THE CORNER 4 WOMEN

Monday, 20 May 2024

ONCE by Becky Hemsley

"ONCE"
by Becky Hemsley 2023

For years, I used a certain mug for my morning cup of tea. One that someone bought me as a present once.

They probably forgot they’d even given it to me.

I once listened to a song on repeat for days because I fell in love with it after someone told me it was their favourite.

They probably forgot they’d even told me that.

I once had an outfit that I wore over and over after someone stopped me in the street to compliment me on it.

They probably forgot they’d even done that.

They probably forgot.

But I didn’t.

I remembered it all, to the point where the mug and the song and the outfit became little things in my life that brought me great joy.

So never underestimate the little things you do every day. The seemingly trivial, forgettable things.

Because, whilst they might be trivial and forgettable to you, I can almost guarantee that

for someone else…

they could be entirely

the opposite.

*******

Becky Hemsley 2023 https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Gorgeous artwork by Kira Panina

"Once" is from my fourth collection https://a.co/d/aot23A3

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LIFE IS SHORT, SO ENJOY IT

"LIFE IS SHORT, SO ENJOY IT" (author unknown)

"Barely the day started and it’s already six in the evening. Barely arrived on Monday and it's already Friday, and the month is already over, and this year is almost over.

Already 40, 50, 60, 70, or 80 years of our lives have passed and we realize that we lost our parents, friends and we realize it's too late to go back.

So, Let's try, despite everything, to enjoy the remaining time. Let’s keep looking for activities that we like and let’s put some colour in our grey life. Let’s smile at the little things in life that put more love in our hearts.

And despite everything, we must continue to enjoy with serenity this time we have left. Let’s try to eliminate the afters. I’m doing it after, I’ll say it after. I’ll think about it after. We leave everything for later like ’after‘ is ours.

Remember what we don't understand is that: Afterwards, the coffee gets cold, afterwards, priorities change. Afterwards, the charm is broken. Afterwards, health passes. Afterwards, the kids grow up.

Afterwards parents get old. Afterwards, promises are forgotten. Afterwards, the day becomes the night. Afterwards, life ends. And then it's too late to turn back the clock and do or say what we should have done or said.

So, let’s leave nothing for later. Because still waiting to see later, we can lose the best moments, the best experiences, best friends, the best family moments.

The day is TODAY. The moment is NOW. We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone what needs to be done or said right away.

Life May Seem Like An Eternity, But It's A Very Short Trip, Always Enjoy Your Life, There Is No Turning Back The Hands Of Time!

********

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THE COWARD SERVANT

"THE COWARD SERVANT" (author unknown)

A Story With A Valuable Lesson.

A king had a faithful and valiant servant who would guide and watch over him. His servant was a happy family man blessed with a beautiful wife and a little baby.

The king loved nature: trees, grass, flowers, and warm weather. One day, he was strolling through the forest with his servant. Suddenly, they heard a deep growl, so deep and near that it seemed more like a lion's roar. They both froze with fear and couldn't move.

The king was shaking, his heart pounding in his chest, too fast, too hard. He quickly turned around, but to his great surprise, his servant had escaped, leaving him all alone. Scared to death, he kept saying over and over to himself,

"Oh, that fool! How dare he do this me! He's such a coward!"

However, luckily for the king, he had the opportunity to hide and escape. He ran back to the village, panting and breathing heavily. The villagers saw him, then ran towards him, and asked him what had happened. The unhappy king howled with anger and rage,

"My servant is a coward! A big coward! He abandoned me in the forest when I needed him the most! We noticed a ferocious lion nearby, and he ran away to save himself, but left me to die. I am going to make him pay for what he did to me!"

The villagers were very disappointed with the servant as they thought him to be a brave man. "It was a foolish act of cowardice and it was evil!" they told the king.

Having made up his mind to punish his servant, the king ordered that his wife be locked up in prison, and his little baby be taken away. He then sent some men to search for the servant who had not returned ever since.

After a few days of searching, the men found the servant dead in the forest, his body ripped to pieces, and his bones broken. When they told the king, he could not comprehend what had happened. Then, a wise old man came and said to the king,

"My king, from the look of things, your servant was the most brave and courageous man in the world. He offered himself to the ferocious lion, in order to save you from being torn apart. In that dreadful moment, he didn't think about his wife and new baby, but the life of the king. He sacrificed his own life to save the king. He was truly a superhero!"

