This book of poetry started with no thought process at all. A few poems written over many years. Mostly with very personal messages to family and friends. Poems to my husband, my grandchildren, my friends. Then, for unknown reasons I started writing about life. My life, the lives of people I know and simply life in the world in which I live. Many of these poems lean close to my heart, thus the title. They certainly do reflect my personal thoughts on life, love, loss and laughter. Asterisked titles are titles given to me over time by my BFF who challenged me to write the poem.

You might say she spurred me on! The world I grew up in and the world my grandchildren are growing up in are so significantly different it's sometimes hard to even imagine. My poems reflect the changes both good and bad as perceived by the writer. Some strike on my past, some on the sadness of today's world and some simply on the joy I see in life.

I hope you find comfort, humour, and a wee bit of quietude in some of the poems and that you see the beauty of life both in the human factor and the world we've been given to care for.