Time

Lost Time

On many an idle day have I grieved over lost time.
But it is never lost, my lord.
Thou hast taken every moment of my life in thine own hands.

Hidden in the heart of things thou art nourishing seeds into sprouts,
buds into blossoms, and ripening flowers into fruitfulness.

I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed
and imagined all work had ceased.
In the morning I woke up
and found my garden full with wonders of flowers.

by Rabindranath Tagore

---ooo---

The swift passing of time was, not surprisingly, a topic of discussion tonight when we attended a 50th birthday party for my brother-in-law's wife.

I got talking to a couple who said that 20 years ago seemed like yesterday and, consequently, 20 years hence seems alarmingly close.

And I must admit that, hitting the half-century myself in not too many weeks' time, there are moments when advancing age saddens and despresses.

It's sad when your children have grown up and flown the nest and when elderly relatives - once so indestructable - struggle with infirmity.

I think the answer is to live in the now and to celebrate the positives - the joy at seeing your children successfully build new lives for themselves, for example. They are flowers that have ripened into fruitfulness.

It was a lovely evening, which took the form of a hog roast in the garden of my wife's family's home in Checkendon, near Henley-on-Thames.

It is an idyllic, peaceful place, surrounded by acres of fields and woods. As darkness fell, with something like 50 people in the garden, their faces were illuminated by candles placed on their tables.

Sadly, I couldn't quite capture those magic moments without spoiling the atmosphere, so here's a shot from the start of the party as Mrs dailykeith tucks into some roasted hog!