Always remember that your assumption, and the truth are totally different things. Yes, your assumption, and the truth, dine at totally different tables. What you see and perceive isn't always the reality, and what you perceive to be the truth, might be the exact opposite of that. On the other hand, assumptions can be wrong and harmful, making us to be judgemental, and causing us to react in ways that have negative effects. We should note that our assumptions are not always correct..

********

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MY CUTE LITTLE RESCUE DOGGY

"MY CUTE LITTLE RESCUE DOGGY"
(author unknown)

"My foster dog stinks to high heaven. I don’t know for sure what breed he is. His eyes are blank and hard. He won’t let me pet him and growls when I reach for him. He has ragged scars and crusty sores on his skin. His nails are long and his teeth which he showed me are stained.

I sigh.

I drove two hours for this. I carefully manoeuvre him so that I can stuff him in the crate. Then I heft the crate and put it in the car. I am going home with my new foster dog.

At home I leave him in the crate till all the other dogs are in the yard. I get him out of the crate and ask him if he wants ‘outside.’ As I lead him to the door he hikes his leg on the wall and shows me his stained teeth again.

When we come in he goes to the crate because that’s the only safe place he sees. I offer him food but he won’t eat it if I look at him, so I turn my back. When I come back the food is gone. I ask again about ‘outside.’ When we come back I pat him before I let him in the crate, he jerks away and runs into the crate to show me his teeth.

The next day I decide I can’t stand the stink any longer. I lead him into the bath with cheese in my hand. His fear of me is not quite overcome by his wish for the cheese. And well he should fear me, for I will give him a bath.

After an attempt or two to bail out he is defeated and stands there. I have bathed four legged bath squirter's for more dog years than he has been alive. His only defence was a show of his stained teeth that did not hold up to a face full of water.

As I wash him it is almost as if I wash not only the stink and dirt away but also some of his hardness. His eyes look full of sadness now. And he looks completely pitiful as only a soap covered dog can. I tell him that he will feel better when he is cleaned. After the soap the towels are not too bad so he lets me rub him dry. I take him outside. He runs for joy. The joy of not being in the tub and the joy of being clean. I, the bath giver, am allowed to share the joy. He comes to me and lets me pet him.

His skin is healing. He likes for me to pet him. I think I know what colour he will be when his hair grows in. I have found out he is terrified of other dogs. So I carefully introduce him to my mildest four legged brat. It doesn’t go well.

Two weeks later a new vet bill for an infection that was missed on the first visit. He plays with the other dogs.

Three weeks later he asks to be petted. He chewed up part of the rug.

Eight weeks later his coat shines, he has gained weight. He shows his clean teeth when his tongue lolls out after he plays chase in the yard with the gang. His eyes are soft and filled with life. He loves hugs and likes to show off his tricks, if you have the cheese.

Someone adopted him today... When they saw him the first time they said he was the most beautiful dog they had ever seen.

Six months later I got a call from his new family. He is wonderful, smart, well behaved and very loving. How could someone not want him? I told them I didn’t know. He is beautiful. They all are".

Fosters change the world, so please consider opening your home to a dog in need

******** image by DALL-E 3 (AI) 2024

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MY GRANDMOTHER'S WISDOM by Elena Mikhalkova

"MY GRANDMOTHER'S WISDOM"
by Elena Mikhalkova

My wise old grandmother once gave me her WISDOM

In difficult times, you move forward in small steps..

Do what you have to do, but little by little..

Don't think about the future, or what may happen tomorrow..

Wash the dishes..

Remove the dust..

Write a letter..

Make a soup.

You see?

You are advancing step by step..

Take a step and stop..

Rest a little..

Praise yourself..

Take another step...

Then another..

You won't notice, but your steps will grow more and more..

And the time will come when you can think about the future without crying..

********

words by Elena Mikhalkova

Art : Nino Chakvetadze

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MARTIN'S TRAIN JOURNEY

"MARTIN'S TRAIN JOURNEY"
(author unknown)

Every month, Martin's parents embarked on a journey to visit Grandma, returning on the identical train the following day.

One day the child said to his parents:

′′I'm already grown up.

Can I go to my grandma's alone?"

After a brief discussion, his parents accepted.

They stood with him as he waited for the train to exit.

They said goodbye to their son and gave him some tips through the window.

