ABOVE YOU

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read

Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree.

Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown,

For the world was intent on dragging me down.

And if that weren’t enough to ruin my day,

A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play

He stood right before me with his head tilted down

And said with great excitement, “Look what I found!”

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight,

With its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light.

Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play,

I faked a small smile and then shifted away.

But instead of retreating he sat next to my side

And placed the flower to his nose

And declared with overacted surprise,

It sure smells pretty and it’s beautiful, too.

That’s why I picked it; here, it’s for you.”

The weed before me was dying or dead.

Not vibrant of colors: orange, yellow or red.

But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.

So I reached for the flower, and replied, “Just what I need.”

but instead of him placing the flower in my hand,

He held it mid-air without reason or plan.

It was then that I noticed for the very first time

That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver; tears shone in the sun

As I thanked him for picking the very best one.

You’re welcome,” he smiled, and then ran off to play,

Unaware of the impact he’d had on my day.

I sat there and wondered how he managed to see

A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.

How did he know of my self-indulged plight?

Perhaps from his heart, he’d been blessed with true sight.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see

The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.

And for all of those times I myself had been blind,

I vowed to see the beauty in life, And appreciate every second that’s
mine.

And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose

And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose

And smiled as I watched that young boy, Another weed in his hand,

About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

Author Cheryl Costello Forshey

FRIENDSHIP

“A friend is someone who walks in when the

rest of the world walks out.”

“True friends are like diamonds, precious

but rare.”

“Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow.

Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead.

Just walk beside me and be my friend.”

DREAMS

“A dream is in the mind of the believer,

and in the hands of the doer”

“You are not given a dream,

without being given the power to make it come true.”

GOD

“God sometimes puts us in the dark for us to see the light.”

“God is able to do immeasurable deeds.”

“Where God guides, He always provides.”

“God’s help is only a prayer away.”

“God without man is still God. Man without God is nothing.”

“Prayer changes things.”

LOVE

“Love is never having to say you are sorry.”

“When you love a person, you are giving him,

the power to hurt you.”

“Love is having to see more than what meets the eyes.”

“You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.”

“True love is like ghosts,

which everybody talks about and few have seen.”

THE FUTURE

“Heal the past; live the present; dream the future.”

“Do not start today, with the broken pieces of Yesterday.”

“Destiny is not a matter of chance.

It is a matter of choice: it is not a thing to be waited for,

it is a thing to be achieved.