The Jewels of Friendship

Joy Parke

I read very few books in my childhood but when I read The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde (illustrated by Ota Janaček) it moved me profoundly and still resonates today.

There is a beauty that flows through the narrative revealed in the friendship of the Happy Prince and the Swallow that leads to a tragic end for both in this world.

As the friendship unfolds there are layers of meaning -  sympathy, service, sorrow, companionship, devotion and finally sacrifice – each layer with a beauty and colour of its own.  In the Happy Prince, I discover again, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’

These jewels of friendship, luminous and iridescent, are within Jesus….

….and these jewels, a gift, are within me glistening brightly and waiting….

….waiting to offer beauty to my narrative….opening my heart to the possibility of today….