I feel blessed in the company you offer,

the simple acts of mercy, forgiveness

and to listen without judgement is

something I can only ever hope to emulate,

albeit in way that never steps on your toes,

for who am I

but  a fool with clay feet

to hope that that I could match

your abiding, soaring

spirit that lights a beacon

far beyond the walls of Leith.

 

Calm assuredness,

a way with kind words

in which I feel that I am not being

looked down upon from high,

the only critic to whom authority

that has the right to see and smile

when I do the wrong thing

with the best intention

and know that I already have chastised

myself a million times

before I next shake their hands;

to you my respect is boundless

and has no infinite border.

 

For Steve and Gill Earl