Long, Lonely Road

Clouds over Pen y Fan

So far have we come, but so far yet to go

A road, Oh so lonely, that very few know

The challenges faced when you’re searching inside

Where so many others their painful lives hide

 

Afraid to be thinking, their lives filled with sound

To smother the mem’ries, that inside abound

They try to forget all the troubles they’ve faced

E’en though all the turmoil is etched on their face

 

They cannot abide seeing others distressed

It only reminds them how their lives are messed

And so, they give up, leaving suff’rers alone

With no one to comfort or give them a home

 

A child that’s in need is a poor lonely soul

With nothing to live for, a life with no goal

Till in steps a carer who’ll give of their best

To give them a place where they’ll find peace and rest

 

The challenge is facing your own distant past

To give the poor children a love that will last

A love that will conquer the pain and the hurt

The lack of attention, the hunger, the dirt

 

Deep into their conscience the carer must dig

To battle their fears that the task is too big

To deal with their own long held issues and pain

To stop them from rising again and again

 

A long, lonely road that so few can travel

To help these young ones as their lives unravel

So few can make it, despite all the beauty

A long, lonely road that is not just duty

 

Fighting the system, even fighting their friends

The work of a child advocate never ends

The dangers and threats may seem never-ending

Often it seems that the rules just need bending

 

For Mother and Father are just facts of life

If babies are loved or their lives filed with strife

But Mum and Dad titles, they have to be earned

By love and by courage that will not be turned

 

So search deep inside. Find the courage to act

Make love for your children a matter of fact

And if you do care for a child not your own

Remember, this road you don’t travel alone

No Regrets

Couple Walking on Porthcawl Beach

Rain that washes o’er my soul
And hides the tears
Rolling down my cheeks
Each time I think of you
And the way things were
Before I knew you.

Are you still the same person
I met, and loved, and married?
Do you still think of me
With longing?
Is there still a place for me
In your heart?

I see you there,
I watch and stare.
Do you still see me?
Do you gaze at what is?
Or at what was
When love was new?

Life moves on
And we move with it.
Changes no man
Could foresee
Turning hair grey
And muscles to jelly.

All those years
Fighting back tears.
And why?
Did it make a difference
To the way we felt;
To the way we feel?

Would life have been so different
If love had not smiled upon us?
Would there be regrets
That could not be assuaged?
Would love have hidden
All our faults and failings?

Then came the children.
Fun and laughter,
Tears and sorrow,
Pain and pleasure
Mixed in tiny packages
That needed love and comfort.

No time for us.
No time to sit and talk.
Tiredness
Takes over our lives
As we suppress our needs
In favour of those who need us more.

And so it goes.
Time’s relentless journey
Marches on.
The children grow
And meet their own loves
And leave an empty nest.

What is there left to say?
Is it time for reflection?
Time to sit and wallow in our past?
Time to grieve what once was ours
But which no longer stirs emotions?
Is this our time?

Oh no. Not us.
Our interests have developed
In different directions.
What, now, do we have
In common with the way we were?
What is there left to talk about?

We’ve changed,
You and I.
We’re not the same;
Not the same people
Who met, and loved,
And married.

We’ve grown and learned
So many different things.
Money-making.
Home-making.
Do we long for that which used to be?
Oh no. Not you and I.

So now I sit
As raindrops wash my soul
And hide the tears
Rolling down my cheeks,
Washing away
The memories.

And you sit with me.
Still here, still faithful
To each other.
Oh how we’ve changed
For the better
Since first we met.

I see it in your eyes that you remember
The boy you met, and loved and married;
The boy who stole your heart
And gave you his in return.
And I remember you the way you were.
And all that came to test our love.

Unbreakable love
That stands the test of time.
I reach for your hand and there we sit,
Raindrops washing over our souls,
Hiding the tears
Of love and joy with no regrets.


That was, at least, the memory
Of times we spent together
We tried to make the most of it
But you’re here no longer
And grief replaced joy
As your life ebbed away.

Now I sit and remember
The times we spent together
But still no regrets
About the past we shared.
And love remains.
You’re still here in my heart.

Respect

What’s the most underrated life skill?

Lions Spending Time Together

Treating others with respect is so basic it’s hardly even recognised as a life skill, by many.

Respect includes the way we speak, the way we act, the way we react, and the way we listen.

Too many people, today, feel that respect only goes one way – towards them. They feel that everyone should respect them while they have no such responsibility towards others. It’s seen in examples such as road rage, queue jumping, and aggressive behaviour. And yet, with mutual respect, all these attitudes become extinct.

So, what’s the most underrated life skill? Mutual respect. And we do well to practice it at every opportunity.