Rebecca’s cup of tea and bucketload of kindness

Make a moment every week, To call upon an old friend, Friendships make us happy, On each we all can depend; Please don’t let time sail on by, You know that it goes so fast, A good pal is a precious gift, So do make each friendship last.

JOHN has endured a few tough experiences over the years, but you wouldn’t know it when chatting to him.

In fact, a more positive and warm man you’re unlikely to meet.

He was telling me about the time he’d been diagnosed with cancer and ended up in the intensive care unit of the Golden Jubilee National Hospital, near Glasgow.

WHEN Helen moved into the square, Leslie appeared with flowers and fresh muffins.

Talking to other neighbours later Helen discovered they had almost all been welcomed the same way and Leslie was a big part of the reason why the square was such a friendly place.

Over coffee Leslie told Helen that it hadn’t always been that way. When she and her husband moved to their current house none of the old neighbours did much more than nod in their direction.

But Leslie knew she was going to be there for a good while, so she set about changing that. Now her biggest hope is that the neighbourliness will outlast her.

As far as Helen’s concerned Leslie is proof positive that if something isn’t right you can moan about it or fix it – and fixing it is always better!

“The doctors and nurses there treated me so well, but one person really stuck in my mind,” he said.

“Her name was Rebecca and, believe it or not, she was the hospital’s tea-lady.

“I’d just come out of an operation and there she was with a cup of tea and a bucketload of compassion. She just had that X Factor and her manner really helped pull me through.

“Despite the shock and fear that comes with having cancer, I still consider myself a very lucky man. “God has never spoken to me directly, but he has spoken to me through people. People like the wonderful and kind Rebecca.”

Amen to that John.

KAREN has seen invitations that read: “Come as you are.” In other words, don’t bother dressing up. But her youngest son Chris, 19, was having a “come as you will be” party. He and his fellow uni students were dressing up as what they thought they would be in 10 years time.

So, at the house arrived wannabe doctors, barristers, pilots, even a couple of rock stars. Chris joked that Karen should have came as what she would be in 10 years time.

When Karen explained she’d come as his mum, Chris shook his head sadly and explained: “But mum, in 10 years time, I’ll probably be living elsewhere with a family of my own.” Karen raised an eyebrow and slowly the realisation dawned on her son. “Ahhhh!”

Once a mum...