Honestly - it's hard to know anything for sure!

 Honestly - it's hard to know anything for sure! - Link to podcast

Life and faith is complicated and challenging.  Socrates said “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”   I learned this in the veggie maths class at school!

In a few weeks’ time, I am leading a session at an officers gathering in Perth and I will be chatting about retreats.  Silence and solitude have been a part of Christian formation for centuries and I have been asked to share something deep and meaningful on this subject.  Unlikely, I know, but the practice of going on retreats and having times of silence has been a part of my journey for many years.  I have always found them to be helpful.  Not always refreshing and renewing but it certainly creates the space for growth and honesty in my inner life.  

Being alone and without distractions for any length of time is not a place for the faint hearted.  It is here that we are confronted with our actual truth.  If we have the courage to stay there and be honest with ourselves we often see our doubts, fears, confusion and selfishness with alarming clarity.  

I have learnt that my resistance to go on retreats has little to do with the cost or the travel time or the inconvenience of carving out space, it has far more to do with how afraid I am of uncertainty, powerlessness and not knowing.  I quite like the idea that things are certain and that I can rely on people, places and things to meet my needs and assist with the projects and aspirations I have for myself and the world around me.  However on retreat, these certainties are often stripped away and I am left in a place of humility and weakness.  

It is here that a real and relevant decision to have faith in the mysterious purposes and love of God for my life is acted on and becomes the path I choose to travel down, even when I am unsure, discouraged and even a bit cynical of the outcomes.  Yes, I will keep loving the people in my life generously.  Yes, I will keep believing that my life has significance and meaning.  Yes, I will keep believing that the poor and hurting people I often work with can find hope and stability.  Ultimately I need to trust my life and my purposes to the mysterious and yet ever reliable love of God.

It seems to me that to be honest is to accept that we really don’t know much.  Socrates said “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”  

My world is seen though my lens of upbringing, personal experience and limited thinking.  I have read a few books but not all of them.  I have met and gained an understanding of a few people, but not everyone.  I have been present in a few interesting and paradoxical circumstances, but not all.   Surely it stands to reason that I hardly know anything of the mysteries of life and the universe. To have the courage to be honest about this creates space for genuine humility and an open mind to listen and value the experiences and perspectives of other people, other cultures and other religions.  

So the big question is – do you have the courage to be honest?  To allow space for doubts.  To allow the possibility that what you think is certain might in fact have a few shades of gray.

When I was at school I was comfortable with addition and subtraction.  I advanced slowly into multiplication and division, but when things like algebra, calculus and trigonometry started to come into the mix, I gave up and happily stayed in the veggie maths class.  But apparently the GPS devices I use every day, architecture that hold up bridges and skyscrapers and even the computer I am using right now are all the product of complex maths.  

James Fowler suggests there are stages of faith and we develop from quite simple black and white concepts of God and truth to more nuanced and complex ways to see spirituality.  As we experience loss or tragedy, as we get older and have more and more life experiences, if we mature, we come to more compassionate and accepting places and this will only happen if we have the courage to be honest and to face our doubts and questions sincerely and with integrity.  

A mature, honest faith that has wrestled with doubt is far more appealing to those watching on than the certainty of a faith that is not courageous enough to work through the doubt.  If people of faith stay in the early stages and lack the maturity and depth to deal well with the complexity and paradoxes of real life we soon become irrelevant.

The lovely Sue had hoped that the Lord of all creation and power would have transformed her forgetful and somewhat clumsy husband into a more mature and organized sort of partner by now, however she has had to learn to live with the reality of me!  It’s a disappointment I’m sure, but she has somehow maintained her faith and has found it in her heart to love me anyway – and I am often witness to her sincere prayers.  Prayers like Lord give me strength or God why?  She is an inspiration!

Bless ya. 

Paul Bishop

Paul Bishop - Link to podcast

So my mate Paul Bishop started coming to Brisbane Streetlevel back in 2010.  He had done a stint in jail and was on parole and ended up staying at the Salvos Pindari Men’s shelter.   He was told there was a free feed at Streetlevel and so headed on down to check it out.  Well this started a connection that is strong to this day over 10 years later.

Paul started helping to prepare and serve the community meals and often came away on our Easter camp trips and other recreational outings.  He became part of the team and was helpful and consistent. He and I collected for the Salvos together at the gates of the Royal Brisbane Show for many years and enjoyed sharing this experience together, especially the dagwood dogs and strawberry ice creams afterwards. 

