Love helped him ring the changes

DaviD’s one of the most happily married men i know.

That’s surprising in a way because he was such a reprobate in earlier years.

In fact he once told me his wife-to-be’s mother warned her not to marry him!

But he astonished almost everyone – not least his pessimistic mother-in-law – by completely turning his life around and putting a stop to all of his more “lively” ways.

Since his big day with Julie he has been a real model of hard-work and devotion.

He will sometimes confess that no one is more surprised than him.

And he always puts the appearance of the “new David” firmly down to Julie’s consistently positive influence.

The other day we were having coffee together.

David was unconsciously twirling his wedding ring and after a bit he slid it off and showed me how years of wear had changed it from a perfect gold circle to more of an oblong, neatly fitting the shape of his finger.

“It’s only fair that I should have altered it a little,” he smiled, “because this little ring has certainly shaped me.”

Just a throwaway comment, perhaps – but it certainly had the ring of truth about it! FOR the past 25 years Carol has been a mother and a librarian.

Now it was time to retire and she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next. She met up with a friend who gave her a necklace with the words “Follow your heart” engraved on it.

“It was the right thing at the right time,” she told me.“I’d just decided what I wanted to do and it connected my two greatest loves – books and children.” So, what is she going to do? Carol lives near a hospice for terminally ill children and she has volunteered to be a story-teller.

A beautiful heart, and one that’s well worth following.

A cloudless day, a gentle breeze, A happy child upon your knees.

A silent night, a cosy bed, A place that’s safe to lay your head.

As others suffer fear and war There’s so much to be thankful for.