We make our own rainbows when we smile through our tears.  —Peggy Toney Horton 

Time

Down the road, around the bend

Lived a man who was my friend...

He had no wife or other kin,

how lonely this man must have been!

A squeaky porch swing where he sat

swayed back and forth as he stroked

his cat.

Each day I’d pass and wave and

smile, but had no time to stay a while.

Important duties beckoned me,

I had things to do and people to see.

“I’ll visit soon,” I called to my friend

 As on I hurried ‘round the bend.

"I’ll surely do it,”  I averred,

I’ll stop and visit – keep my word!

We’ll  talk and laugh and have a drink

It’s nice to have a friend, I think.

But Time waits for no one – it hurries past

and promises made seldom last.

The news came early by way of phone

My friend had died – all alone.
My heart beat faster when I heard

“If only I had kept my word.”

And now, I visit where he sat, swing

back and forth and stroke his cat.

   ©2016 Peggy Toney Horton~

www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton

Happy New Year!

“As the final curtain falls on a depleted year, a new year pirouettes to center stage with the elegance and charm of a prima ballerina – and delivers the promise of peace, hope, love and joy.”  ~Peggy Toney Horton

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Can it really be 2017?

It seems like such a short time ago that everyone was all excited about the new millennium. Yes, January 1, 2000 was the day we thought our lives might change forever.

The fear was that the computers we relied on would malfunction. People also feared that our luxuries would be destroyed and that we would revert back to living without any electricity, heat or running water. They called this the great Y2K scare. The scare consisted of the fear that the entire computer systems were going to fail on New Year's Eve 1999.

People saw the new millennium as the apocalypse. They feared that the end of the world was near. A family in Ohio took it to such an extreme that they bought gas-powered generators and a year's supply of dry food because they were so convinced that the end was near. There was complete chaos occurring around the world.

But when the clocks and calendars actually did change to the year 2000, computers barely had any problems. Although there were some reports of minor problems, the majority of computers did all right. And our lives went right on as before in this new millennium that we had feared.

Life is like that.

Sometimes we fret too much about things that never happen. Though we read all the books and listen to the televangelists who tell us God is in charge and He never makes mistakes, so there’s no need to worry, we’re only human and can’t seem to help ourselves.

So go ahead. Make your resolutions. Resolve to do everything better this year. Go on a diet, get more exercise, worry less, enjoy yourself more, spend more quality time with loved ones – and quit trying to please everyone.

You can’t.

Have a great year! 

www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton 

Monday Night Snippets

 Saw my doctor today - routine visit.

"Do you work out, Peggy?" he asked.

"Yes."

"How many times a week?"

"Well, I try for three, but sometimes, it's only two... hehe."

"Okay," he said, smiling.

"How long do you spend working out and what do you do?”

"About 30 minutes,” I said. “I work out with weights and walk."

I was starting to feel a little agitated and tempted to ask if HE

worked out.  And what he had for breakfast.

But that would have been disrespectful, wouldn’t it? That would

have brought back all the times my mother said, “You must respect your

elders!” And all the times we’d run into one of her friends while shopping

and she’d  squeeze my hand really tight (I’d have to stifle a scream) so I

wouldn’t say something that would embarrass her.

Lessons I learned at an early age never left me. How could they?

She striped my bare legs with a peach tree switch if I didn’t mind her to

the letter.

Yet we were so different. I  was nothing like her. And didn’t want to be.

I often wonder if she was trying to make me into something she never was.

She was her own person – lived by her own rules.  

I’ve seen her in a situation like I was, when a doctor was asking a lot of questions and it didn't bother her a bit, when she'd had enough, to say,

“That’s none of your business!”

She was more like a spoiled child than an adult. And I loved her still.

I’d better work out now.

www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton
 

Will it Always Be This Way

                                             

        Of these cold and rainy May days, I’ve grown weary;
        Tho' I shout the words out loud, seems no one hears me.

I’m sure God made the sun – to bring our days a lot more fun,
yet they're so dreary!

Expecting sunshine, I arise – none finds its way into my eyes,
I’m disappointed.

To entertain myself, I try - tiresome season, go on by,
I shall ignore you.

I scale a mountain high and wide and look upon the other side –
it is no greener.

Am l to always feel this bad - or will a new day make me glad;
will there be sunbeams?

Will it always be this dour? Or can it change within the hour –
from sad to joyful?

And then, upon a gentle wind the answers come ‘a floating in
ah, sweet surprises!

A sudden floral smell delights, and things begin to feel alright
the birds are singing..

Their days are short and mine are long - how lovely they fill theirs with song while I’m complaining.

©2016 Peggy Toney Horton~

A Forever Flower

One yellow summer day, long ago,

our paths crossed and seeds of

friendship were sown.

As the seeds took root and began

to sprout, we spent almost every

day together that summer.

We took long, barefoot walks –

often stopping to rest on the cool

grass beside the river and watch

paddle boats slosh by.

We snapped pictures of each other in

various stages of play and referred to

them often, reliving the fun we’d had

taking them.

When you had a bad case of poison

ivy and had to stay in, I crushed ivy

leaves and rubbed them on myself so

I’d get it, too, but I was immune.

When I was confined to bed for a week

with strep throat, you phoned every

day to cheer me up.

As teenagers, we slathered our bodies

with a blend of baby oil and iodine

and stretched out on a blanket in your

backyard, hoping for a golden tan, but

sometimes getting sunburn instead.

Later, we sat on my front porch swing

eating cold meatloaf sandwiches and

sipping tall glasses of iced tea.

In mid-August, the carnival came to

town. Lured by bright lights, cheerful

calliope music, pink cotton candy and

thrilling rides, we hurried to the

fairgrounds each evening at dusk. It

was a magical time!

On rainy days, we’d lie across your bed

whispering about our latest heartthrobs

and other secrets. Your mother served

us hamburgers and cokes.

I cherish each of these memories and

so many more. I loved you like the sister

I never had. You were my best friend!

Too soon, we grew up. You went away

and, for a long while, we’ve lived in

separate worlds.

And yet, our relationship has stood the

test of time and separation. Though we

don’t talk for long periods, we both know

when it’s time. Just as I start to dial your

number, my phone rings and there you are!

Sometimes it happens in reverse.

As I reminisce on this golden autumn

afternoon, I’m thankful that the bloom of

our friendship is as vibrant as ever. 

©2015 Peggy Toney Horton ~

Awakening Senses

 Early morning rain seeps into thirsty
     earth releasing a pleasant

 Aroma that is evident only in this season.

     From my window, I

 See golden daffodils dancing in the gentle

     breeze and

 Hear the cheerful twitter of returning birds;

     Warm sunshine

Caresses my face, delighting my senses

      as I

Taste the delicious sweetness of Springtime

      at last!   
                 ©2015 Peggy Toney Horton~