The envy of many

I don’t wish to be smug,
but they tell me I am the envy of many.
It’s not the aspect of the house,
although, since I restored it, it is pretty,
and it’s not the garden, carefully lanscaped and planted by me.
Neither is it the beauty of its interior;
each room was so gloomy when we moved in,
but with a lot of thought, a little flair,
and questionable assistance from my paint-splashed offspring
I redecorated it, taking care to accentuate its finer features
and scupulously removing all ill-conceived details.
I’m sure all of this helps,
but what makes my guests look wistful every time they visit
is the way the sun shines from the eyes of my four children
as they play together, and when they look at me;
the loving smile of their father, when
after a hard day at work, he greets his family,
and how eagerly we hug him back;
the way we sit at the table and chat
instead of dumbly eating in front of the TV.
It’s the pleasure we take in all we do together,
the joy in each other’s company.

Posted for The Sandbox Writing Challenge 38  Something Wonderful

©Jane Paterson Basil