Thought for the Week

THIS WEEK I had one of the most wonderful surprises ever.

As many of you know, I am a huge Paddington Bear fan and I find this little fictional bear totally enchanting.

Well, last Friday Paddington came to our house, and brought with him unexpected kindness and a gift which I will treasure forever.

The gift was from someone I didn’t really know, but who said how much she enjoyed reading ‘Thought’ and especially the ‘Thoughts’ about Paddington and Winnie the Pooh.

There is much wisdom their authors give us through these delightful characters and they bring a freshness into life.

In an age where there is much that makes us feel sad or despondent or depressed, it is a joy to dip into the land of escapism for a time.

Yet in many ways it is not escapism – it is truism.

For I do believe there is more goodness in the world than evil: I do believe people would rather do a good turn than a bad one.

So surely it is good to immerse ourselves in things that make us feel uplifted and then share the goodness which is within us and around us.

One of Paddington’s quotes says: ‘I think I may paint a family portrait today….That is, if I have enough paint left for all the smiles.’ If only we could borrow Paddington’s paint box and bring more smiles into this wonderful world.

So to my friend who made me smile with her gift of kindness, I hope you know how much you brightened up my day.

‘Paddington has a habit of bringing people closer together,’ his author said.

How very true.