A Saint of Lame ducks

My mother, as we used to say "collected lame ducks". I was reading John Major's biography and his mother did the same. Those in need of solace, of friendship, the lonely - she made them welcome. She also welcomes guests at the hotel where she worked in reception, and when off-duty some would walk down, pop in for cakes and tea and a chat, which she loved, of course. 

There was the young lad from the hotel up the road - his first job, and not many his own age, and she invited him down - we had a shared love of the old Universal Black and White movies, and that was nice. The other receptionist who pranged their car, and was in shock, and needed some comfort. The alcoholic doorman at the hotel across the road was also given tea and sympathy from time to time. The gardener was offered for his family for a week's holiday, and somehow we coped. 

And also she popped round to the neighbours, to make sure they were ok, to chat, and drink tea - or sometimes sherry. I don't think people know their neighbours all that well today. 

Not all those recipients of her kindness were lame ducks, but some certainly were, and kindness to others, and to the stranger too, was a lesson I have not forgotten. She now is in care, and alas her memory is fading fast, so it is up to others to remember how kind she was to others, and visit some portion of that kindness back to her.

A Saint of Lame ducks

Tea and sympathy, that’s what they say:
But she did so much more, in yesterday;
Lonely, without friends, welcomed in:
Didn’t matter they were not our kin;
Lame ducks, those in need of cheer,
And perhaps the odd wine or beer;
And hotel guests, came for cups of tea,
In her garden, chatting beneath a tree;
Our gardener from Lisbon, also friend:
His family invited to stay, never an end
To hospitality. Visited the neighbours
In addition to her own work and labours;
Kindness to the stranger, especially so:
A cool stream, never ceasing to flow;
Refresh the weary, the tired, the sad:
I remember those days, and I am glad;
Now she needs care, friendly chats,
Photos of her family, her beloved cats;
Sometimes afraid, and sometimes lost:
Time to return kindness, without cost;
Remember times past, the lame ducks,
As shadows lengthens, in time’s flux;
That glorious summer before the fall:
Welcome always, come one, come all!