“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” – Bob Marley
“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” – Erich Fromm
“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” – Henry David Thoreau
*
Treasure
Despite advance studies
Money rarely trickled down my path
Choosing Mental Health
Over a lucrative career
Despite any talents or skill
The bills remain a struggle
Yet I have the most beautiful sky
Just outside my window
A grand chorus of birds
Sing me awake each day
Summertime, sung to sleep
By frogs and crickets
Your latest acquisition
Phones, laptops, automobiles
Will be an albatross
In the not too distant future
And advertisers will tell you
What you NEED to make you
Happy – another purchase
Piled upon local landfill
As you move on to your next
Vital acquisition
While I gather lavender, rosemary,
Figs, almonds and know
How truly rich I am
The family said I would never
Have any wealth – be one of them
Would not know what to do with it
Would give it away
There may be some truth to that
I’ve always found others
Who needed it more than me
Yet I’ve more than I
Dreamed could be mine
Surrounded by beauty
In the embrace of my community
Some things cannot be bought
At last, I have come home
*
Bisous,
Léa
poetry, photos and musings oh my! 
So beautiful. Thank you. ❤
Thank you Lotta! xx
THIS is what I needed to read TODAY. Thank you, Lea xoxo
Perhaps that it why I posted it today Carly! I wrote it last week but it never seemed the time to post… xoxo
It truly speaks to me and what I’m trying to do with my life. Thank you! ❤️❤️
Carly, in many ways it is for you! Your priorities are clear and they shine through any darkness you can encounter and you yourself are a TREASURE! xoxo
Takes one to know one, beautiful lady! Really though – it spoke to my head & my heart even more so. Thank you!!
You are such a beautiful woman! However, in the family I came from, you too would have been a misfit! Let’s hear it for the misfits! Actually, I have come to a place where it is almost a badge of honour. Unlike that child, I can now see them for what they are and know that I am much richer and feel pity that they must continue to control and accumulate to feed their hunger. So sad! Merci beaucoup ton amie!
Let’s hear it for the misfits, indeed!!!! To be anything less would be a tiresome existence. To be rich of heart and mind is … priceless! xoxo
Absolutely! Actually I’ve just been writing about all that. I don’t mean in the poem but in my journal and the “novel” I am working on… See why I am president of the Carly-Jay fan club, okay, perhaps the French branch of that club! 🙂 xoxo
Ha! You’re a classic, Lea!! Bless your gorgeous heart 💗 Now you’ve for my interest – when you mentioned the word ‘novel’ *squeals with excitement* ❤️
Ah, the “novel”… I will fill you in by email and you will understand. Nothing to get excited about. xoxo
You have me singing that old song: “The moon belongs to everyone, the best things in life are free….”
If it had you singing, it has made my day!
the really important things in life cannot be bought – yes – and money certainly doesn’t make us happy – i’m praying with the apostle paul that i always will have enough money so i don’t have to go hungry but not that much that i put my hope in it… it’s all about balance me thinks…
Oh I love this Lea! Beautifully written as always! And you are so so right! It’s all going to come tumbling down on us all one day! I read a Buddhist inspired book called How to be Sick just after my diagnosis and the author talks about what she calls “the want monster” inside us human beings. I always hear her words when I find myslf desiring something unnecessary.
Sorry for the delayed reply but I had a rather nasty fall the other day down three stairs onto our tiled hall floor. I was very shaken for a couple of days and still feel in pain and achy but nothing broken at least. Just part and parcel of MS unfortunately.
Love xxx
Christine, thank you ever so much for you kind words. For a number of reasons I imagine and also because of who I am, I just never was interested in material objects. With all my degrees I learned to understand much of it but also it is something in my nature. As it says in the poem, there was always someone else who needed it more. C’est la vie!
Chére amie, you never have need to apologise to me! EVER! I always can trust that you will respond when you can. I am sorry about the fall and hope you are feeling better now. That poem about Theo was off the charts! Love xxx
Aw thank you Lea. Im feeling a tiny bit better this evening. I need to be patient, it will take a few days I think. xxx
Just take your time and feel better Christine! Believe me, I do know about having patience with one’s self! 😉 xxx
Thank you Lea xxx
xxx
Lea this is truly beautiful and I can resonate. One of my favourite poems yet..
While I gather lavender, rosemary,Figs, almond…………this is such a gorgeous poem. My father often told us we were not rich in money or possessions but rich in love and the community around us. You live in a village bliss that many will never experience. So happy you cherish it with every sunrise.
Kath, I am so grateful to the people here. They are the family I never had.
When one has all of this, what more could I need? Yes, I am very fortunate. Thank you for your dear comment.
It is beautiful, you are very talented and I appreciate you.
You are too generous and I treasure your friendship!
Home is freedom from being “owned” by anything. Love this poem. You says it so simply, yet so well.
Freedom and belonging! Merci beaucoup!