SeadragonSong: Lights and Shades ...

What a week, what a fortnight it's been. Sadly a friend has gone from my life, and despite the lights and shades a friendship with her had always entailed, there was great joy too, that will be sadly missed. I'm sorry to have lost this friend.

Other bonds and ties have strengthened, and while this in no way balances a loss, it is lovely.

I have received a gift of beautiful English Seaglass, collected by a sweet and innocent soul who has been a friend for a while now, and has become closer over the last few weeks. By 'innocent', I mean a person who approaches life with a positive, open face. A 'what-you-see-is-what-you-get' person, always ready to make a friend and be a friend. And to be this way is his first inclination. A rarity in this day and age of reticence and suspicion.

Friends should never measured by their gifts, rather, by the care they take with strengthening the bonds of a friendship and the honesty and openness they offer. It gave me great joy to photograph the beautiful glass my friend sent me, and the better I could make the photos, the more I felt I was saying thank you to him for his generosity. That many others enjoyed the photos as well, was a small gift I was glad to pass on.