Good news brings joy to the human heart
HELLO, Mi neighbour! Two of the happiest neighbours in Jamaica today are Sister Delores, St Andrew and Brother Moses, St Catherine! Brother Moses is physically challenged and needed a bed for his nightly comfort. Sister Delores is more able-bodied but suffered the misfortune of not having adequate bed space for her family.
Even happier in this affair, is Miss Walker, St Andrew, who donated the beds to these neighbours. And I can see all smiling at such good news.
The fact that good news brings joy to the human heart and bad news saddens the soul is testament to our connectivity as human beings. This being so, we should all endeavour to create good news everywhere go!
And it doesn’t take much to do so. Good news can be created by a simple smile, a warm handshake, or just being pleasant around people. And for sure, customer service in some business establishments could use a lot of this.
Saying this and saying that, I must tell you this at the risk of offering free publicity to Sonia’s Homestyle Cooking and Natural Juices, Kingston. I recently stopped by that facility for a meal and was truly impressed by their customer service. The waitress wore a perfect smile, her patience was impeccable, and her helpfulness was unforgettable! Service like this certainly leaves a sweet taste in one’s mouth, even where goods delivered maybe less than desirable at times.
UNNEIGHBOURLY INCIDENT
Not about to erase the smile from your face, but I must share this unneighbourly incident witnessed on a church compound last week, which left me questioning the impact of the Saturday/Sunday worship services on the hearts of some church members.
So I came upon this uninteresting sight where two small SUVs stopped in front of each other with two elderly women (one a church member) behind the steering wheels fuming like “dickance”. My investigation revealed that nothing was wrong with the vehicles, but they were both trying to teach the other a lesson in road courtesy, insisting on who should reverse because of who was there first bla bla bla bla.
My appeal to one driver to reverse for peace’s sake, fell on deaf ears. The other driver was not in any mood for a compromise in the name of peace either, as for her it was not about peace, but principle.
Thankfully, however, after a good 10-15 minutes of trying to broker peace, the conflict ended.
What good could all that stress on the heart do for them? “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Everyday we’ll encounter neighbours who are irrational, unwieldy, unyielding, and unbending. If these behaviours are seen as signs of immaturity stemming from spiritual/mental instability or the absence of social skills etc., we’ll be better able to handle these persons effectively, provided that we are socially balanced, mentally strong, and spiritually adept. Let’s seek to create good news today and keep animosity at bay. PEACE & LOVE
To help, please call Silton Townsend @ 334-8165, 8843866, or deposit to acct # 351 044 276 NCB. (Bank routing #: JNCBJMKX) or send donations to HELLO NEIGHBOUR C/o 53 Half Way Tree Road, Kingston 10; Paypal/credit card: email: zicron22@yahoo.com. Or contact e-mail helloneighbour@yahoo.com