Francis Gay

A sideways look at life:

The sun is shining brightly, Now that summertime is here, A time to sit and be at ease, And do what you hold dear, The flowers and trees are in full bloom,

A beauty to behold,

The horizon like a vista, And the landscape shines like gold.

Ivisited a church where they were doing their bit to combat hunger in the community.

They have set up wooden planters in the garden. The idea is that they will grow fruit and veg there and passersby can help themselves.

I couldn’t help but wonder if they might be prone to vandalism.

“Oh,” the organiser said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if they were broken up.”

I pointed out they had surely spent a lot of money on the project and it would all be wasted if something like that happened.

“Ahh, but it might not happen,” he replied. “The community might take it to heart. Or, even if they don’t, maybe before it gets ruined we’ll feed a hungry family or two we might never have encountered any other way.

“We’ll never know if we don’t try.”

I wished him the best and walked on, thinking real faith can be displayed in many wonderful ways.

Stacey’s dad wanted to admire the view from the end of the rickety old pier.

But halfway out she had a panic attack and had to sit down.

She had already shown me photos of the day so I knew she made it to the end, and looked over the edge. I pointed this out.

“Ahhh,” she said, downplaying her achievement.

“I made it by holding tightly to my dad’s arm and walking very slowly. It was only at the end I was able to step away from him.”

“So,” I said, stroking my chin like a wise man of old.

“You made it, with the support of others, and by taking one careful step at a time, until you were able to stand on your own.

“Isn’t that how every achievement in history came about?”

Fear might knock you down from time to time. Just don’t let it keep you down.

Gail was horrified to discover she had a honey bee nest in the eaves of her home.

At first, she thought they would have to evacuate the house. And she homeschooled her daughter, Jaimie, so that would cause all sorts of disruption.

Then she called for expert help. The experts were volunteers who removed and safely rehoused the nest so the bees could carry on with their important work.

They also reassured Jaimie and talked her through the whole process, including inviting her to visit the bees when they were settled in their new home.

“She went from a terrified little girl,” Gail told me, “to wanting to be a honey bee rescuer when she grows up.

“Her lessons were disrupted, but it was a wonderful education all the same!”

A crisis? Or an opportunity? So often the difference is only in how we look at them.

Carol’s new car has a fantastc sound system and she wanted me to hear it.

“Of course,” she said, during a lull in the music, “the first car I was ever in – my parents’ car – had nothing anywhere near as fancy as this.

“They had a radio with a rigid aerial that broke off the first time they went through a car wash.

“After that they relied on my sister and me.” “How?” I asked. She laughed: “If we were in the back seat, mum would call out her favourite songs and we’d sing them.”

The look in Carol’s eyes told me the fancy new sound system had been forgotten in favour of homemade music.

Singing in harmony with your sister, could there be a better sound system? Singing the songs they love for the people you love. Could any music be more beautiful?