Riches untold

You may have tangible wealth untold.
Caches of jewels
and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you
can never be--
I had a mother who
read to me.

"The Reading Mother" by Strickland Gillian

Well, not only did my mother read to me, but tonight my sister read to me. Not just any book, but one of my favorite books, Julius Baby of the World. It tells the story of Lilly, who is the only child and her place is supplanted by Julius, the new baby. Oh, just find it and read it--it is wonderful. And of course, it is most wonderful when it is your baby sister reading it to you over the phone, as she is missing the first few minutes of Lost ("I'm taping it, though.") to read to you. Riches untold have I. A broken heart, yes. An overdrawn bank account, yes (but Friday is payday!). A hard job (and lots of work), but I have joy. My sister read to me. There is a poem I like, let me see if I can dredge it from the web, it shouldn't take too long:

Jenny Kissed Me
by Leigh Hunt

Jenny kissed me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in.
Time, you thief! who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in.
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad;
Say that health and wealth have missed me;
Say I'm growing old, but add-
Jenny kissed me!

And that is how I feel right now. My mother is happily teaching her kids Mother Goose rhymes and nature with Eric Carle for another week and a half (it's inter-sesion for kids that go to a year round school) and my sister read to me over the phone while Lost was on TV. I really don't think life can get better than that. And (devilish gleam) my friend had a bit of revenge on the boy who broke her heart--but that's another story.

My sister is watching Lost and so she told me that since I can get PBS I should watch the show on Helen of Troy and tell her how it was. (And silly me, full of love for my sister, I am.)

You must know that I weave fact and fiction in these posts, revealing and concealing. But in that fiction, you will find the truth, as it is with all real art.

My calendar this month is the famous verse from .... "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." October has been a good month in years past: twice I have gotten good jobs in October, and twice I have had many kisses. This year, I'll go to the U2 concert with my sister and her friend and my brother. It's my reward for getting through another year--for last October I was in the muck and mire of depression. I didn't work from the end of August until the beginning of December, and then it was only part time. Right now I have a lot of people who tell me that I have really grown, that they are so glad to see me smiling. And so right now, I bask in it.

I never really thought about Helen of Troy. It is interesting to pick up these tidbits. Perhaps I'll quit this blog and make some popcorn with which to watch the second hour.