I had several themes in mind to write about, but a vivid dream last night brought life to 2 special friends in my heart.
Hope and Franz were our farming neighbours in Somerset, in a hamlet where our little one was born in a 17th century cottage we rented. This hamlet had only five properties. We arrived insisting on a home birth for our son. Sensational, I still marvel how we made it happen, arguing that home births were very normal in Holland 🙂 Well it happened, in mid winter. Through frozen roads, the police brought in the midwife, Sister Heney, to help us with, by then, a rare home delivery, before her retirement. She called him her sow-baby and sent him birthday cards until she died.
Our little one had five exceptional years of country life, and everyone in the hamlet adored him. Hope and Franz were most loving, and special.
Franz had arrived on the farm as German prisoner of war. Hope fell in love with him. How could she not 🙂
For some reason they could not have children, so they became second parents to our son. Hope used to have dreams about Tibet, a culture I feel strongly connected to. Her dream was to become a journalist, impossible given her responsibilities and circumstances, yet she had an incredibly inquisitive mind.
Life is a labyrinth. Things happen that have no explanation other than grace.
I remember Hope and Franz fondly, and so does my son.
Course of Mirrors 
Lovely memory and beautiful pictures. I bet many of your readers – myself included – could tell a similar tender tale of unexpected (perhaps even unlikely) connection that sustained them, rooting their lives one to another. Thank you for this.
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You’r right, Sarah. Having had a rich life it sometimes takes a dream for me to bring that warmth of friendships into the heart again. I cried that morning. Franz slipped on the ice a few years ago. Hope was so dependent and lovingly connected to him, she followed him soon after.
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I really liked this, photos and all. Treasured memories for sure.
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Thank you, Nancy ♥
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“Life is a labyrinth. Things happen that have no explanation other than grace.”
So, so true …
Thank you…
Kamran
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Yes, dear Kamran, it’s the shimmering web of friendships that just happen, woven by something beyond us, where poignant moments and fond memories are held. They sustain us throughout life
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I can remember climbing in the hay bales and exploring the valley between the cottage and the farm it all felt a big adventure. They were really special – family! X
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Wow, hadn’t realized you climbed that hay mountain by yourself. You would walk independently through the valley, me watching from the cottage, until you reached the stream, where Hope waited to make sure you crossed safely.
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