The scars we all wear inside

Posted by Mom, but Dad found the poem
"The Cross of Snow" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In the long sleepless watches of the night,
A gentle face - the face of one long dead -
Looks at me from the wall, where round its head
The night lamp casts a halo of pale light.
Here in this room she died; and soul more white
Never through martyrdom of fire was led
To its repose; nor can in books be read
The legend of a life more benedight.
There is a mountain in the distant West
That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines
Displays a cross of snow upon its side.
Such a cross I wear upon my breast
These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes
And seasons, changeless since the day she died.

Longfellow's loss is spoken for us all, with all our losses, and expresses the scars we all wear inside. It is said but necessary to think about sometimes!

Yet, we are in the most beautiful season, a season of hope and resurrection as the earth gears up and begins another round of abundant fertility - so we have a time for enjoying this glorious creation. And we get messages from the front about reptiles and amphibians coming out to be counted in some beautiful and inaccessible places - thanks for sharing! And Ashley - thank you for showing me the fairy world of the abundant fireflies last night - it saved my mood! And we are blessed and life is good!

Hello in There

Today at the thrift store, I came outside first and was waiting on Billie Sue. An older fat man and his wife had just arrived. He apparently did'nt care that much for thrift stores so he told her he would wait outside for her. She said ok and led him over to a chair that was sitting outside the door and said "you sit here and I'll be back in a little while". Trying to be funny, I said "Well, at least she did'nt put a leash on you. He laughed, took the baton , and ran with it.For the next 10 minutes I did not need to speak a word. He spoke of someone in his family's association with the Grand Old Opry in Nashville and his earlier days hunting and fishing, among other things. There was a time I would have thought someone was wasting my time,but I don't see it quite that way anymore. Since I have retired 5 years ago ,I have met quite a few people like this,many of them at thrift stores.They are either lonely or just like to talk. Either way, they usually have something to say that I enjoy hearing ,and make for a fun story for me to tell later. Besides, I just might be one of those people.
Dad