For Paul, holidays just didn’t happen and life on welfare support payments was basically hand to mouth, so when the opportunity to come away to Fraser Island with 15 or so other guys on a on a weeklong 4WD fishing adventure was made available to him, he jumped at the chance.

So the first year Paul came along it was a bit of a culture shock.  The trip onto the island is a long car drive and a ferry trip and then a somewhat stressful and bouncy two hour drive along a sandy beach to our campsite.  Once at the campsite there is a lot of work to set up the kitchen, the tents and getting all the fishing gear, fridges and lighting in place.  It’s a big day. 

That first year we stopped along the way to get some pippies which are shell fish that you can dig up in the sand at low tide that we use for bait.  We all got out of the cars and filled our buckets.  People then got back into cars and Paul and another guy somehow got left behind.  20 minutes or so later we realised this and drove back to get them.   Paul was not happy and in a rage threw pippies at the driver who forgot him.  On the way home from this trip we got bogged in the sand and had to dig our way out.  Paul was frustrated and angry with this and to make matters worse was accidently bumped over as we tried to tow the car out of the sand.  Then on the long drive home we had engine trouble with our car and it delayed us a few hours and again Paul was cranky about this and was not able to handle his emotions too well. 

The following year we spoke to Paul and explained that things will always go wrong on these trips and that adventure is like that.  There are risks. We explained that we needed him to be supportive at these times and not to make things worse by getting upset.   Well Paul got the message and the next year he was a different person.  Super helpful and encouraging and always finding ways to support.  When we got bogged he joyfully helped resolve the problem.  He took on roles without being asked like doing the dishes and helping newcomers rig their lines or set up their tents.  Every year we award someone with the Spirit of Fraser Shield for great attitude over the week and within 12 months Paul went from being a bit challenging to being an absolute delight.  He won the 2018 award and was celebrated among all the guys for showing such great improvement. 

In 2019 Paul caught a huge Flathead on Fraser Island and it was enormous - the biggest fish anyone has caught in the ten year history of our fishing trips.  He was ridiculously excited.  None of us will ever forget this moment. 

Every year at Fraser Island Paul and I take a selfie together on the beautiful rain forest boardwalk at Central Station.  And every time I see Paul we connect as beautifully as mates and we often share the story of catching the biggest flathead either of us have ever seen. 

Bless ya,       

Friendship

 

Friendship - Link to podcast.

I recently listened to an interview with a poet named David Whyte.  He wrote poems about the words Friendship, Honesty, Ambition and Alone.  I found these poems helpful and will be using them as the foundation for the next 4 Monday nuggets of truth.   

Friendship is probably the most precious thing in my life.  I love being with people who know me and enjoy life with me.  My family are all adults now and my relationships have shifted from the dynamics of family by birth to friendships by choice and intention.

My running buddies are great friends as we share the wonders and joys of nature alongside the suffering and triumph of running long and challenging trails.  My friends and colleagues in the Salvos, fellow officers and workmates have shared the blessings and trials of the workplace and my many friends in recovery or who continue to struggle in their lives connect in a deep way as we share the suffering and struggles of life.

In all of this, I love being with people in significant ways and I love being a part of their life, but one thing I am more and more aware of these days is that friendship is not about changing other people.  A good friendship is not measured by whether or not either of us has improved – the ultimate touchstone of friendship is witness.  To be a witness to their journey and to be beside them as a companion – to accompany them - seeing their vulnerabilities and fears.  

Friendship is almost always underestimated and a diminishing circle of close friends is the first sign of a life in serious trouble.  When friendships start to degenerate and we have fewer safe places to be real and honest, our facades and masks start to become permanent fixtures.

Last week after a week at Maroochydore for work, I managed to forget to put the lovely Sue’s suitcase into the car for the drive back to Brisbane and it had a variety of vital elements to the lovely Sue’s life such as makeup and hair stuff.  It required a 3 hour drive to get it that night.  The lovely Sue’s Dad felt sorry for me and did the drive, but here we are again two weeks later and I’ve done it again.  I have managed to leave my phone in the bathroom at Maroochydore.  In my marriage to the lovely Sue, she is a witness to my incomprehensible stupidity and forgetfulness and right now my natural tendency is to hide away and find a way to minimize this reality.  The lovely Sue has rolled her eyes and my in Laws who we are living with at the moment look on in puzzled disbelief.   But they are nice people and seem to have come to a place of acceptance that they do life with a complete boofhead.  Friendship needs to be rediscovered again and again through mutual forgiveness and mercy.  Without tolerance and mercy, all friendships die.

