The wonderful, unofficial global network of mums!

It struck Julie as odd that the guy was begging for money at seven in the morning.

Then she realised he was asking for food. “If this was my son,” she thought, “I would want someone to feed him.”

So, she gave him the breakfast she had just bought. Later, she mentioned it to a friend, who posted about it online. That evening a message was passed back to Julie.

It read: “As a mother who

THE last thing Marie needed was to answer random questions from a stranger.

She had a baby in a sling, two other children determined to go separate ways, and she was trying to bag her shopping at the supermarket checkout. So, when the older woman saw her phone and asked if she could take a photo of them with it, the harassed young mum forced a smile and, through gritted teeth, said: “Sure.”

The woman explained how she wished she had photos of her and her children doing ordinary things together, how difficult it was being a mother, but what an important job it was.

It was a validation of everything Marie was struggling with and confirmation that she was doing it right. And she has a happy family photo to prove it! is broken-hearted she can’t care for her son, it fills my heart that another mother fed him. Thank you!”

It’s almost like a conspiracy – as if mothers are the unofficial worldwide network that keep the rest of the world going, each one loving when the other can’t. Thank you, all!

I MENTIONED Geoff’s many grandchildren.

He was more specific, saying he had nine of them. “Two are related to me biologically,” he explained.

“Four are related through marriage and three aren’t related to me at all.

“They were just children in need of a grandfather.”

He grinned and I could tell just how much he delighted in the little ones.

“Of course,” he added. “They don’t know the difference.

“And they will never hear it from me. I’m just grampa to all of them.”

Walking away, I thought that being a grandparent is a fine rank and a grand honour – but some people, like Geoff, raise it to an art-form!

Take the grey skies with the blue,

The storms with peacefulness, Take the bad times with the good,

The failures with success; Take the cold and rainy days,

With the sunshine too, The tears with laughter and the fun,

And you’ll come smiling through.