Eternal Happiness Convention

 

A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky

By Lewis Carroll

A boat beneath a sunny sky,

Lingering onward dreamily

In an evening of July —

Children three that nestle near,

Eager eye and willing ear,

Pleased a simple tale to hear —

Long has paled that sunny sky:

Echoes fade and memories die:

Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,

Alice moving under skies

Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,

Eager eye and willing ear,

Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,

Dreaming as the days go by,

Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream —

Lingering in the golden gleam —

Life, what is it but a dream?

I am sure I have blogged this poem before - in another July. And, as I love it, I may do so again, if I live to see another July.  Because, yes, what are our lives now but a dream, just a moment in time, so quickly gone.

But once paradise is restored, will there be one July to come, maybe hundreds of years from now, when I can talk to the poet, to Alice, and to the other children so lovingly remembered in the poem?   If I can keep on going faithfully to the end - the end of the current wicked system of things on the earth, or of my life, whichever comes first - then it is more than possible.

The young man came to fix our phone on Wednesday morning. He was due at 8:00 and turned up promptly at 8:00!  And, hopefully, he has fixed it- our ancient horse-drawn phone that is, not our mean OutSmartYou ones.

I managed to get myself up and dressed, which is as exhausting as a full day's work these days, made the usual lentil veggie curry soup, and the weekly mushroom curry.  Plus I made a strawberry yoghurt for afters.  Just doing that required a lot of stops for rest. I am reminding myself, somewhat worryingly, of my mother and my granny in their latter years.

I also had my double Zoom with a friend in the afternoon. We both got some work done and a good talk.  It all helps so much.  Col detected on Thursday leaving very early, and I managed to change the beds, wash the sheets, and do my Watchtower study for Sunday. But that was it.  I slept all afternoon, trying to escape from the pain.

And another night of odd dreams followed, punctuated by trips to the loo.   But during my dreams I somehow kept a consciousness that I am due at the ETERNAL HAPPINESS Convention this morning - via pixel, on my computer - and woke myself up in time.  Well, hopefully, given how much it takes to unwind from the pain.

But eternal happiness... who could ask for more? And it is what the Bible promises us - right here on this lovely earth for most of us.

Its strange to think that I used to be able to go on the coach. And even stranger to think that one year I drove Maggie, Jean and Ken to Brighton and back for the whole three days!