FordeFables
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    • Strictly for Adults Novels >
      • Rebecca's Revenge
      • Come Back Peter
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      • No Need to Look for Love
      • 'The Love Quartet' >
        • The Tannery Wager
        • 'Fini and Archie'
        • 'The Love Bridge'
        • 'Forgotten Love'
      • The Priest's Calling Card >
        • Chapter One - The Irish Custom
        • Chapter Two - Patrick Duffy's Family Background
        • Chapter Three - Patrick Duffy Junior's Vocation to Priesthood
        • Chapter Four - The first years of the priesthood
        • Chapter Five - Father Patrick Duffy in Seattle
        • Chapter Six - Father Patrick Duffy, Portlaw Priest
        • Chapter Seven - Patrick Duffy Priest Power
        • Chapter Eight - Patrick Duffy Groundless Gossip
        • Chapter Nine - Monsignor Duffy of Portlaw
        • Chapter Ten - The Portlaw Inheritance of Patrick Duffy
      • Bigger and Better >
        • Chapter One - The Portlaw Runt
        • Chapter Two - Tony Arrives in California
        • Chapter Three - Tony's Life in San Francisco
        • Chapter Four - Tony and Mary
        • Chapter Five - The Portlaw Secret
      • The Oldest Woman in the World >
        • Chapter One - The Early Life of Sean Thornton
        • Chapter Two - Reporter to Investigator
        • Chapter Three - Search for the Oldest Person Alive
        • Chapter Four - Sean Thornton marries Sheila
        • Chapter Five - Discoveries of Widow Friggs' Past
        • Chapter Six - Facts and Truth are Not Always the Same
      • Sean and Sarah >
        • Chapter 1 - 'Return of the Prodigal Son'
        • Chapter 2 - 'The early years of sweet innocence in Portlaw'
        • Chapter 3 - 'The Separation'
        • Chapter 4 - 'Separation and Betrayal'
        • Chapter 5 - 'Portlaw to Manchester'
        • Chapter 6 - 'Salford Choices'
        • Chapter 7 - 'Life inside Prison'
        • Chapter 8 - 'The Aylesbury Pilgrimage'
        • Chapter 9 - Sean's interest in stone masonary'
        • Chapter 10 - 'Sean's and Tony's Partnership'
        • Chapter 11 - 'Return of the Prodigal Son'
      • The Alternative Christmas Party >
        • Chapter One
        • Chapter Two
        • Chapter Three
        • Chapter Four
        • Chapter Five
        • Chapter Six
        • Chapter Seven
        • Chapter Eight
      • The Life of Liam Lafferty >
        • Chapter One: ' Liam Lafferty is born'
        • Chapter Two : 'The Baptism of Liam Lafferty'
        • Chapter Three: 'The early years of Liam Lafferty'
        • Chapter Four : Early Manhood
        • Chapter Five : Ned's Secret Past
        • Chapter Six : Courtship and Marriage
        • Chapter Seven : Liam and Trish marry
        • Chapter Eight : Farley meets Ned
        • Chapter Nine : 'Ned comes clean to Farley'
        • Chapter Ten : Tragedy hits the family
        • Chapter Eleven : The future is brighter
      • The life and times of Joe Walsh >
        • Chapter One : 'The marriage of Margaret Mawd and Thomas Walsh’
        • Chapter Two 'The birth of Joe Walsh'
        • Chapter Three 'Marriage breakup and betrayal'
        • Chapter Four: ' The Walsh family breakup'
        • Chapter Five : ' Liverpool Lodgings'
        • Chapter Six: ' Settled times are established and tested'
        • Chapter Seven : 'Haworth is heaven is a place on earth'
        • Chapter Eight: 'Coming out'
        • Chapter Nine: Portlaw revenge
        • Chapter Ten: ' The murder trial of Paddy Groggy'
        • Chapter Eleven: 'New beginnings'
      • The Woman Who Hated Christmas >
        • Chapter One: 'The Christmas Enigma'
        • Chapter Two: ' The Breakup of Beth's Family''
        • Chapter Three: From Teenager to Adulthood.'
        • Chapter Four: 'The Mills of West Yorkshire.'
        • Chapter Five: 'Harrison Garner Showdown.'
        • Chapter Six : 'The Christmas Dance'
        • Chapter Seven : 'The ballot for Shop Steward.'
        • Chapter Eight: ' Leaving the Mill'
        • Chapter Ten: ' Beth buries her Ghosts'
        • Chapter Eleven: Beth and Dermot start off married life in Galway.
        • Chapter Twelve: The Twin Tragedy of Christmas, 1992.'
        • Chapter Thirteen: 'The Christmas star returns'
        • Chapter Fourteen: ' Beth's future in Portlaw'
      • The Last Dance >
        • Chapter One - ‘Nancy Swales becomes the Widow Swales’
        • Chapter Two ‘The secret night life of Widow Swales’
        • Chapter Three ‘Meeting Richard again’
        • Chapter Four ‘Clancy’s Ballroom: March 1961’
        • Chapter Five ‘The All Ireland Dancing Rounds’
        • Chapter Six ‘James Mountford’
        • Chapter Seven ‘The All Ireland Ballroom Latin American Dance Final.’
        • Chapter Eight ‘The Final Arrives’
        • Chapter Nine: 'Beth in Manchester.'
      • 'Two Sisters' >
        • Chapter One
        • Chapter Two
        • Chapter Three
        • Chapter Four
        • Chapter Five
        • Chapter Six
        • Chapter Seven
        • Chapter Eight
        • Chapter Nine
        • Chapter Ten
        • Chapter Eleven
        • Chapter Twelve
        • Chapter Thirteen
        • Chapter Fourteen
        • Chapter Fifteen
        • Chapter Sixteen
        • Chapter Seventeen
      • Fourteen Days >
        • Chapter One
        • Chapter Two
        • Chapter Three
        • Chapter Four
        • Chapter Five
        • Chapter Six
        • Chapter Seven
        • Chapter Eight
        • Chapter Nine
        • Chapter Ten
        • Chapter Eleven
        • Chapter Twelve
        • Chapter Thirteen
        • Chapter Fourteen
      • ‘The Postman Always Knocks Twice’ >
        • Author's Foreword
        • Contents
        • Chapter One
        • Chapter Two
        • Chapter Three
        • Chapter Four
        • Chapter Five
        • Chapter Six
        • Chapter Seven
        • Chapter Eight
        • Chapter Nine
        • Chapter Ten
        • Chapter Eleven
        • Chapter Twelve
        • Chapter Thirteen
        • Chapter Fourteen
        • Chapter Fifteen
        • Chapter Sixteen
        • Chapter Seventeen
        • Chapter Eighteen
        • Chapter Nineteen
        • Chapter Twenty
        • Chapter Twenty-One
        • Chapter Twenty-Two
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February 18th, 2015.

