Shine On: Visions of Life. Betty Shine

       That I know cannot be bought or sold

       For a pot of gold.

       3 Our World

      There were so many poets that influenced Betty’s life, and one special to her was W.H. Auden. He wrote poems and cabaret lyrics in the thirties including ‘Funeral Blues’ which was read in Four Weddings and a Funeral. He also wrote a libretto for the Benjamin Britten opera Paul Bunyan. He was a great scholar and always wrote about social issues, and Betty always felt an affinity toward him. Auden died in 1973, leaving three posthumous poems to be printed after his death. Betty did the same with the poems in this book – I am sure they both have much to talk about in the dimension beyond!

       Will you accept

       From the mind of a child

       A simple concept

       That people inept

       Unable to fathom

       How to regain

       A world without pain

       Should relinquish their tasks

       To alleviate anguish

       And fear of the past

       That was nurtured by hate

       So that we may restore –

       Not kill and deface –

       Our World?

       This beautiful place.

       4 Love At First Sight

      How many of us have experienced ‘love at first sight?’ When love touches a human soul it changes it forever. The instant attraction, the change of energy that cascades through us, it is truly an experience not to be missed. There seems to be instant recognition, rapport and waves of energy that pass between two people, a feeling of ‘Oneness’. When it happens you are helpless, you lose all rational thinking, the ‘love’ takes over. Many believe that they connect emotionally with another person because perhaps they have known them in a previous life.

      With ‘love at first sight’, we experience romance, something sometimes forgotten. One day it will happen to you.

       Sparks, like stars blowing in the wind,

       And a light that glows, as our emotions overflow,

       Can only be the beginning,

       And not the end.

       There is no day, no night; this is love at first sight.

       And as the earth moves beneath our feet,

       And the world spins around, we hold on,

       For we are but mortals walking on hallowed ground.

       There is no care of who we are, or have been.

       We have emerged, as though from sleep,

       Like butterflies from a chrysalis.

       In an instant we understand,

       It is the lightning strike that is only given once

       In any lifetime.

       There is no day, no night, this is love at first sight,

       There is no beginning, and can be no end,

       For we are but mortals walking on hallowed ground,

       And we walk as one.

       5 An Extraordinary Man

      Betty dedicated this poem to Michael Bentine, who was a very dear friend to Betty for nearly 15 years. Michael came along to support her at her very first book launch in Surrey. They had so much in common – spirituality, a true zest for living, humour, laughter, and they also shared the interest of writing. Michael insisted on writing the foreword to Betty’s first book, Mind to Mind, in which he mentioned the tremendous healing that Betty gave him and his family over the years. Betty would travel to his home to give his dear daughter Marylla healing, and he wrote, ‘Betty brought our child something very precious: the gift of comfort and mental peace. For that alone I will never be able to thank her enough.’

      Michael, like Betty, was never afraid to admit to believing in the afterlife and he and Betty would chat for hours on this topic. When Michael became ill he would travel to Betty’s home in Sussex for healing. They would laugh, cry, exchange stories of the past and most of all support each other. Michael was indeed a very Extraordinary Man, and I know that he and Betty are now together in spirit.

       An extraordinary man

       Whose eyes betrayed his soul,

       For deep within the fragments of his heart,

       The losses took their toll.

       Teacher, preacher, comic, clown,

       He was all these things and more,

       And as the artist couldn’t hide

       The feelings inside

       A canvas would light up

       With his very special touch

       And capture in a frame

       Why he was born to fame.

       An extraordinary man,

       Who dazzled with his wit,

       And with a smile full of mirth

       A candle would be lit

       Inside all who heard.

       His loss is great

       But his special gifts remain,

       And I know that he’s survived

       As he speaks still

       Of those he left behind.

       He talks of love, humanity and trust

       And the essence all around,

       That unites this world and souls

       Within the Universe.

       He’s a teacher, a preacher, a comic, a clown,

       For Michael you will always be

       The sum total of your Mind –

       An extraordinary man.

       6 Picking Up the Pieces

       ‘Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.’

      GEORGE ELIOT

      1819–1880

      The hard fact about life is that at some time we all fall from a great height, and as we fall we break – mentally, physically and psychologically. Our egos whirl out of control and it is very hard to put ourselves back together again. We all need someone, somewhere, to help us literally pick up the pieces – the dented ego, the torn-apart heart, the out-of-control thoughts. The encouraging thing is that we humans do mend and learn from our mistakes.

       I’m picking up the pieces

       And starting all over again.

       My life has been fractured far too long,

       It simply can’t go on.