I like to rest on a country seat
Up on a hill quite near me.
I watch the world go by
And revel in all the green I see.
One morning while I sat resting
A sad looking lady passed by
With a taut rictus smile on her face
She looked like she needed to cry.
A group of ladies were walking ahead
And the sad lady went to pass
Suddenly one of the group stopped,
Looked, and sat down on the grass.
She indicated to her friends then
That they should walk on a bit
And called out to the fraught lass
"Come over here to me and sit".
With just a moment's hesitation
The troubled lady sat down too
"I'm Betty," said the kind woman
"Tell me dear - who are you?"
"I'm Alice," she replied and began to cry
The tears of the broken-hearted.
All her pain came flowing out as if
She couldn't stop now she'd started.
Betty rose and said "why not join us?"
Alice gave an indifferent shrug.
"You'll feel better walking with my crowd,
But first, I'll give you a hug."
Alice at first stiffened and then relaxed
Into the tight grip of her new friend
Her sobbing eased and I could see
Her mind was starting to mend.
They all went off in a chattering line
It was obvious Alice was losing her pain
I sat and marvelled at the kindness of a stranger.
I never saw them again.
Tag: Kindness
Carry the Joy
The Joy we feel at Christmas Fills our lives with cheer We could try to make this feeling Linger throughout the Year. How good to feel so happy On every single day To lift our spirits skywards And chase all sadness away. We could help needy neighbours And show them that we care Show badmen how to live well Or tell the lonely we are there. Think of all the kindness that Would follow if we were to say I will try and live my life As if it's Christmas every day. Let us live as if it's Christmas every day.
To Be Young Again
If I was young once more and could return to earlier times not just for the return of vigour but to acknowledge the kindness of others. When I was chasing dreams and scrabbling upwards in the dirt there were those who understood and excused my folly or stooped to help. A bumptious thrusting callow chap climbing upwards on better folk found his route to wealth and fame and lived only for the moment. There were the family members astonished by this maverick in the nest who strode into unknown arenas and made them his. Workmates who held on the coat tails as he went where they feared to go were glad that it was his head above the parapet and they could move on without risk. But when he fell down hurting as he sometimes did, some of them comforted him with an arm, a meal, or a bed. An earnest, driven and intense soul wishing I had paused on the way to say thank you for the help aided by the understanding of others.
Reflections
Look back, look back old man to your life climbing the hill over the rock strewn paths you trod to the well where you drank your fill. There was a cost in this journey your ambition often caused offence to your family and friends who showed you tolerance. Your frenzy was a natural thing you had to rush onwards and up give poverty no quarter and try to fill your personal cup. The great relief in getting old is you reflect and can repent you now see all the trees in the forest and regret the pointless energy spent. So - what to do now you care Beg forgiveness, or do you cry Can you smile at the unfortunate? Give them comfort, help them fly? Can you now stop and give some gold to the poor whose hands are out? Can you bend and show some kindness and ease your own self-doubt? Seek peace of mind and solace Relax, get old, don't moan Pick a route that gets you through and know you are not alone.
As I See Things 