Early Spring In Our Garden — observed from our windows and doors.

Early Spring In Our Garden — observed from our windows and doors.

Since this blog is called, “Writing For Joy,” it might be thought that , since I have written nothing here for about six months, there has been little joy in my life! However, I do have other blogs and my wordpress ‘Wrinkly Writers’ blog has gained more attention from my ‘pen’ lately. During this last six months I have reached the age of eighty and we have also celebrated our sixty years of marriage. PLUS we are now blessed with a great-grandchild. And on Boxing Day we actually had our immediate family altogether in one place — here! This is rare as my eldest son works on an oil rigg half his time.

The problem of getting family together for celebrations became clear when we celebrated our Diamond Wedding (Spring Day).  We have had four mini-celebrations. Four of our grandchildren had been unable to get to any of them. So I guess we will take them out for a meal one by one the next time they visit. Such is the scattering of family these days.

There has been sadness too with the death of a childhood friend. Sadness is an inevitable part of life the older you get and outlive ones you love or simply admire. But joy comes when the clouds break and the sunshine of the joy of living breaks through once more.

Now, after all the snow, rain and cold weather, spring has truly arrived. Flowers burst from their buds and open their petals to the warmth of the sun. The buzzing of bees work their magic of producing honey and fertilizing growing crops. Nature’s healing is taking place. More cause for celebration!

These are photographs taken of our garden. The shrubs are just beginning to blossom and it will go on throughout the year. I have no jewelry or gold (except my wedding ring and a locket my hubby gave me 60 years ago), Loved ones and my garden are more precious than gold and silver, and jewelry that has to be hidden from thieves.

Other things too still give me much pleasure. Holding in my hand the first book I had in print (When Phones Were Immobile and Lived in RED BOXES.) Then the novels. A word of appreciation, either spoken or written, of my literary efforts. And little things…

A Gift From the Heart

There are times when nothing seems to go right. Times when it seems you receive nothing but adverse criticism when trying to do your best. When you work for many months on a project only for it to go seemingly nowhere, if not nowhere, then certainly haywire. This is when tiredness swamps your energy levels and you begin to wonder ‘why the hell bother?’ You lose sight of the good things that are also taking place, and of your achievements. To top it all, your baking is not up to scratch — smoke leaves the oven when you open its door (and the vacuum cleaner decides to take up smoking too!) The TV Arial goes on strike. Folk start treating you like you’ve gone non compos mentis. And you wonder why not give up and become a TV and chocolate addict. The problem with that is, since the good programmes are constantly repeated I would simply spend my days sleeping and eating — until my flesh became one with the easy chair, and ‘they’ would have to remove the big picture window to get me outside for a trim.
Guilt (because you feel you SHOULD be happy with so many blessings to be thankful for) builds up and depression appears like a black hole to easily slide into. After all, as doctors will tell us — this is the SAD time of year.
Then something totally unexpected happens. A gift of flowers arrive in the post. A good weep and the sun begins to shine once more.
Thank you, dear friend.

When All Seems Dark

There are times in life when all seems dark and pointless.
Tragedy hits millions of people in distant lands. Just when the mind and heart has taken in the enormity of what has happened, death in thousands strikes again, and again, and again. But, unless personally involved, that is the backcloth to daily living.
We do what we can and put the horror to the back of our minds. After all, personal issues, so small in comparison, have to be dealt with with day by day. For some, sickness or loss of loved ones, for others loss of job, or death of ambition. But how does anyone deal with horrific incidents involving innocent children? How do children recover from heart-breaking cruelty? Cruelty that children all over the world endure day after day?

But there IS light and love in the world. It comes creeping in when we least expect it. Nothing is certain in life, except death, but in small ways each of us can make a difference. Often, it is in little acts of kindness that we are surprised by joy. It is true that in giving We receive. Light breaks through the dark clouds. Spring is on its way.