Bar C Publishing and Distribution.

Winter doesn’t mean you have to feel cold.

 Winter has definitely come to my house. We weaned nine month old calves away from their mothers a couple of weeks ago and just like all babies, they thrive on routine. So, for the first few weeks of adjusting to life without Mum, we feed them concentrated pellets twice a day. That means I sometimes have to get up at six thirty in the morning and feed before I go to work. This morning I had the added chore of breaking ice. Fresh readily available water is a vital life giving element in any environment and especially important in cold weather to young calves, yet easily overlooked.

Our family suffered another devastating loss; a not too distant cousin’s twenty two year old son was murdered. We offered support as best we could knowing we couldn’t alleviate the pain or anguish. We personally revisited the crashing weight of loss all over again. Having lost our son, I am still surprised when confronted by a bereaved parent and still cannot find the right words to bring some comfort and hope. But I may have been looking to give and find comfort, at the wrong time, in the wrong place.

 My parents came to visit recently and stayed for two months. This may seem like an impossibly long time to some, but for the most part I get along with my parents very well. Don’t get me wrong, we do not always agree. I drive if we are going anywhere together. How Dad drives when he is out of my sight is up to him, if I cannot see, how can I mind? Hey it works for me. As long as both my parents come back from a day trip in one piece, I do my best not to worry.

 The two months seemed more like two weeks and then they were gone. We e-mail and I received a note from my Dad a few days ago, there were just the usual updates, but he chose to finish the letter with.

                                                                                                                      “I’ll love you forever. Dad.”

                                                                                                                                                                    I have always known my Dad loves me, but to read it, warmed my heart and my day. The feeling is with me still. My Dad loves me as I love my child, forever. We forget but should always remember, we are all someone’s child. For no other reason than that, we should all know we are much loved. Said or unsaid. Written or not written. There is no expiration or timeline, there is only forever. There are many things which may bring warmth to winter; heat isn’t necessarily always the source. If you look in the right places at the right time you may find unexpected, welcome warmth and just because it is winter, it doesn’t mean you have to feel cold.

A New Day.

The frost has it’s grip, upon the land tonight,

The moon is at it’s full, there’s not a cloud in sight.

The sun rises, past the trees,

turning the frost to dew.

As day once dawns, frost retreats.

Ice stubbornly clings to shadows, a few.

Rising sun and big blue sky, remembers not the day before.

So welcome this new day, as one you have yet to explore.

Deborah Collins. Aka, Emily Richardson. Mum to Matthew forever.

Remember hope. To have hope means to believe in something when there is no reason left to believe in anything. Never ever give up on hope.

© Bar C Publishing and Distribution. Publishing and promoting true worth and value of self.