THE CORNER 4 WOMEN

Sunday 12 May 2024

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY by Becky Hemsley

"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY"
by Becky Hemsley

I learned from my mother

That women are strong

That life can be difficult

But we go on

She taught to be soft

On those finding life hard

To help protect those

Who’ve already been scarred

To work when I need to

But otherwise play

That night time’s for dreaming

But so is the day

To be gentle with those

Who are tough on themselves

To share out my love

But save some for myself

To stand up to those

Who would walk over me

To hold up my head

When I’m down and feel weak

To only apologise

When I am wrong

To know that there’s always

A place I belong

To trust in my future

And treasure my past

To smash it each time

That the ceiling is glass

To find the lessons

In relationships lost

Because some things in life

Are not worth what they cost

But what she taught most

About life and of worth

Was that it is only

The best I deserve

And maybe your mother

Has taught you the same

But if she has not

Well, then I’m here today

To say that you too

Deserve only the best

To live out the life

That exists in your head

To find your own strength

And to dream and stand tall

To trust you might fly

When you think you could fall

So never stop dreaming

And never give up

Because, I have learned

We're all worthy of love

********

Happy Mother's Day to all who find it a happy day xx

Becky Hemsley

Lovely artwork by Kürti Andrea

This poem is from my second collection here (although I adapted the ending very slightly for today 12/5/2024 Mother's Day USA)

https://a.co/d/alTSVTZ

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Saturday 11 May 2024

I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU MISS ME by Joanne Boyle

"I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU MISS ME"
by Joanne Boyle

I sang a million love songs

as I sat underneath the stars.

Remembering how we danced

as I tried to disguise my scars.

I went back to a memory.

I smile but it doesn't last.

The realisation of the present

Is quick to take the past.

I had so many conversations,

with the darkness of the night.

I asked it why I can't be with you?

and why did it steal the light?

Darkness did not answer me

but the light had found a way.

A shining star had fallen

and I am sure I heard it say.

"The darkness is not a place

I entered whilst on earth,

so why am I now living there?

Have you forgotten my worth?

I loved living in the moment,

to laugh and have some fun.

So say goodbye to the darkness

and hello to the shining sun.

I know how much you miss me.

but I never went that far.

I am your every emotion.

I am everything you are."

I looked at the fallen star

and saw night had turned to day.

I put it in my heart

so it will always light the way.

********

Author Joanne Boyle Heartfelt art by Steffi Krenzek

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html We now have over 1700 e-books on our library shelves for your reading pleasure, so do come along and check us out.

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IT MEANS by Frederick Buechner

"IT MEANS"
by Frederick Buechner

"When you remember me,

it means that you have carried

something of who I am with you,

that I have left some mark

of who I am on who you are.

It means that you can summon me

back to your mind even though

countless years and miles may stand

between us.

It means that if we meet again,

you will know me.

It means that even after I die,

you can still see my face

and hear my voice

and speak to me in your heart.

For as long as you remember me,

I am never entirely lost."

********

Words by Frederick Buechner

Artwork by Kat Fedora Artist

Brought to you by https://thecorner4women.com together with our sister website http://www.nicheebookcollections.com and our growing e-book library available FREE, through our Newsletter sign up page here:-
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More articles by Su DeNyme (our resident writer) & John A Elliott are available here: https://www.nicheebookcollections.com/TC4W/ARTICLES.html

THE OLD GOOD SAMARITAN

"THE OLD GOOD SAMARITAN"
(author unknown)

"I am the single mother of four absolutely beautiful little girls. They are 9, 5, 2, and 6 weeks. And things have been particularly rough since my ex left.

My truck had a flat I constantly had to air up. The driver-side window motor died. And I needed a new alternator belt. The truck was a mess. And we didn't drive anywhere unless we had to.

Well, the other day we desperately needed to go to the store. So we loaded up and drove to the Winn Dixie about 9 blocks away.

When we got out of the store it was far after dark. And POURING rain.