It is hard to accept this as it requires honesty and humility to actually have a real friendship.  Real friends by this definition need to be permitted to see our failings.  Only then can they choose to stay present and engaged in the mess.  

Some of my best friends are my running buddies and I think this is so because there is no hiding my emotions and physical capacity on the trails.  They have seen me exhausted, cranky and belligerent.  They have heard me complain and be discouraged.  But they have also seen me battle on and show a bit of grit. 

Friendships sometimes drift as the challenges of needing to be close to anyone and genuinely engaging with their failings can be awkward and disappointing.  Having to tolerate and forgive people does require some effort.  But being alone and isolated is the alternative.

Many of my friends are in addiction and suffer the dreadful relapses and setbacks that seem to regularly be a part of the story.  I have so much respect for them as they reengage time and time again and get honest about what is going on.  You’d think this is just annoying and frustrating, but in fact it creates a closeness and trust that is kind of special.  They know I will love and support them unconditionally and so I get to do life without the masks. They show me their truth.  And that is what friendship is all about.  Not perfection, witness.  

I was at Homeless Connect today and hundreds of homeless people come to the Brisbane showgrounds to access services and get some good food and clothes.  Honestly, I got hugs all day.  Not from perfect people, far from it, but they were sincere and heartfelt and it was just lovely.

Bless ya,     

Akemi and Kazu

 Akemi and Kazu - Link to podcast

Akemi and Kazu Kobyashi have been supportive members of the Salvos at Streetlevel in Brisbane for over ten years. Akemi ran the occupational Health and Safety program that became a regular community event and even made me look organized.

Back in 2009 a Japanese fellow by the name of Kazu Kobyashi was looking for a way to serve the community and give back.  He was a successful engineer and Akemi his wife was a social worker.  They heard about the opening of a new work the Salvation Army was planning called Streetlevel and decided to come along and attend the opening ceremony on St Pauls Terrace in Fortitude Valley.

It was a fabulous day and the vision of the project captured both their hearts and this began a journey with Kazu and Akemi that continues to this day.  Akemi and Kazu started attending the Thursday night chapel services and loved it.  They were both popular and enthusiastic members of the community and found ways to get involved very quickly.  

Kazu started by joining the Streetlevel advisory board and attended monthly meetings to give support.  Akemi helped with washing the tea towels and doing some cleaning.  She eventually became the occupational Health and safety officer.   I was doing a meticulous job here but she felt the need to give me a bit of a hand anyway.   We started having meetings to address safety on the site and as we had nowhere else to hold these meetings but in the main eating area, community members started to listen in and put their two bits worth in.  Soon there were 15 people attending these monthly meetings and tasks like putting safety tape on stairs, cleaning out bins and drains and even managing carparks were taken on by the community members and saved our paid staff enormous amounts of time and energy. Feedback and the raising of relevant concerns had a very down to earth element as the people using the facility every day were invited to the table.  Akemi flourished and was a focal point of all things practical at Streetlevel for many years.  She told me what to do, and I approved it and funded it and she filled out the forms and got them to the admin people at our headquarters.  I, rightly so, gained a reputation for running one of the safest and most carefully monitored drop in centers in the city.

Akemi and Kazu wanted to become member of the Salvos and were soon enrolled as adherents and eventually Akemi became a Soldier. 

Akemi and Kazu are both in their fifties but have been keen marathon runners for many years.  Not an ounce of fat on either of them.  When I started my running journey I was struggling to do a ten kilometer run without passing out, but I will never forget the time Akemi announced in the chapel service in a loud and confident voice with that she believed that one day I would run a full 42 kilometer marathon. Everyone cheered and clapped.  I just about threw up.

A few years later I did complete a 42 k marathon and one of my inspirations for this was undoubtedly Akemi Kobayashi who always believed in me and was my number one fan.    

Akemi became central to the operations of the Streetlevel mission and was intimately involved in the lives of many of the people we helped.  She loved them and cared about them deeply.  One time a lady came to us for help on a cold night and was obviously very unwell and distressed.  We gave her food and offered her assistance with accommodation and to get her hospital, but she did not want this and decided to spend another night on the street.  We shut the garage door that night knowing she was at risk and feeling powerless to help.

