The time has come Oli, to step up to your life
whose destiny you must now discover.
The joyful days of childhood lie behind you
But fear not, your pleasures are by no means over.
For now you begin to define your dreams;
Now the focus moves to what you can achieve.
You will garner the skills and experience to make your mark;
You will grasp opportunities that only you are the first to perceive.
But pause a while Oli – what does success mean to you?
Is it only doing the work, and doing it usually right?
Is it accumulating riches, cosseted by creature comforts?
Is it becoming ‘numero uno’, and winning every contest in sight?
No, I sense that all your plans and actions
Must first pass through the sieve of your beliefs,
That setting that represents your concern for the needs of others,
That consideration that enriches and elevates your motives.
And so Life’s elemental cycle continues on.
The qualities bequeathed by your parents are there for you to deploy.
Share these widely and enrich the lives of others too.
Then, truly, yours will be a life for you to enjoy.
For Oliver’s 18th Birthday.