I loaded my kids and groceries into the truck. Tried to crank it...... Nothing. No click. Nothing.

One of my girls had accidentally left a light on. My battery was dead. My phone was also disconnected. I had no family to speak of and was on my own.

I got out and opened my hood to be sure my battery hadn't come loose. Nope.

I must have asked more than twenty people in two hours for a jump. They all ignored me. Not even a no. Just acted like I didn't exist.

My 5 Year old was melting down. My new born SCREAMING, my two-year-old crying she was hungry, and my oldest desperately trying to help.

I was bawling and felt like the worst Mom ever.

Then I got a knock on the passenger window. An older gentleman (he was 74) with a cane and a bad limp was on the other side of that knock.

I opened the door. He handed me a plate of chicken strips and biscuits from the deli and bottles of water.

'Feed those babies and yourself young lady. I have a tow truck on the way and my wife will be here shortly to take y'all home.'

Sure enough, she arrived followed by the tow truck. We and our truck were taken home.

The next morning the gentleman returned to my house with a mechanic who replaced my battery and alternator and fixed my window.

The elderly gentleman then left and did not return. When I asked what I owed the mechanic and if I could make payments he smiled telling me the older man had paid for all of it.

He said that the only payment the older man wanted was for me to never give up and keep being an amazing mom.

I've never cried so hard in my life. Things had been absolutely awful. More so than I care to explain.

And without knowing us or our situation this kind man helped us in ways he will never know.

What he did revived my faith when I was falling apart. But he wouldn't even take a hug.

I'll never be able to thank him. But I certainly hope one day I can do what he did for me for someone else."

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html We now have over 1700 e-books on our library shelves for your reading pleasure, so do come along and check us out.

More articles by Su DeNyme (our resident writer) & John A Elliott are available here: https://www.nicheebookcollections.com/TC4W/ARTICLES.html

Friday 10 May 2024

THE CELEBRATION by Joanne Boyle

"THE CELEBRATION"
by Joanne Boyle

She pushed those balloons to the sky

as she shouted, "I am here, this is I."

She raised her head with her worth

This child so proud of her birth.

She strutted her stuff back and forth

as she had travelled both South and North.

Today she was given the best news.

In fact it had come on twos.

All of the tears her family had cried.

All of the times she knew they had lied.

She knew that they had been afraid too

and were scared she didn't come through.

All of those years of treatment and pain

were now never to return again.

Today she had got the all clear

and jumped like everyone near.

Today was her greatest birthday ever

a one she would always treasure.

So she pushed those balloons to the sky

and shouted "I am here, this is I."

********

Author Joanne Boyle Heartfelt art by Steffi Krenzek

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html We now have over 1700 e-books on our library shelves for your reading pleasure, so do come along and check us out.

More articles by Su DeNyme (our resident writer) & John A Elliott are available here: https://www.nicheebookcollections.com/TC4W/ARTICLES.html

Jessica and Charlotte Meet Thistle the Flower Fairy by John A Elliott 2024

"Jessica and Charlotte Meet Thistle the Flower Fairy"

by John A Elliott 2024

Once upon a sunny summer's day in the quaint town of Mansfield, two sisters, Jessica and Charlotte, embarked on an adventure that would forever change their view of the little garden behind their cottage. The garden was their sanctuary, a place where roses bloomed with abandon and the air was always filled with the sweet fragrance of jasmine.

The old oak tree, gnarled and wise, stood guard beside the little pond, its branches whispering secrets of the ages. It was here, in the shade of this ancient sentinel, that the sisters discovered the extraordinary, a flower fairy, delicate and radiant, with wings that shimmered like dewdrops in the morning sun.

The fairy's name was Thistle, and she was the guardian of all the blooms in the garden. She told the sisters that she had watched over them since they were babes, giggling in their cribs. Thistle spoke of her life within the hollow of the oak tree, how she nurtured every seedling and petal with her magic.