The next day we discovered that she had passed away in the front garden of a local shop.  I will never forget the wails and cries of Akemi as she expressed her grief at this horrible tragedy.  Her cries helped us all to truly experience this loss and determine to find better ways into the future to make sure this never happened again.

A few years ago Akemi and Kazu lived in Bangladesh for a year or so and she found ways to serve there within the Salvation Army as well.  Back in Australia now Akemi is still passionately involved in the Salvos at Streetlevel in Fortitude Valley and is a source of hope and happiness to hundreds of people doing it tough on the streets and in the supported accommodation houses in this area.  She is a valued member of the team and is in my view, the Mother Theresa of Fortitude Valley; completely unassuming and humble and only tiny in stature, but a veritable giant of love and joy to everyone she meets.

Bless ya

The greatest of these is Love

                                         The greatest of these is Love - Link to podcast

Everyone needs a purpose and a sense of meaning in their lives and loving people, even in seemingly small ways, can fulfill a life in surprisingly satisfying ways.  Three things remain; faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love

For the last 16 weeks, the Monday nuggets of truth in the stories of hope podcast have been based on 1 Corinthians 13-4-7 often referred to as the Love chapter.  

  4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The remaining verses in this chapter say things like we only know in part, we talk like children and we see life like a dull reflection in a mirror.  It seems to be emphasizing the uncertainties of life.  So much that is confusing and unpredictable.  So much trouble and complexity.  

COVID is just one of the many challenging issues we face in these times and there are a myriad of things that can unhinge us and make us feel uncertain about what we believe, what we can trust in and what is important.  

I am in the middle of this myself.  My heart has been playing up over recent months and has not felt OK.  Turns out I am getting more heartbeats than what is considered normal. These extra heartbeats are called atopic heartbeats and they are not dangerous, but instead of getting one or two per hour like regular people, I get one or two every minute and I can feel every one of them.

I have been emotional, grumpy and sometimes quite scared.  It’s not a nice feeling.  I’ve been to hospital in ambulances twice in the last few months and seen cardiologists, pacemaker technicians and my local GP on numerous occasions. Of course now that we know it is not dangerous the lovely Sue rolls her eyes and can’t quite believe all the fuss and attention I have been getting over nothing.  

Feeling fragile is no fun and sometimes things we have believed would be certain and solid, like our health or the church or family life can unravel in the blink of an eye and we are left floundering around in a fog, trying to see the best way forward.  

This chapter in Corinthians has been like an anchor in these times as it reminds us of the only true and solid reality of life.  We are loved.  We always have been and always will be.  Loved when we are strong and loved when we are weak.  Loved when we are cranky and loved when we are on top of the world.  

When we unpack the implications and realities of this love as described in this chapter we can find comfort in the mysterious yet somehow permanent and deep love of God for us and the wonderful ways in which people, often unexpected people, express this love to us on His behalf.  Love flows from God into this world in extraordinary ways and people accept and transmit this love to others all the time.  If we are to make sense of what is important in this world and what part we are to play in it, loving generously and wholeheartedly is one of the few things that makes perfect sense.  Everyone needs a purpose and a sense of meaning in their lives and loving people even in seemingly small ways, can fulfill a life in surprisingly satisfying ways.

The chapter finishes with these words.  And now these three remain, faith hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.        

Bless ya,

Fire 'N' Dough Wood Fired Pizzas

Fire 'N' Dough Mobile Wood Fired Pizzas - Link to podcast 

Simone and her family from Fire’N’Dough Mobile wood fired Pizzas have supported the salvos by supplying fabulous free pizza to people from the streets of Fortitude valley every month for over 7 years. www.firendough.com.au    This is their story.

When the lovely Sue and I were appointed to the Streetlevel Salvos in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, every Thursday we had a community meal and often served over 100 people.  It was a lot of work and our cooks and volunteers were amazing to make this happen every week.  

We also had our coffee van out at fetes and festivals and one day our worker Colin, who was a chatty sort of fellow, struck a deal with the wood fire pizza guys next door to our coffee van and did a swap of goods in kind.  Coffee for pizza.  In chatting with Simone from the Fire’N’Dough pizza crew he shared with her about what we do at Streetlevel and mentioned our Thursday night community meal.  As it turns out, Simone was on the lookout for a way for her family and the businness to give back to the community in some way.  

