"Our Father Kept A Garden"

Our Father kept a garden.
A garden of the heart;
He planted all the good things
That gave our lives their start.

He turned us to the sunshine,
And encouraged us to dream:
Fostering and nurturing
The seeds of self-esteem.

And when the winds and rain came,
He protected us enough;
But not too much because he knew
We would stand up strong and tough.

His constant good example
Always taught us right from wrong;
Markers for our pathway
That will last a lifetime long.

We are our Father's garden,
We are his legacy.
Thank you Dad we love you.
In our hearts you'll always be.


Author unknown



These are my gardening gloves, which saw plenty of action today.  My sister, my niece and I worked for about four hours in the garden at Mum's, only stopping for a sandwich and a piece of cake at lunchtime.  I will always think of it as Dad's garden, because he stocked most of it and nurtured the plants, flowers and shrubs with his green fingers and gentle patience.  He was never far from our thoughts as we clipped and tidied and sheared and dug with his garden tools, while his own gardening gloves lay on his potting bench.