18/2/2015

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Picture
Thought for today:
"Today I enter hospital again for another blood transfusion. I have been getting transfusions on a regular three-week cycle since the end of my nine month chemo treatment, but because my bone marrow has stopped functioning, I needed to attend again after one and a half weeks following my last transfusion. I must report however, that apart from feeling tired, I have had a wonderful Valentine's weekend and remain overall in a contented frame of mind. When I get too tired, I simply rest and my darling wife Sheila places her head on my shoulder and the world feels good once more.

'Contentment' is that precious thing which lives and can only be found in the beauty of the moment. Once you have it, no trick of lighting nor the brush of any artist will ever be able to disguise its presence in you. It is as though you've discovered the secret of life; namely that the world is yours for the asking, so why try to conquer it?

Although contentment is prone to be influenced by external conditions, it is an internal attittude that can be cultivated whatever our circumstances. In my earlier life, a good book, a garden of flowers and a good woman beside me was all I ever needed to be content and it was only when any part of these things no longer pleased me that I changed them. It was only in later years after I'd altered my view on life and my purpose in the world that I changed my philosophy on how best to become more content with self and all around me. I learned that 'contentment' hides itself away from one's life until a place of peace and acceptance is found in the present moment. Happy is happy with or without the ever after; only the present matters.

One day, I found myself queuing in a busy self service cafe on the M1 motorway where everyone seemed to be pushing and shoving their way along the line in a state of anxious impatience. It was at that precise moment that I stopped taking life too seriously all the time, in the belief that if I didn't, I'd never get out alive. Before I'd reached the end of the queue, I'd noticed that everyone in it was peering over shoulders; essentially wanting a bit of what the other chap in front had on his plate. It is a strange facet of mankind's character that we invariably want what others have and we don't.

I left the queue and I am pleased to say that I never rejoined it. I gradually learned to like what I had upon my plate and eventually came to believe that prosperity and satisfaction depended more on wanting what I had than having what I wanted. In time I grew to to be more content whatever the weather or season and learned when it rained to let it rain and enjoy the experience. I discovered the simple truth that often a person is happiest when they choose to be happy. I learned that there is no point in not feeling good about good things in life and that life is something that happens when you are not asleep to all around; so wake up and smell the coffee before it's too late and the day has passed you by and your last sleep beckons.

I learned that life always runs smoother when we work with the grain and this maxim holds no less truth, whether it be human nature or a lump of wood we seek to fashion. If we allow our true self to lead the way, we will be able to allow the best of our traits and character strengths to triumph over abilities we may not have. After all, we each play better the instruments we do possess than those we've never held.

As contentment becomes a greater part of our daily lives, we gradually grow to know that to have enough is to be rich beyond measure and to accept that the richest person in the world is not the person who has the most, but instead the one who needs the least; for they are the one who will hunger last. 

I found true contentment from accepting that the loving parts of our body have no trouble loving; for that is all they were designed to do. There is no need to chase after the happiness that is always at your heels. Come to believe in the very goodness of yourself, because happiness and contentment lie within the very shadow and substance of your being. Accept what is, let go of what was and have faith in what will be; knowing that 'yours' is only what you have with you at any moment in time; no more and no less. Bye for now as I'm off out for a few more pints." William Forde: February 18th, 2015.












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