Simone and her husband Stewart had experienced hardship in their lives and at one point were evicted from their home and were doing it really tough, but they are resilient and hardworking sort of people and over time were able to get back on their feet, but it was a real struggle – even with their levels of functionality and support they had behind them.  Simone was moved with compassion when she considered how these challenges would be for families that may have experienced trauma or hardships far greater than she had.  Back in 2014 their mobile wood fire pizza business was small and just starting up but was doing OK and so she offered to come along to the Salvos at Streetlevel and provide free Pizzas for our Thursday dinners, once a month.    

Well it was sensational. The pizzas were top notch and Simone and her delightful family came as a team and all worked hard to serve the hungry folks from the streets of Fortitude Valley.  At the time Jordan was 10, Taylor was 15 and Brooke was 19. As well as wanting to give back, Simone was keen for her kids to see the other side of life and for them be exposed to people who were doing it tough.  

Brooke, the eldest daughter has a condition known as brittle bones and was confined to a wheelchair, but a more cheeky, street smart, bundle of well humored enthusiasm you would never find.   She would serve the pizzas and make sure nobody got more than their fair share.  She was firm but fair and everybody loved her.  This family loved coming along and we loved having them and a beautiful friendship started to blossom.  It took off and for 7 years now Fire’N’Dough Wood fired Pizzas have been a highlight of the week for hundreds of homeless and troubled souls in Fortitude Valley.       

I asked Simone what this project meant for her and her family and was surprised by one of her responses.  As the business grew and they took on more and more staff she invited casual staff to come and volunteer their time at the salvos.  The ones who did volunteer got plenty of paid shifts, but those who didn’t bother, were at the bottom of the list.  She explained that “This is a family company and we want people with the right attitude on our team”  This was her way of sussing out her staff for authentic community spirit.  

Simone and her crew have helped out at a number of special events; for example they were at the finish line for the Nanna Fittys Fruitcake Cycling Club’s ride from Sydney to Brisbane and fed over 200 people.  We had the Fire’N’Dough team at our daughters 21st birthday party and whenever I see Simone we hug like brother and sister.  It’s lovely.

There is a fabulous spirit of generosity and love in this family and this is not just mushy sentiment, they work hard and pay all the expenses for this act of kindness and have done so very month for many years.  My heart is warmed and my hope in humanity is lifted as I tell this story.  It gives me confidence to set stuff like this up again and trust that the resources we need to feed and care for people, will come as God has positioned people all over the place to be His hands and feet in this world.  

I’m so grateful to Simone and the crew for this amazing support and have not minded polishing off hundreds of slices of magnificent Pizza too much either.

Bless ya,         

Love Always Perseveres

 Love Always Perseveres - Link to podcast

I bite my nails and it drives the lovely Sue a bit mental.  However she perseveres with me and still loves me, most of the time.  All lasting friendships and loving relationships require perseverance and a good measure of grace to flourish.

Recently a good friend of mine from my childhood lost his brother in a tragic accident.  My buddy Rod was one of my best mates when I was a teenager and we went camping hiking and shared tons of great life experiences together.  But as so often happens life takes over and we parted ways some 30 years ago.  However whenever our paths cross our friendship and genuine love and care for each other is revisited and it has never waned even after all these years and all this time apart.  

 

I rang Rod last week and just chatted about the loss and how he was feeling.  We felt the closeness we shared for each other and commented on how our relationship is like family and we just know there will always be grace and love and respect between us.  In lots of ways this love we have for each other has survived because we have persevered over many years in the confidence that the relationship is strong and true.  

We cannot be present and available for hundreds of people but friendships can remain healthy even when there is distance, if we accept this and don’t demand unrealistic connections from too many people.  It seems to me there are seasons for closeness and connection.  This does not mean we are just fair-weather friends, it’s just the reality of busy lives and millions of people in the world.   

I Corinthians 13:6 reminds us that Love always perseveres.  It is a constant.  It sees life through mature lenses and appreciates the ebb and flow of our personal journeys.  I am so blessed to have heaps of friendships like this in my life and often bump into people I haven’t seen for ages and hug them warmly and sincerely.  

In our closest relationships this persevering love requires a whole new level of intensity.  I often share this corny line; the lovely Sue and I have been happily married now for 26 years, which out of 32 is not too bad.

