"The Town I loved so well"

 

The Town I Loved So Well

Phil Coulter

In my memory I will always see
The town that I have loved so well
Where our school played ball by the gas yard wall
And we laughed through the smoke and the smell
Going home in the rain, running up the dark lane,
Past ther gaol (jail) and down behind the fountain,
Those were happy days in so many, many ways
In the town I loved so well.

In the early morning, the shirt factory horn
Called women from Creggan, the moor and the bog
While their men on the dole played a mother's role
Fed the children and then trained the dogs.
And when times get tough, there was just about enough
But they saw it through without complaining
For deep inside was a burning pride
In the town I loved so well

There was music there in the Derry air
Like a language that we all could understand
I remember the day when I earned my first pay
When I played in a small pick-up band
There I spent my youth and to tell you the truth
I was sad to leave it all behind me
For I learned about life, and I found a wife
In the town I loved so well

But when I returned how my eyes have burned
To see how a town could be brought to its knees
By the armoured cars and the bombed out bars
And the gas that hangs on to every breeze
Now the army's installed by the old gas yard wall
And the damned barbed wire gets higher and higher
With their tanks and their guns oh my God what have they done
To the town I loved so well

Now the music's gone but they carry on
For their spirit's been bruised, never broken
They will not forget but their hearts are set
On tomorrow and peace once again.
For what's done is done and what's won is won
And what's lost is lost and gone forever
I can only pray for a bright, brand-new day
In the town I loved so well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt-qn7KwnFo&ab_channel=CityofDerryInternationalChoirFestival 

Put away Screens and Mobile phones.

Will somebody play with me ?

I wish I was a Mobile Phone !!

Hello - My Bowl is empty !

Will someone read me a story at bedtime ! 

"Slainte" 

Good job that table is between us !!

I wish someone would come and join my imaginary world.

Song : "Don't let the Old Man in "

 

Don’t let the old man in

Toby Keith                                                 

Don't let the old man in
I wanna leave this alone
Can't leave it up to him
He's knocking on my door

And I knew all of my life
That someday it would end
Get up and go outside
Don't let the old man in

Many moons I have lived
My body's weathered and worn
Ask yourself how would you be
If you didn't know the day you were born

Try to love on your wife
And stay close to your friends
Toast each sundown with wine
Don't let the old man in

Many moons I have lived
My body's weathered and worn
Ask yourself how would you be
If you didn't know the day you were born

When he rides up on his horse
And you feel that cold bitter wind
Look out your window and smile
Don't let the old man in

Look out your window and smile
Don't let the old man in

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjcESAljVSM&t=86s&ab_channel=AashuT

Support for Creeslough

Just a wee personal tribute:

Creeslough:

A dark shroud of cloud hangs over, the top of Muckish hill,

Below in the town of Creeslough, everything stands still.

The quiet afternoon was shattered, by that terrifying sound,

The earth trembled for miles around, that normally sleepy town.

A normal Friday afternoon sends out news, we all hope is untrue.

The only noise is of sirens now, and the sky is flashing Blue,

The disaster now unfolding, is worse than was first thought,

Calls for assistance from across the border, is hastily sought.

The farmer and the builder, and every available local man,

Assisted the emergency services, doing everything they can.

Fire engines, ambulances, and garda cars, tractors and diggers too,

Civil Defence, Mountain rescue, and many a specialist crew.

The hospital was placed on high alert, as the roads began to clog,

All the help was sent to Creeslough, even those hero rescue dogs.

The Angel in the sky Rescue 118 from Sligo, to Creeslough she flew,

Followed quickly behind by the heroes, in medivac 112.

As the evening turned to darkness, and the night it turned to Black,

Heroes fought to reach those trapped, there was no turning back.

Sadly, news began to filter out, that lives had been taken away,

The county hugged old Creeslough town, on this now blackest Friday.

Saturday broke with a numbness, and a sense of total heartbreak,

For those Angels now from Creeslough town, God to Heaven he did take.

The community loss is unmeasurable, and people question the reason why,

You chose to take away those loved ones, as they look towards the sky.

There will be much heartbreak, the mourning will be with them to their days end.

So, give them signs to help guide them, as this is hard for to defend.

Ease their pain and anguish, help those who were hurt and maimed,

Take care of those in Heaven now, in your Kingdom as is proclaimed.

Comfort and help them understand, that this was but you will,

God, please help ease the pain in Creeslough town, beneath your cross on Muckish hill.

Colm McDaid. 8/10/2022.

 

May they all rest in peace. Just people going about their daily life. Support and prayers are with them and their loved ones and the community of Creeslough.  Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha

Direction for Living

 

DIRECTIONS FOR LIVING

1.      The best way to get even is to forget.

2.      Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death.

3.      God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

4.      Some folks wear their halos much too tight.

5.      Some marriages are made in heaven...
but they ALL have to be maintained on earth.

6.      Unless you can create the WHOLE universe in 5 days...
then perhaps giving "advice" to God, isn't such a good idea!

7.      Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up.

8.      Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous...
You will get knocked down by the traffic from both ways.

9.      Words are windows to the heart.

10.   A skeptic is a person who...
when he sees the handwriting on the wall claims it's a forgery.

11.   It isn't difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill; just add a little dirt.

12.   A successful marriage isn't finding the right person ...
It's BEING the right person.

13.   The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground.

14.   Too many people offer God prayers, with claw marks all over them.

15.   The tongue must be heavy indeed, because so few people can hold it.

16.   To forgive is to set the prisoner free...
and then discover the prisoner was you.

17.   You have to wonder about humans...
they think God is dead and Elvis is alive!

18.   It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again...
Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19.   You'll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks out it's neck.

20.   If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence...
you can bet the water bill is higher.

Author Unknown --- 

Thank you for Hands

An old man, probably some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the park bench. He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands. When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat, I wondered if he was okay.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was ok. He raised his head and looked at me and smiled.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking", he said in a clear strong voice.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, sir, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were okay", I explained to him.

"Have you ever looked at your hands", he asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?"

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making.

Then he smiled and related this story:

Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shrivelled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.

They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler, I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.

As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life. They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war.

They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.

They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my new born son. Decorated with my wedding band, they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.

They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked my daughter down the aisle. Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole and lifted a plow off of my best friend's foot.

They have held children, consoled neighbours, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.

They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day, when not much of anything else of me works real well, these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life.

But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And He won't care about where these hands have been or what they have done. What He will care about is to whom these hands belong and how much He loves these hands.

No doubt I will never look at my hands the same again. I never saw the old man again after I left the park that day but I will never forget him and the words he spoke.

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and wife, I think of the man in the park. I have a feeling he has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel his hands upon my face. Thank you, Father God, for hands.

Author Unknown

These Hands

Song by Johnny Cash

These hands aren't the hands of a gentleman these hands are calloused and old
These hands raised a family these hands built a home
Now these hands raised to praise the Lord

These hands won the heart of my loved one and with hers they were never alone
If these hands filled their task then what more could you ask
For these fingers have worked to the bone

Now don't try to judge me by what you'd like me be
For my life hasn't been a success
Some people have power but still they grieve
While these hands brought me happiness

Now I'm tired and I'm old and I haven't much gold
Maybe things ain't been all that I planned
Lord above hear my plea when it's time to judge me
Take a look at these hard working hands take a look at these hard working hands

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NaC1j8n8JI&ab_channel=JohnnyCashShow