Diamond Days

I have been sorting, clearing and throwing my way through our house readying it for the floor sanding and wall painting that started today. I have come across so many mementos - postcards from my sisters when they lived overseas, my wedding to-do list, old photos and diaries. I also found my wall calendar from 2005 - my first year of marriage, my grandparents' 50th anniversary, my dad's 50th birthday, the weddings of many friends, my sister moving overseas, seeing Oprah live in Joburg, a family trip to Mauritius. I love the sweet, optimistic thoughts and wishes of this Helen Exley calendar so thought I would share it here so I can finally part with the actual calendar. (It's long but worth the read - it will make you smile.)


happy day!


I wish you things to catch your heart in beauty, in joy and in amazement. Things that will make you shout with laughter and stir you to excitement.
Have fun. Enjoy the year ahead ... be brave. Be curious. Be courteous. Discover a wider world.
Open your arms to all the delight - of flowers and music, every lovely thing. Of adventure and astonishment. Of love. Of friends you've yet to meet ...


We are a part of all that is. The branching trees find echoes in our veins. The spring that calls the buds to break and the swallows to return - waken us to joy. May you, today and always, share the wonder of the world. 
May you always choose the path that leads to the greatest happiness.
... May this be one of the days of new beginning.


May your life have diamond days.
May you travel to wonderful places, see wonderful things, meet wonderful people.
I wish you the joy of always having someone to share things with.


I wish you quiet sleep, dreams of meadows, deep in flowers and grass, of oceans calm and flecked with silver, of islands hushed by gentle waves, of countries of your own invention, of easy talk with friends, of roads leading to a reunion, of sorrow comforted of hope restored.
I hope for you the discovery of what you are really good at and what you really want to do.
I wish you the joy of the right one realising just you you really are inside - and loving you for it.


I wish you waking to sunlight shining, birdsong, hot showers, fresh bread, work that you long to do.
I wish you the beauty of silence, the quiet strength of the earth, the love that lies at the very root of things.
May you find happiness in a quiet, perpetual rejoicing in small events.


May you know contentment, delight, and your fair share of absolute joy.
There will be times when much will be asked of you. I wish you the courage and endurance and the wisdom you need.
May great happiness be yours - but if some darkness comes, may you always find a hand to guide and comfort you, a voice to cheer you.


May you find quietness at the very heart of your life that would remain tranquil and certain whatever befell.
May you find the little paths bright with birdsong, hedged with flowers, that others never see.
May this be one of the days when the mind discovers undreamed of things.


May the winds be fair and the currents kind. May the charts be true, the channel clear, the landfall certain, the holding good - and at the end, a safe haven.
May you know shining days - days that will brighten all the dull ones that lie between.
May all your kindnesses be remembered and all your faults forgiven.


I wish you the happiness of finding exactly the right words ... for those in distress ... for those rejoicing good fortune ... for those afraid or uncertain ... for those you love. May something you do or say make all the difference to someone's life.
May you always be a child in curiosity, delight and eagerness.
May there always, always be something you want to learn, somewhere you want to go, something you want to do, someone you want to meet.


I wish you the happiness of love, that does not change with change, that shines as surely in age as in youth.
May there always be friends to share your laughter, your troubles and your victories.
I wish you the happiness of always having something to give; 0 a surprise, affection, - a hand with the tidying up, a listening ear, - time.


I wish you quiet times of hope and recollection. And sleep as gentle as a stream. 
Most of all I wish you courage. Whatever happens, believe in yourself and go on.
May you grow old happily - until you can no longer count the candles on your birthday cake.


Good luck always. May the doors you knock on open to you - and reveal the unexpected and the wonderful.
May you always have room in your life for another friend.
I wish you joy and peace and deep contentment. And always, always love.