Tag: love

Green tea sandwich day, rinse and repeat?

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NK And Sam

Today started with a cup of green tea

Hot, refreshing and invigorating

Soon after it was time for breakfast

A protein shake loaded with fruit and avocado for me

Others adopted for a more traditional English breakfast

Bacon sizzled while eggs cooked

A quick family meeting to plan the day

A visit to Treboh gardens was unilaterally chosen

It was only a 10 minute drive away

Strolling through tropical gardens in the late morning sun

Towering plants and a babbling brook formed a path to the beach

A rocky cove with pebbles lashed by gentle waves

It was used to load boats for the D Day landings

A small plaque commemorating those brave young men

Many of them perished on the Omaha beach

Plenty of folks sunbathing today

Only the brave dipped a toe into the chilly waters of the English Channel

Hunger pangs demanded attention

A beach side cafe was calling

Hot Cornish pasties were soon consumed

Followed by the obligatory ice cream

It always tastes better at the seaside

Happy young children ran along the beach

Chased by frazzled parents

We watched with amusement

Those days are now distant memories for us

A gentle stroll back up the hill

Frequent stops to admire the exotic plants

Small waterfalls sang to us

Soon we were back at the main entrance

Browsing the gift shop

A short drive to the Red Lion pub for a quick drink

Inevitably it morphed into a second drink and a full-on delicious pub grub dinner

A short ride back and we put the kettle on

Finishing the day with cup of green tea before bed

Dreams soon followed of sandwiching precious family memories between glorious cups of green tea

Rinse and repeat tomorrow?

Just one more sunrise

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She had trouble falling asleep

Tossing and turning

Staring into the darkness

Time passed slowly

Her heart beat faster

She became more anxious

Panicking about life and death

Praying for one more sunrise

Reflecting on the life she had lived

Regretting the mistakes and bad choices

Feeling guilty for breaking a few hearts along the way

Hoping to find forgiveness

Her heart beat faster

She closed her eyes and meditated

Peace and serenity rushed in

No longer afraid

Accepting her fate

Calmly waiting

Distant voices whispering

Opening her eyes slowly

A bright light shone into her mind

It was the sunrise she had prayed for

Unable to move or speak

A machine was pumping air into her lungs

She recognized her family around her

The doctors confirmed it was time

The breathing machine was switched off

Her family said their goodbyes

She was unable to communicate back

They understood

It was her last beautiful sunrise

a small step towards forgiveness is a giant leap into inner peace

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I sit firmly clasping the heavy weight of yesterday in my hands

not to punish myself but to understand it

its been with me too long

my hands open and my heart listens

I gaze into the burden of my past guilty deeds

my heart whispers to me

let it go now

it slips from my fingers without hesitation

I let the moment breathe

releasing my grip on the past

I forgive myself first

for the words I wish I had chosen differently

for the silences that stayed too long

for being human in a world that asks for perfection

I sit in silence listening

my heartbeat comforts me

then I look outward

at the people who stumbled into my life

carrying their own storms

I loosen the knots of blame

and let them all walk free

when one of them trembles with regret

I show them the door I found

a simple kindness

an outstretched hand that says

you can begin again

no keeping score

no sharpening old anger into weapons

no revenge waiting in the dark

just small acts of mercy

moving quietly from heart to heart

grudges fall away like winter coats

on a warm morning

love travels lighter, faster and further than hate ever could

forgiveness shared hand in hand

and in that bright shining light

I keep walking forward

arms open wide and hands reaching out

peace growing inside me

with every step

Wedding Celebration Reading

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Today’s the day, the moment is here

Abby and Addison—we’re all full of cheer!

