Bigger than the differences..

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Five seas
Seven continents
Countless countries
And seven billion faces

Of all the possibilities
You and I meet!

Short acquaintances
Long friendships
Pleasant affairs
Awkward collisions

Personal or political
Social or historical
The issues are many
And repeated generationally

Attracting and repelling
Sometimes reoccurring
Encounters test and teach
But are we ready for the learning

For the snapshot
Of our existence
What will we gain
What legacy will be changed

Whether we live
Loud and large
Or quiet and small
One thing is for sure

As we came
We shall leave
So as we meet
Let’s share a seed

The seed of kindness
With a listening ear
A supportive hand
And a wish for good stewardship

Hence, may we deserve to live
Upon this ‘pale blue dot’
And on exiting
Leave it the same if not a speck better

Non Nobis Solum – Not Only For Ourselves.

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(Motto of Orchardleigh Village Estate in Somerset, England.)

Great beauty with legacy
800 years and still standing,
Orchardleigh Village Estate.

From times of bartering
To more complexities
Of social structures,
Survival of honor and simplicity,
Depends on the motto:
Non nobis solum.

Unaware
Oblivious
Every move, every thought
Yours, mine
All entwined.

Whether vows of marriage,
Neighbourly existence
Or humans of a given time.

Our lifetimes leave footprints,
Marks on minds
Impressions on hearts.

So tread softly on the blades of greens,
Carefully on jagged gravel.

Speak gently to sprouting minds
And sparsely to older vines.

Love deeply and passionately your betrothed,
And kindly every other fellow on your road.

Now as we leave this Estate,
This county, this land.
One day this planet.
Leave only what can be enjoyed.
Leave legacy of life lived well.
Life full of love and joy.