In these troubled times, love and care will win out

In a time of diplomatic strife I heard a charming little story.

Katie, a young student from Kansas, has been studying in Scotland.

Last week, she had to move from one flat to another.

She hired a man with a van to help with the move.

After it was all done he refused payment WHEN John and Macey went to pay their lunch bill they found it had already been paid.

They couldn’t understand why until the waitress handed them the note that had been left with the money.

It read: “I hope you didn’t think we were staring but we just loved watching how much you loved your little baby.

“We, ourselves, have teenagers and sometimes it’s difficult to remember they were ever cute and sweet. Thanks for the reminder!”

My young friends would like to thank those kind souls and wish them lots of luck. I wonder if their teenagers noticed a difference after that day.

And I wonder if John and Macey will remember that note when their Johnny starts pushing his teenage boundaries. (which was actually a relief for Katie). But why?

It seems people he would never meet had helped his daughter when she was in the States. He had promised, if he ever got the chance, to help someone in the same situation.

Katie, at the same age as his daughter and just as far from home, was the lucky beneficiary.

Politicians can make a difference when it comes to broad sweeps of policy and diplomatic relations, but, in the end, how the world actually is comes down to how we treat each other, not country-to country, but one-to-one. WHEN Iain was asked what he wanted for his 60th birthday I didn’t expect him to say stamps! He explained that, at his age, he already had everything he could ask for so, instead, he wanted to write a thank-you letter to people who had made a positive difference in his life – one for every year of his life.

I asked if it was going be one standard letter copied 60 times but Ian said, no. “They made an individual contribution to my life, so they deserve an individual thank you.”

I couldn’t help but think how lucky Iain was to have 60 people in his life like that. But was he any luckier than the rest of us? Could you find one person to thank for each year of your life? You might be pleasantly surprised!

Though winter’s chill is in the air, And creatures still sleep sound, The days are drawing out again, More brightness found all around;

Life is stirring in the earth, Green shoots and buds on display, The weeks are slipping by, which means,

Spring is not too far away.