Soon the I do’s and promises will be said

A brand-new adventure for them lies ahead

Now Addison’s other passion is something ever so cool

Football, AKA soccer and his team is the mighty Liverpool

“Come on you reds” is the song he sings like a vow

So Abby you must learn to sing along with him now

While Abby may smile at his game-day obsession

She knows that his heart is her true possession

Because love, like football, takes teamwork, passion and great insight

And if you play really well you might get lucky and score every night

But marriage is a lot more than a 90 minute game

Its a lifelong match without a referee to blame

Together they’ll enjoy what marriage may bring

like dirty dishes, financial decisions, and watching Mo Salah running down the wing

They’ll dance through the highs, laugh off the lows

build a strong team where the victory grows

Now marriage is not just one single shining day

it’s cheering each other in every good or bad play

Please remember this day with affection and pride

Stay loyal to each other and never drift offside

So here’s to the Wests—forever the best

may love be their anthem, their cheer, their quest

Listen to the roar from your wedding fan zone

They’re singing “Addison and Abby”

“You’ll never walk alone! ”

Don’t throw away all the memories*

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his wife was complaining about all his stuff in the attic

he reluctantly decided to go through all the old boxes

stuff that had been put away for years

obviously not needed but for some reason never been discarded 

he sifted through the contents of the first small box

a tin box full of foreign coins

memories of his traveling days flooded back

places he had visited on business trips and vacations

images flashed through his mind for each coin he touched

an old watch that no longer worked

it was of no value except it belonged to his father

he wound it up and it started to tick

he could hear his father’s voice again

he missed him so much

a notebook from many years ago

containing wish lists of things to do and places to see

they had written it when first married

he read off each item slowly

pausing to recall the joys of each achieved wish

trying to remember why some never happened

bunches of keys from previous dwellings

he held a front door key tightly

remembering opening that door many years ago

seeing his young children run to greet him

they are grown now with kids of their own

a big old bulky calculator he used in college

reliving the hours he spent solving problems with that

the stressful times of exams

he could remember all those long hours of study

he did find some bits and broken pieces

and a collection of old pens and pencils

he carefully put them in a paper bag

before closing the box

he had removed less than ten percent of the contents

over dinner that night his wife cornered him asking if he had cleaned out everything in the attic as promised

he hesitated before saying he had cleared some of it from one small box

she pushed him harder wanting to know why he was keeping all that junk

he insisted that it might be a small box of stuff but it contained a lifetime of great memories

she could see he was getting upset and gave him a big hug

whispering to him softly “I am so sorry, please keep your boxes full of memories”

he replied “thanks, I did clear some space for us to make a few more memories”

celebrating being in the race with a cup of tea

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I am awake early with an intense headache

incredible painful head splitting pressure

is this all a dream I wonder

I pinch myself to confirm being awake

the headache is still there

desperately seeking an answer to this sudden onslaught

It could not be a hangover

no recollection of any recent head trauma

I felt for bumps on my head but nothing unusual

maybe a change of environment might help

sitting on the edge of the bed- no change

standing up-no change

opening and closing my eyes- no change

moving from light to darkness- no change

I go for a pee- no change

the pain is still intense

I am starting to get anxious

this must be a serious medical condition

am I having a stroke

I look in the mirror and smile- no face droop

closing my eyes and raising both arms horizontal- no issues

talking to myself in the mirror- no gibberish

the pain is still intense

I reach for the pain releiving medication

I down a couple and hold my breath

hoping for instant reduction in the pain

nothing changed

desperately seeking answers

am I being punished for all my sins

is it a sign of impending death

are all my affairs in order

should I get dressed and look presentable

should I say goodbye to all my family and friends

will I live long enough to speak to them all

perhaps a group text would be more efficient

what should I say to them all

will it make them sad

how stupid I will look if I don’t die seconds after sending that message

suddenly the pressure is dropping very slightly

perhaps the medication is working

or maybe death is approaching fast

I lay down and decide to take deep slow breaths

accepting my fate with dignity

with each breath the pain subsides a little more

a few minutes later it is gone completely

relief washing away most of my anxiety

no longer seeking a reason or a cure

waves of gratitude flowing over me

I have been spared death, at least for the next few moments

what shall I do today to reward myself

will I still feel this gratitude for the rest of my life

or will it all fade away like the memory of a dream

best write it all down immediately

read it daily to remind myself how precious life is

time to celebrate with a cup of tea

I am still in the race

the human race that is, at least for the moment

When a raging fire of hate words comes your way, extinguish the flames with words of kindness and love#