Martin repeated to them:

′′I know. I've been told this more than a thousand times."

As the train was about to leave, his father murmured in his ear:

′′Son if you feel bad or insecure, this is for you!"

And he put something in his pocket.

Now Martin was alone,

sitting on the train as he had wanted,

without his parents for the first time.

He was admiring the landscape out the window.

Around him some unknowns pushed themselves in.

They made a lot of noise.

They got in and out of the train car.

The conductor made some comments about him being alone.

One person looked at him with eyes of sadness.

Martin was feeling more uneasy with

every minute that passed.

And now he was scared.

He felt cornered and alone.

He put his head down, and

with tears in his eyes,

He remembered his dad had

Put something in his pocket.

Trembling, he searched for what his father had given him.

Upon finding the piece of paper he read it:

′′Son, I'm in the last train car!".

That's how life is,

We must let our kids go

We must let them try new things.

But we always like to be

In the last car, watching,

in case they are afraid or in case they find obstacles and don’t know what to do.

We want to be close to them.

as long as we are still alive.

*******

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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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DADDY KNOWS HOW TO CATCH YOU

"DADDY KNOWS HOW TO CATCH YOU"
(author unknown)

My husband said to me this morning as he got the kids ready for a day out "They'll never remember. All this stuff we do with them, the places we take them...they won't remember much of it".

He is right. They wont. Not much of it anyway. But still it matters. Because he and I will remember.

Someday in the future,

As the door opens and our son introduces his first girlfriend or boyfriend, we will remember a time when all that mattered in his world was his mum and dad. And that how we treated him painted the canvass of how he sees this first relationship.

As our teenage daughter runs up the stairs claiming we don't understand her, we will remember that all it took when she was 5-years-old was a kiss, a cuddle and soothing words and that although she has no memory of it, she returns for those words aged 15.

We will remember as we choose the paint that will redecorate the hall, that we don't have to worry about the expensive paint that you can rub handprints from anymore. And I will yearn, I will ache, for a tiny handprint on my wall.

And as I watch my children with their children, I will remember that every trip to the park, every day we bombed them with love, every time we played hide and seek, shaped the map that they walked upon, in their quest to be a good parent themselves.

And as I walk along the beach someday in years to come, my face lined with the creases of my thoughts, my moments of panic, my moments of joy, I will feel the hot sand on the soles of my feet and remember my child walking to the sea with his dad on a day that I thought would last forever, but has now long gone.

I'll remember.

And my darling child, I will tell you what you don't remember...

Holding your 8lb body against my skin in a feeling that would defy what I ever thought possible.

Holding your hand as you took your first steps. Away from me. Towards the world.

Holding your waist as you navigated a pathway that had imaginary crocodiles trying to snap your ankles.

Holding it together when your daddy threw you up into the air, you squealing with delight, me squirming with anticipation.

Holding a book, a breast pump, a baby and a hand whilst I read you a story.

Holding back the tears when you had me filled with pride at your school play.

And you may say "I don't remember any of that".

No.

But I will.

And I watch you transition from child to teenager to adult to parent to home owner, I will know that what I remember, keeps you close to me.

And what you don't remember, made you, you.

And no matter how old you are, precious little child, should you find yourself up in the air, call us.

Daddy knows how to catch you. Remember?

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Sunday, 19 May 2024

BE THANKFUL

"BE THANKFUL"
(author unknown)

Be thankful to those who mistreated you, for they have shown you how not to live your life.

Be thankful to those who betrayed you. It is because of them that you have learned the power that comes from the act of forgiveness.

Be thankful to those who refused to help you in times of need. It is because of them you have learned how to do it all by yourself.

Be thankful for the difficult times, for they have shown you how strong you can be.

Be thankful for those who labelled, judged and criticized you harshly. It is because of them you have learned that your value and self-worth come from yourself and not from others.

Be thankful to those who gave you no love. It is because of them that you have learned to look for love and approval within yourself.

Be thankful for the many limits that were imposed on you. It is because of them you have learned to break free from all the past conditioning and create your own reality and your own rules.

Be thankful for your past mistakes and failures. It is because of them that you have learned how not to do things. It is because of them that you have learned what works and what doesn’t.

Be thankful for both the good and bad experiences life has sent your way. It is because of these experiences that you have learned some of life’s most valuable lessons.

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