The Streets of London

“So how can you tell me you’re lonely,
And say for you that the sun don’t shine?
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I’ll show you something to make you change your mind “

This is the chorus from Ralph McTell’s song The Streets of London”.  

This is one of those songs that remind us just how lucky we are.  Oh, we all have something about which to complain but unless one is battling a life-threatening or terminating illness, put alongside those who are homeless and without any hope that things will improve, they really are minor.

If you follow my blog you will know that, until I came to live with my partner (the Architect), Thursday was always Mary Potter Hospice day.  Once a week I volunteered and helped serve lunch to the patients or should we now call them clients?

All these patients were battling terminal illness but in the years that I volunteered there,  I only met one person who was rude and ungrateful for the care he was receiving from the dedicated staff.  Of course, it was understood by everyone why he was like this at the time.  And his charming wife told us that he was never rude before coming into the Hospice.  Apparently, he was a gregarious, lovely fellow who was finding it difficult to come to terms with what was happening to him.

And then recently, I experienced the other side of the service the hospice offers.  My partner, dying from a brain tumour, was transferred to Te Omanga Hospice close to where we live.  And what an amazing place that it.  The love, care and attention showered upon us both was absolutely unbelievable.  Nothing was too much trouble for any of the staff.  Cups of tea in the early hours of the morning; a friendly ear to listen when it all became too much for me; food brought to me even though I didn’t want to eat and in all an outpouring of love to help me when the inevitable time came for the Architect to leave this world. And when that day came, the love was showered on our families.

So if today in your travels, you come across an abrupt, grumpy person, give them a smile.  We don’t know what demons they are battling in their lives and maybe a smile will help them.

“If you’re reading this…
Congratulations, you’re alive.
If that’s not something to smile about,
then I don’t know what is.”
― Chad Sugg, –  Monsters Under Your Head

You Are Beautiful

“Nothing makes a woman more beautiful
than the belief that she is beautiful.”
Sofia Loren

This is the challenge this week from In Other Words

Use the quote or the author as inspiration;
post a story…fiction or non-fiction, a poem, a commentary, opinion or a picture.
Add your post’s link to, In Other Words.
Somewhere in your post add a link back here.
The link is open from Wednesday until the following Tuesday.

Thank you Patricia at patriciasplace  for bringing us this quote as our Wednesday challenge.  The Wednesday challenge is an event open to all fellow bloggers.  Check it out.

——–

“You are beautiful,” he said, holding her gently and kissing her face where her tears fell freely.

“How could this be?” She asked herself. “How could I be this lucky again? To meet somebody when I’m in my 70s and find love again?”

During the years following the death of her husband, she had made a life for herself but had quite convinced herself that she would continue the rest of her life alone. Oh she had plenty of friends with whom to go to the movies, lunch or dinner, the theatre, museums etc but always she went home alone to her small dog sitting on the window seat, waiting patiently for her return.

And now she had reconnected with a man whom she had known many years ago and he thought her beautiful.

Did he have rose coloured spectacles or was it wishful thinking on both their parts? They had enjoyed meeting for lunch and/or dinner over the past couple of months since they reconnected but she thought they were friends. His wife of many years had been dead only a couple of years. But here he was telling her she was beautiful not only to look at but inside too. He loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Could this work at their age? Were they each too settled in their particular ways to make room for a new love? And how would they merge the two families? Would their children accept them? So many unanswered questions but the main and most important one was did she love him and could she imagine spending the rest of her life with him?

She didn’t have to ponder the question for long. They had a history together (albeit a working relationship), they liked the same things – music, theatre, old buildings (he was an architect) travel, reading – oh so many interests in common. And they had many friends in common. Although this was the Capital City it was quite small so this was not unexpected. But then she realised that over the past months she had come to love this man. So very different in all ways from her late husband but this was to be expected and she wasn’t looking for somebody to replace him. This was a new and different love. Not the heady love of youth but the mature love of two older people.

He waited for her answer. She gave it to him with a smile on her lips. “Oh yes, I will come and live with you and we will grow old together” she said as he wiped the tears of joy from her face.

Click on the frog to see what people have to say and
add your thoughts in a post of your own.

Time To Move On, Again

I awoke this morning to a lovely spring day; sun shining; birds singing and this view from the bedroom

I then picked up my iPad and wrote this as a stream of consciousness.  No editing.  Just saying –

In three weeks
I shall leave this place
So full of happy memories
of love shared
of laughter and friendship.
But now the house sits empty
of those shared things.
What is a house without sharing
It is but an empty shell.
And so now, once again
the wheels of my life have turned
and again, I face the future alone.
Alone, but now even stronger
Strengthened with the memories
of this late love we shared
for such a very short time.
But length of time is irrelevant
You will live in my heart forever my love.

And then I got up and saw this

and just knew how I was going to spend this beautiful Saturday.  Isn’t it amazing how much one gathers in a very short time?

And now another quote from Edna St. VincentMillay

“Time does not bring relief; you all have lied
Who told me time would ease me of my pain!
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide”.

But enough of melancholy and feeling sorry for myself.  I can still enjoy this lovely day, the warmth of friendship and the knowledge that I have so much more in my life than many others.

And now because I’m English and I drink tea 

I shall make a pot and think about where I am, where I’ve been and where I’m going.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Writing 101: Personality on the Page

One year ago today this was the challenge for Writing 101. And now I have to add that the Architect who was in my life for such a short time died on August 16th.
Now I have to ask myself all the questions I asked when my Dashing Young Scotsman died and make it through to the stage where I can say that I can live my life without the Architect and move on, never forgetting him but making a new life without him.

I choose how I will spend the rest of my life

Today’s Challenge and I still haven’t caught up but decided I should like to do this one now.

The Challenge is :

“We all have anxieties, worries, and fears. What are you scared of? Address one of your worst fears.

Today’s twist: Write this post in a style distinct from your own.

This looked like a real challenge.  Where to start?

I have breezed through life with very few fears but

• I have always been afraid that something bad could happen to one of my loved ones
• I have been anxious about my aged parents on the other side of the world; both now dead
• I was afraid of cats until I took a course of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or Tapping as it is sometimes known.  Now I am no longer afraid of cats and have even been known to stroke one but
• My worst fear was realised at…

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