MY WEEK BY FRANCIS GAY
Happiness is many things, Loving, giving, caring, Little jokes that give a laugh, Memories meant for sharing, An unexpected word of praise, A sudden hug or kiss, Special hopes and special dreams, Such moments, simply bliss.
Annette had a wall built at the bottom of her garden. In digging out the foundations, the workmen left a small mountain of dirt, which they promised to clear – sometime!
It was an eyesore and would really have annoyed her, if she hadn’t been distracted by her mum’s cancer battle.
Well, the workmen never did clear the dirt away, so I offered to do it. Then she told me she had grown quite attached to it.
Her mum, she explained, had been given the all-clear. That day had been the first for a long time that she had felt up to playing with her grandchildren.
So, they played King of the Castle on the mound.
“It was wonderful to see her so happy. We can clear it away later,” Annette told me.
“But right now, it’s a reminder of the mountain she climbed, and how happy we all were when she conquered it.”
Recently, I had the heartbreaking experience of talking to a woman who was seriously dreading the day when her husband of 30 years retired and they had to spend more time together.
I suggested some options, but the thought in my mind was how lucky I was.
I told a few people about it, without using any names, and they told a few people.
Pretty soon, I was hearing stories of husbands and wives telling their spouses they loved them and appreciated them all the more because of what this couple were going through.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, don’t give up, and don’t deal with it on your own. Perhaps your husband or wife has similar worries.
If you are lucky enough to have someone you look forward to growing old with… let them know it!
“I was just crossing the road,” Paul told me.
“Thankfully, it was a quiet road. He met me in the middle, asked how I was, then told me his life story, all his hurts, and all his worries, for what seemed like half an hour.
“I’d never met him before. He had no idea who I was. I guess I just have one of those faces.”
As much as I am fond of Paul’s face, I had to burst that particular bubble.
“It’s not your face,” I told him.
“That man would surely have talked to anyone. The thing is, not many would have heard him.
“Most would have dismissed him immediately, the rest after a few minutes. Very few would have let him pour it all out like you did. I’m sure you did him a lot of good, but it has nothing to do with your face.
“You just have one of those hearts!”
Well done to all the students who got the result they wanted.
Well done to all who tried their best. And well done to Helen, who left school some time ago.
She grew up in Newcastle but always knew her family had Scottish roots. Her dad’s pride in wearing his kilt was one clue.
As soon as she was able, she headed north to rediscover her heritage. Now she runs the Carraigmhor guest house on Arran.
This week, Helen passed her first Gaelic language exam.
She hopes that, somehow, her dad knows. She didn’t like it when he spoke the Gaelic when she was young. Now she loves the language and wishes she had listened more.
I can imagine him looking down from Heaven, saying, “’S math a rinn thu, Eilidh” or “Well done, Helen!”