IN MEMORY OF DAVID

Mr. HCB told me to have a look at this rose because it was looking beautiful and he was right. When I saw it this morning with the dew drops still on it, it reminded me of a song, which will be familiar, no doubt, to many older more mature people, I Come to the Garden.

I bought this rose, Loving Memory, just over eight years ago, after David, a very good friend died, and I also bought one for a friend of his and his sister.

Sometimes, with the passage of time, we can't always remember when someone has died, but I know for certain it was just over eight years because David died in mid-December, and the last time I visited him in early December he had already written and gave me a card for my 60th birthday. He told me I wasn't to open until my birthday on Boxing Day. At the time I didn't realise he was so ill so when I opened it, as he had already died, it made me feel quite sad especially when I found inside a cheque for £60 - so typical of David!

I rang David's son, James, who was adamant that I pay in the cheque as he knew his father wanted me to have it and to buy something special to remember the friendship we had shared over the years since David's wife and his mother had died many years before.

David's funeral was beautiful and at the end we were asked to sit and remember "one of life's gentlemen". The song was "Time to Say Goodbye" and I think it's fair to say there wasn't a dry eye in the church!

In mid-January, I decided to buy an MP3 player with the money and then spent a long time ripping CDs onto my computer and then on to my new gadget.

When I had done this, I plugged in the earplugs, set it to "Shuffle" - and you may not believe this but I promise it's true - the very first song played on my new MP3 was "Time to Say Goodbye" - I had a little giggle to myself and thought that it would make David smile too!

So this rose reminds me of David - and what a lovely man he was. I was privileged to know both him and his wife for many years and my life is richer for knowing them both.

Friends come into our lives
and friends leave our lives.
But friends never leave our hearts. And best friends always get
to stay in the best places
in our hearts.
John M. Simmons