The Gold You See Verse 1 Jilly drew a circle On a Tuesday night in town, Eckhart spoke of stillness Till the noise was settling down. I couldn’t know that evening How deep this bond would run— You’d be the friend I turn to first When worry clouds the sun. With you I never need a mask, I’m simply welcome there; You listen without judgement And meet me with your care. Chorus 1 Shushann, you see the gold in people Before they see it too; You hold it to the daylight Till they know that it is true. With your radiant smile and wisdom, With a heart both deep and kind, You give us back the parts of us We thought we’d left behind. Verse 2 We drove the road to Bowral, Took dear Jilly to The Mill; Out to Tina in Carcoar, Past the Blue Mountains, calm and still. Manly, Watsons Bay and Balmoral, Malabar beneath our feet; Frenchys lunches, sushi, picnics, Ice cream, chips and something sweet. You always knew which exhibition, Which concert we should see; We watched the Whirling Dervishes Turn like a living prayer. Then out would come Her Majesty— Your Queen beyond compare— And soon your glorious laughter Was filling up the air. Chorus 2 Shushann, you find joy in small things— A pathway, meal or view; And somehow every ordinary day Feels newly made with you. You gather friends and keep them close, You always make a place; The world becomes more generous Inside your warmth and grace. Verse 3 Christmas comes to Coogee With the circle by your fire; Sometimes you guide us into stillness Till the room begins to breathe. At morning you’re in ocean pools, Salt water, open sky, Hoping some small octopus Will quietly wander by. Then home again to Anush— Two souls that just belong; The love between you, plain to see, So tender and so strong. And Mack stays warm in memory— We’ve always understood How furry souls can fill a life With simple, faithful good. Chorus 3 Shushann, you find wonder everywhere— In ocean, earth and sky, In friendship and in mystery, In all that passes by. From Uluru to Japan, From Norway back to home, Your curious and playful heart Still calls you on to roam. Verse 4 You sit beside the troubled, Help couples find their way, And help those living with Parkinson’s Meet each changing day. You show us age can deepen us, That eldership is grace— Not slowly disappearing, But finding our true place. You took the hardest chapters And made wisdom from the pain; A lifetime spent becoming, Choosing love time and again. Through books and soulful cards, Through every workshop that you lead, Your creativity keeps flowering, Still answering the need. Bridge There’s a mystic in you listening For the oneness under all, For the sacred in the silence, For the meaning in the call. And after all your searching, Your journeys far and wide, The light you went out looking for Was always there inside. Final Chorus May all the gold you see in us Come shining back to you; May love and deep connection Surround you all life through. May creativity and wonder, Beauty, purpose, sacred grace, Keep opening new horizons And keep laughter on your face. And wherever we are carried, Whatever we pass through, My life is richer than I can say For sharing it with you. You are one of life’s great gifts to me— Shushann, I love you so.
