Sunday, July 11, 2010

What makes a friend?

Good Friends of the author, May 2009, UK

Author's niece and friend, aged 4, UK

What makes a friend?
Someone who understands
Someone who's on your side
Someone who cares whether you've had a good day
Or a bad day
Someone you can laugh with

What makes a friend?
Someone you can go for a walk with
And talk and talk, and giggle
Someone you can meet for coffee
Someone who's always pleased to see you

What makes a friend?
Someone who's honest with you when you need it
Someone who remembers your birthday
Someone who keeps in touch over the years
Even when you don't see them very often

What makes a friend?
Someone who makes you smile when you pick the phone up
And hear their voice
Someone who shares the ups and downs of their lives with you
And shares your ups and downs too

What makes a friend?
Someone who, even though thousands of miles away
Seems as though they're in the same room with you
When you call and chat at the weekend
When you share all the things in your life

What makes a friend?
Someone who calls you when they know you're down
When they know you'll gripe and complain a bit
Someone you call when you know they're down
Because you're friends
That's what makes a friend

Saturday, July 3, 2010

The Beauty of a Garden

Photo by Bridget Moore (c) Devon, UK 2010

My soul longs for beauty
Needs it, demands it
What's really important in this world?
Love, kindness, compassion
Beauty
To me, beauty is synonymous with nature

To sit in a garden
Pesticide free
And watch the bees flying from plant to plant
Even the humble dandelion
Provides nectar to the bees

Butterflies and brightly coloured moths
Flitting amongst the grasses and shrubs
Watched by the keen eyes of my cats
Ballet leaping into the air
To catch a passing fly

Listening to the sounds of my garden
The chatter of a nearby squirrel
The drilling of a woodpecker in the forest behind my home
The wind rustling the leaves of the trees
Wind chimes gently contributing to the gentle low key music of life
The music of the garden

What better way to fill my soul with beauty
Than to sit in my garden
A cup of tea nearby
And watch, and listen, and contemplate
All of life is here
Right here
Right now.