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words spewed out like regurgitated food

offensive, unpleasant, insulting, hateful, rude

angry politicians swear and shout to be heard

erupting volcanoes of red hot angry hissing words

words from a platform perched much higher

raining down on you like artillery fire

words fly on missiles, laser guided

aimed to keep the world one sided

exploding word bombs of hate and venom abound

no escape from this ear shattering sound

words beamed through space by satellite

enticing distant angry people to take up arms and fight

words are the weapons that start today’s wars

its ironic that history has seen it all before

but gone are the days of mob rallies and war inciting speeches

today’s words of hate are cowardly facebooked and tweeted 

don’t be afraid to respond to all this hate

just give them what they don’t expect, graciously delivered on a plate

re-bait the hater’s hook with a tasty worm of kindness dipped in love

throw out your love worm bait with a cast from high above

the haters will bite at anything thrown their way

but once they taste kindness it will be their change day

go into battle armed with your love and kindness war cry

haters will be thrown off guard by your unexpected reply

they will eventually surrender their weapons of hate

no winners or losers in the ceasefire love-hate stalemate

embrace your former haters as newly found friends

As you all jump into the love and kindness river of words that flows but never ends

how was your day

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Just before she left for the day

My wife gave me some advice

Try to be more romantic

So after a lot of reflection

I decided my life did indeed need more romance

I put a plan in action

I lovingly washed our bed linen

I caressed each dish from the dishwasher

I took the trash for a long romantic walk

I whispered sweet nothings to my laptop

I read a poem to my breakfast porridge 

I told my cup of tea she was really hot

I bought an expensive gift for my bicycle

I treated myself to delicious chocolates

I wrote the shopping list with red lipstick

I blew kisses into the mirror while shaving

I took an extra long shower

I made my underwear beg to be worn

I drove my sexy car to the store

I held the wheel really tight

I smiled at other drivers in traffic

I paused to look at every item in the store

I filled my shopping cart with love

I gently placed my groceries on the checkout belt

I thanked my car for waiting for me

I listened to  slow music all the way home

I carried the grocery bags over the threshold 

I sensually spread the tuna salad on my bread

I ate lunch very very  slowly

I listened attentively to every word spoken by the radio

My wife burst in and told me her day was a total disaster

She asked my how my day had been

I paused before saying “uneventful”

I have lived inside two stars

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I remember so well our first date

There was a twinkle in your eye

Sparks crackled with our first kiss

One of them set my heart alight

A warm steady glow at first

Flames began to flicker

Soon my heart was an inferno

An everlasting burning deep love

Fueled by your happy smile

Your touch caused those flames to explode

You told me your heart was ablaze too

Together we formed two bright celestial binary stars

We rode that energy with abandon

Nothing else really mattered

Our love was powered by nuclear fusion

It was going to last forever

It did so for decades

Suddenly your fire for me was extinguished 

It was glowing for somebody else

My flames kept burning

Resisting all your attempts to snuff them out

Burning bright even after you left

Fueled by hope that you would someday return

When I ran out of hope fuel

I poured gallons of desperation on my glowing heart

Unfortunately desperation is not combustable

The glow went dimmer and dimmer

My burning star joy replaced by intense agonizing pain

It was unbearable when my fire went completely cold

I feared it would never burn again

Slowly my pain became almost tolerable

Subsiding to dull ache for most of the time

Memories would cause that pain to intensify like a stabbing knife wound

Reminding me of what my life used to be

Punishing me for something that was not of my doing

Eventually I found a cure for my pain and suffering 

I had to let go of you completely

Sever the ties of our dead binary stars

Then suddenly all the pain was gone

Replaced by a calming emptiness

It was my way of grieving for a death

Although you were still alive and walking around

You were not the same person who once stoked my flames

That was a different you back then

I grieved for a while as I gazed at other galaxies

I was finally in control of my life again

Knowing that you could no longer trick my wounded heart

Your fake smile emitted no sparks for me

You last parting limp hug felt stone cold 

I looked into the night sky checking out the constellations

Just a black hole were our stars once burned bright

It was time for me to take a journey through the universe

A bumpy ride fighting off many alien invaders

Then I spotted an interesting star in the distance

Glowing brighter when I approached

I wasted no time flying right into her heart

Mine was on fire the first time I kissed her

This binary star will burn bright eternally