Jessica and Charlotte listened, enraptured by Thistle's tales of moonlit dances and starry night flights. They learned that fairies were the weavers of nature's beauty, the caretakers of all things green and growing.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, Thistle bestowed upon the sisters a gift, a single seed each. She instructed them to plant these seeds with care and love, promising that the flowers that would bloom would be unlike any other in the world.

The sisters planted their seeds at the base of the old oak tree, and as days turned to weeks, they watched in wonder as the flowers grew, their petals unfolding to reveal colours so vivid and patterns so intricate that they knew Thistle's magic had touched them.

From that day forward, Jessica and Charlotte tended to their garden with even greater joy, knowing that in the whisper of the leaves and the ripple of the pond, the magic of Thistle, the flower fairy, would always be with them, a reminder of the beauty and mystery that lies just beyond the ordinary, waiting to be discovered.

And so, the story of Jessica, Charlotte, and their flower fairy friend became a cherished tale, passed down through generations, of the summer day when magic bloomed in the heart of their little garden.

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html We now have over 1700 e-books on our library shelves for your reading pleasure, so do come along and check us out.

More articles by Su DeNyme (our resident writer) & John A Elliott are available here: https://www.nicheebookcollections.com/TC4W/ARTICLES.html

MRS HEARTFELT by Joanne Boyle

"MRS HEARTFELT"
by Joanne Boyle

Once upon a time

where magic has no end.

A place hatred doesn't live,

and everyone's your friend.

Where prince charming was born

and money grows on trees.

Where frogs are loved for minds,

and our worth is found from peas.

Where ducklings become swans,

from believing in one's self.

Tom Thumb and Thumbelina,

are not left upon the shelf.

The Emperor was not scorned upon

for the clothes he did not wear.

Rapunzel's tower was her palace.

Her ladders were her hair.

Jack that loved his Mother

still walks the streets today.

Gulliver goes on his travels,

a new adventure every day.

Mrs Heartfelt lived a dream

to always give a smile.

Remember that a life

is to make it all worthwhile.

********

Author Joanne Boyle Heartfelt art by Steffi Krenzek

"Heartfelt" A collection of poems written from the heart https://amzn.eu/d/bm4eedB

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html We now have over 1700 e-books on our library shelves for your reading pleasure, so do come along and check us out.

More articles by Su DeNyme (our resident writer) & John A Elliott are available here: https://www.nicheebookcollections.com/TC4W/ARTICLES.html

MOTHER'S DAY WITHOUT YOU by Becky Hemsley 2024

"MOTHER'S DAY WITHOUT YOU"
by Becky Hemsley 2024

Mother’s Day without your mum

is to be painfully reminded of the scar across your soul.

The scar that sits where a part of you is missing.

Because when she left, something within you broke and left too.

You were part of her and she was part of you.

But this means that whilst a piece of you left with her,

precious pieces of her also stayed behind with you.

And if you look for her, you will see her. Everywhere.

In the way your nose crinkles when you smile.

In the sound of your voice when you laugh.

In the way you treasure those you love.

In the way you share your passions.

In your kindness.

So, though your mother may not walk beside you on this Earth right now, know that she is still here.

She lives on. In you.

Because love lives on.

You are still part of her and she is still part of you.

She is still your mother and you are still her child.

And that scar is a reminder of what it is to love and be loved. It is a reminder that the legacy of great love is great grief.

Yet grief is hard.

So when it feels almost impossibly painful,

you must love yourself harder still.

You must give yourself great love.

Just the way your mother

always did.

*****

Becky Hemsley 2024

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Beautiful artwork by Grace J. Kim

Sending my love to anyone missing their mum in the lead up to Mother's Day

#mothersday

https://tc4women.nicheebookcollections.com/NEWSLETTER-EBOOK-LIBRARY-SIGNUP.html We now have over 1700 e-books on our library shelves for your reading pleasure, so do come along and check us out.

More articles by Su DeNyme (our resident writer) & John A Elliott are available here: https://www.nicheebookcollections.com/TC4W/ARTICLES.html