You've Got a Friend

"When you're down and troubled
And you need a helping hand
And nothing, nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night.
You just call out my name,
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running,
To see you again.
Winter, spring , summer, or fall,
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend.
If the sky above you
Should turn dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep your head together and call my name out loud
And soon I will be knocking on your door.
You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you got to do is call
And I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend.
Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?
When people can be so cold.
They'll hurt you and desert you.
They'll take your soul if you let them.
Oh but Jacob, don't you let them.
You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter spring summer or fall,
All you've got to do is call.
And I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend, oh Baby.
You've got a friend, ah Honey.
You've got a friend."

- Adapted lyrics to James Taylor's, You've Got a Friend

When Jacob was small, I sang to him every night when I put him to bed. "You've Got a Friend" was one of his favourites. I adapted the lyrics to each song I sang to make them a little bit personal for him. When I got to the part of "You've Got a Friend" where I sang of the dangers of people "hurting and deserting him and taking his soul", I always sang "Oh but Jacob, don't you let them". This morning Jacob started his new job. He left home wearing the new clothes we bought last week. He looked professional and grown up and confident. I'm sure he well do well and people will treat him kindly. Just the same, I had an overwhelming urge to sing "You've Got a Friend" to him before he left.

Tonight Merv will attend the first of his going away events. He is facing it with a bit of trepidation. I encouraged him to try and enjoy every moment of being heaped with accolades and praise but he is struggling. I understand, it is not easy working out his notice period. I've had a lot more practice than he has so it has not been as traumatic for me when I've done it. Merv, on the other hand, has only done it once before and that was nineteen years ago.

Merv and I attended a great function last night at The Royal Conservatory. Our friend Marg who is the Executive Director of the Geneva Centre for Autism, offered us tickets to a fundraising gala and concert called "The Autists". It started with a reception and silent auction, then moved to a live art auction curated by Charles Pachter and ended with a concert featuring Matt Savage and Chaka Khan. As we were treated to the tickets which had a sale price of $250 each, Merv and I were committed to supporting the cause through the purchase of something at the auction. The art was a bit out of our league, with one small painting fetching a price of $160K but there were a number of nice items on the silent auction table. We each went home with a new ring, mine a wide white gold band with white and black diamonds; Merv's a yellow gold checkerboard of black onyx and white mother of pearl and white diamonds. Merv also bought soccer tickets for he and Jacob to enjoy on the long weekend in May.

It is a lovely day today, sunny and warm. I have some housework to do and some client work but I plan to squeeze in a bit of time today for some beading on the deck. The ravine is lush and glowing which should be all the inspiration I need for a few new pieces.