The simple cup of tea that helped Myra recover

When you have lots to do, Don’t worry, stress or fret, The chores you can’t complete,

Just haven’t been done yet; Think of jobs you have done, And allow some time for you, Work can wait a while, Then you can start anew.

Our nurses are wonderful, but they are overworked.

Myra was in hospital recently. Back at home, it’s her routine to wake up at about three in the morning, have a cup of tea, then go back to sleep.

She woke up at the same time on her first night in the hospital and asked the nightshift nurse if there was any chance of a cuppa.

The nurse said she was too busy.

Ten minutes later, an orderly, who had been cleaning nearby and overheard the chatter, turned up at Myra’s bedside with a cup of tea. She did the same every other night of the hospital stay.

The medical care Myra received was first rate, but when it came to her comfort, her peace of mind and, no doubt, her recovery, the kindness of a cleaner played no small part.

DOUG and his daughter bumped into a neighbour they only knew to say hello to. “How’s life?” Doug asked. “Ohh, there are good days and bad days,” the man replied. “It’s my mental condition, you know.”

“What kind of day is this?” Doug asked. “Fifty-fifty,” was the reply. “Like a balance see-saw, it could go either way.”

So, the men chatted for a while, swapped a couple of jokes, then Doug offered to come round and help with a home repair.

Walking on, 10-year-old Ellie said: “You just leaned on his see-saw, didn’t you?”

She’s a smart child – with a kind dad!

GEORGE had just given a talk for a primary school who had put together a collection for the local food bank.

He wanted to explain more about how the food bank worked and thank them for their help.

But the event had left him strangely subdued.

Thinking I understood, I said: “Yes. In a fairer world you wouldn’t have to talk to little children about hunger.”

“There’s that,” he agreed, “but there’s the other side of it as well.” I looked quizzical. “In a fairer world,” he explained, his smile brightening by the second, “I would never have got to see just how big the hearts of those little children could be!”