The people close to us can see us warts and all.  The see our inconsistencies and delusions.  They see our laziness and selfishness.  They smell us in the mornings and hear the tone in our voices when we are tired or irritable.  They know what we really think of people who annoy us and how much junk food we secretly tuck away.  Unfortunately the coffee/chocolate chip ice cream tub in the freezer does not empty itself and I have stood accused and defenseless on more than one occasion. There is a whole lot more rubbish to tolerate in intimate relationships than we see on the Facebook highlights reel or the clean slick ways we might present in public.  

I have a terrible habit.  I bite my nails.  I’ve done it all my life and only for short seasons have I ever been able to stop.  This drives the lovely Sue to despair sometimes and the slurp and crack of nail biting can be unbearably annoying.  I do know this and but cannot seem to control myself.  I am a seriously messed up unit in this regard.  

So every night the lovely Sue gently touches my hand and stops the rot only to have to do this again 10 minutes later.  Sometimes she uses words, facial expressions and sighs to express this frustration and this can raise the temperature of the room somewhat.  I find eye contact something to try to avoid on occasions like this. However the lovely Sue has persevered with me on this and managed to find ways to remain close and intimate with her festy husband.  

I am not confident that the issue is resolved and although I try to be good and behave myself, if the lovely Sue plans to stay married to me, she is staring down the barrel of another thirty odd years of childlike behavior to cope with.  Let’s hope she loves me enough to persevere, as it would be a very challenging life for both of us if she lives with only one leg and I wake up one morning to discover that all my fingers have been chopped off.

Bless ya,   

There is hope

 There is hope - Link to podcast

At the Salvos Drug and Alcohol recovery center in Brisbane there is a sign on the front office wall which says “There is Hope”.   Love always hopes and believes in a person’s potential - especially when they are struggling.  

The Salvos have a catch cry at the moment.  “Hope where it’s needed most”  Hope is a big deal.  Without it, somewhat obviously, things become quite hopeless.

For many years I worked at the Salvos Red Hill rehabilitation service and on the wall outside the front office, actually the first thing you see, written in big solid steel tubular writing is the phrase “There is hope”.  Countless people in addiction have arrived at this center at the end of their rope and seen this sign and I have often heard of the impact these three words has made in their lives at their most desperate hour.  

Hope is all about believing in what we cannot quite see yet.  It is believing for the future.  Believing for the best in someone despite their many troubles.  Believing in a person’s potential.  

• ‘If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming’. Goethe

 

Our Scripture today from 1 Corinthians 13:6 says love always hopes.  

We genuinely hope the best for the people we love.  Good parents sow this seed into the lives of their children.  Always believing in the full potential of each child.  Children who are discouraged by their parents and other key influencers like relatives, teachers and peers can lose hope and simply give up on ever achieving their dreams.  

Now false hope can be a dangerous thing.  The hope of winning the lotto, or becoming a concert pianist without doing any practice or Collingwood winning the 2021 premiership.   These hopes are fanciful and will usually only lead to disappointment and despair.  But hope in what is true and good and promised, can be motivating and helpful.

  

Every human being is a beloved child of God, precious and priceless and my Buddy Paul Maunder often says….Building on this, we can be hopeful with good reason that people can set goals, and work towards worthwhile things.  

One of my favorite movies is the Shawshank redemption.  Andy Dufrey chisels away at the wall of his cell for 20 years and eventually makes his escape.  He never gave up hope.  A line he shares in this movie with his friend Red was “get busy living or get busy dying”.  To hope is to choose life.  To choose love and to choose fulfillment.  

Many of us distract for hours on social media or games.  We sometimes watch TV or silly little clips on utube for hours and have given up hope in the more productive ways we have on offer to spend leisure time.  We blank out our best thinking and choose numbing ways to spend time, rather than finding the hope to try new things and develop ways to grow and make a difference.  

The lovely Sue has high hopes for me.  She believes in me and wants a more full and happy life for me.  Often this involves me growing in my capacity to be active around the house or to develop a little less embarrassing fashion sense and of course to reduce the number of stupid mistakes I make  …….  there is a quite direct benefit in this growth for her, but this is not as selfish as it sounds.  We all hope for each other to be the best we can be, as when other people flourish, especially the people closest to us, we really benefit.  I love being with happy and effective people who love life, don’t you?  So hoping for the best in the people we love is a good idea for everyone.   

I have high hopes for the lovely Sue too.  I hope the hours she spends watching MasterChef will one day result in a culinary experience that will rocket me into an ecstatic state of gastronomical bliss.  I know this would make her extremely happy and I am full of encouragement for her.  Come on Sue, you can do it!!

Bless ya,