Just watched a video clip from someone who made the very valid point that if the media want you to look one way, look the other way to discover from what they are attempting to distract you.
Forget Me Not
“When I’m dead and long gone,
Think of me, forget me not.”
She said this to her new boyfriend.
Hoping for good time till the end.
He laughed and he smiled,
Nodding his head all the while.
“When I’m dead and long gone,
Sing for me, forget me not.”
She spoke this to her fiance.
Wishing for luck to come their way.
He nodded his head and kissed her lips,
Loving each and every moment like this.
“When I’m dead and long gone,
Laugh with me, forget me not.”
She whispered this to the new father,
Watching him hold their new little daughter.
With tear of joy in his chocolate brown eyes,
He kissed her soundly, smiling bright.
“When I’m dead and long gone,
Dance for me, forget me not.”
She said to him, both old in age,
Celebrating their grandson’s birthday today.
He took her lovingly into his arms,
Humming whilst keeping her safe and warm.
“When I’m dead and long gone,
Always remember, forget me not.”
She said to him, lying sick in bed,
A heavy fever upon her head.
He laid down beside her, holding her hand,
Praying for a healing touch to land.
But, on that Sunday, in late May,
She was there… lying as if in sleep.
He stood there, caressing her cheek in dismay,
Wanting her back in his arms, gentle and sweet.
And, knowing she wouldn’t come back, he knelt down,
His head positioned in a bow…
“You may be dead and soon to be long gone,
But I’ll see you there, I’ve forgotten you not.”
Since those words, the years have flown by,
The sun and clouds still grace the sky.
In the field of lilacs, where they buried her,
Another stone sits beside the other.
Linked by a chain made of flowers,
Those that were picked by their daughter,
A single verse stands out as if on an alter…
“When I’m dead and long gone,
Think of me, forget me not.”
To this day, the words shine in the sun.
Glittering rapidly as though the couple were having fun.
You’ll notice something else if you look.
Pretty little flowers kept within the nook.
There are no lilies or roses in this spot…
No…
the chain that ties time are forget me nots.
About That Detour
I think this idea can at times be reassuring but I have reservations about it. I think you are a lot more powerful and aware than for which you give yourself credit. I think you engineer a lot more of what happens in your life than you have been led to believe or you may care to admit. You might choose at times to believe that some higher entity is playing an active role but my guess is that you are selling yourself short.
I suspect that if you were to ramp up your recall ability and carefully inspect your past decisions you would find the ones that led you to be exactly where you are right now.
But that is not nearly as important as is learning how to make better decisions so you create the future with which you will be very happy.
Remind Yourself…
Inside Story
They saw her in the library
Discarded on a chair
And her glossy, shiny cover
Made them notice she was there
They picked her up and held her
For a minute, maybe three
And they said she was exquisite
The most beautiful they’d seen
They thought not of her pages
Simply stared at her in awe
Then they put her on the bookshelf
As they headed out the door
So they never knew the words she chose
To mark her journey’s start
And they didn’t read the reams and reams
Of kindness at her heart
They didn’t read the things she hid
In pages left untouched
Or the hellos and goodbyes she’d said
To people that she loved
They didn’t read the chapters
Where she set herself apart
And they never read the lines she wrote
Of how they’d played their part
They didn’t turn the pages
On her struggles and her strengths
And they missed the ripped-up paper
Where she’d torn herself to shreds
They never read the parts
About the places she had been
Or the people she had helped
Or all the wonders she had seen
So when anybody asked them
What it was that she was like
They realised they had no idea
What she was like inside
See, they’d told her she was beautiful
Because of how she looked
But they’d just admired her cover
And they’d never read her book
*******
Becky Hemsley 2020
Incredible artwork once again by Elisabeth on Earth
aptly titled ‘Once Upon a Time’
Inside Story is from Talking to the Wild
* I’ve just added the text of this poem as a free downloadable print to my website
Be One Of The Rare People
Who You Listen To Matters
You Were Born Original – Don’t Die A Copy
Ten Lessons
The Circle of Life
Whitney Fleming writes:
Let me tell you a little story about the circle of life.
Yesterday, my 80-year-old mom told my nearly 50-year-old self to bring my laundry upstairs. Then, she instructed me how to clean a pot I’ve had for two decades. And then, when I was packing a few boxes for returns, she reminded me to make sure I blacked-out the labels or else the post office wouldn’t know what to scan.
And that’s when I responded with, “Mom! This isn’t the first time I’ve done this, you know!”
She just laughed at me and drank her tea and rearranged her magic purse that has everything in it from medicine for every ailment and tissues to nail clippers and candy.
I don’t know why I responded so curtly. I guess I just was tired and didn’t want to be told what to do.
The irony wasn’t lost on me when throughout the day, I said things to my teenagers like, “Hey, did you send in that form yet?” and “Take your coat upstairs” and “OMG! Put that bowl in the dishwasher.”
And each time, they responded with the obligatory, “I know, Mom!”
I would laugh at their exasperation and return to what I was doing.
Last night, my 16-year-old and I went to the wake of a lovely woman who happened to be the grandmother of my daughter’s best friend.
As I hugged my friend, the mom to my daughter’s bestie and the daughter of the deceased, I watched as one of her kids brought a pair of tweezers back to her.
She explained, “As we were coming here, I just started throwing everything in my purse that I thought I would need, just in case. Of course, one of the kids needed them. My mom always did that for us.”
And I couldn’t help thinking about grandmas and their special purses, and how mothers show their love.
Sometimes we show it by nagging–or gently reminding–about looming deadlines and chores that need to be done.
Sometimes it’s by setting rules and boundaries to keep them safe.
Sometimes it’s by doing laundry when your child–no matter what their age–doesn’t have the time or cooking a special meal or changing sheets.
Sometimes it’s laughing off a snarky comment.
And sometimes, it’s simply being there, saying nothing at all.
The universe showed me something pretty special yesterday.
It reminded me of all the love I give and receive throughout the small details of my life, and how lucky I am to have it spread through three generations right now.
A mother’s love is rarely shown in grand gestures, but if we’re lucky, woven into a lifetime of small, meaningful moments of kindness and selflessness and generosity that knows no bounds.
And when the time comes, in the magic purses grandmothers carry–when these grand women start slowing down but still want to be there for their family.
Until it’s time to pass that tradition on to the mothers coming after.
Love your people hard today, in whatever small ways you can show it. Treasure the ways they show their love to you. Don’t take one second for granted.