For The Lovely Blythe

A very special young lady came walking across a fragrant meadow of wild flowers. It was mid summer  and the suns heat had subsided just enough to make walking pleasant, rather than a hot and sweaty chore. With the young lady was her mother. They stopped, as from the woods emerged a man bearing a large pack upon his back. 'How are you and where have you been this fine summer day', said the man.

Erin explained that she and her charming daughter Blythe, walked across the meadow every day - rain or shine, on their way to and from school. 'How wonderful', said the man, 'You must get deer and foxes in the morning and butterflies in the afternoon'.  The two females were now curious about the man and his great pack and asked what was he doing in the woods. 'I am photographing birds from my hide', he said, which was rather remarkable. But, the man found the daily walk of these two engaging females just as remarkable, since in the country of his birth, mothers picked up and dropped of their children to school by car. So it was that Rodney met Erin and Blythe - a case for mutual admiration.

The next summer was notable for rain. It was as if the sun had given up and retired into a fit of sadness. So it was that Rodney did not see much of his two charming ladies for a long time - well into the autumn in fact. This time it was on the street, and like the summer, the moment was filled with dark clouds for him. He tried to make light of the meeting in a clumsy sort of way, despite his shock, but he was deeply troubled to find that the charming Blythe had become quite ill and the equally charming Erin was being wonderfully brave in coping with her daughter's illness. The strange thing was, that in contrast to his sadness, the two lovely ladies were as wonderful as ever and completely uncomplaining in the face of adversity.

The man could not understand how fate could have allowed such a thing to happen to such lovely people, until he realised, that despite all the changes in the daily routine the family would undertake,  that it made no difference, because this family had enough faith and love between them to overcome all the tests that life would present. The strongest in love and faith are given the greatest cross to bear.