
He could run in the fields during the day,
then at night he could sleep in the barn."

"But what if the wish that I did choose,
was to be a movie star?
My face could be seen,
on the big picture screen,
and Mike Smith would be
known near and far."

"Maybe I'll wish to be an explorer,
who travels to lands untold.
There I would find caves and mines,
filled with silver and gold."

"To be a veterinarian,
is the one that I should pick.
I could heal little kittens,
and great big dogs,
or anything else that was sick."

Then suddenly, Larry, Wayne and Bob said, "How long are you going to take?
Hurry up and make your wish, Mike,
it's time to eat some cake."
Mike took a deep breath,
then blew really hard,
and all of the candles went out.
Then with big grins, all of his friends
began to cheer and shout.

And as the cake was passed around,
Larry, Wayne and Bob leaned over to ask,
"What was the wish that you finally picked?
We know it was a difficult task."

Everyone turned to look at Mike,
He felt his cheeks turn red.
He slowly cleared his throat,
and then stood up and said...
"Although it took a little time,
it was easier than I had guessed.
I know the final wish I wished
was better than all the rest."

"I wished to be just where I am,
right here with all of you,
and when I opened up my eyes,
I saw it had come true."

"And in that wish I also wished,
just to be myself.
Not to be an astronaut,
or a movie star with wealth."

"Because, you see, all those things
could still come true in time,
but for today I have to say,
I like Mike Smith just fine."