Being Grateful

I spell the G in grateful with a capital letter because I feel just sometimes people forget to feel grateful about the positives in their lives. I feel that being grateful is just so much part of humility and having a very positive outlook on life.

While this is starting to sound very corny, let me tell you what brought this on.  I know someone who is very ill.  She is normally a very strong, super-intelligent and extremely capable person who has only ever encouraged me to fulfill my dreams.  Recently over Christmas time, her health deteriorated rapidly and quite suddenly to the point whereby she needs help to move around and just get out of bed in the morning. I can honestly tell you that through the strength of love for her son and family and sheer determination she has got up out of bed, had that refreshing cup of tea and tried very hard to be as much as she can be.

I stand in awe.  The doctors had not given her much longer and told us that she has had her innings, but I feel as if I have witnessed a miracle and a huge blessing.  Can love be so powerful? Is this what it was all about in the first place? 

So while all this happened so far away from me  it has touched my life and all of our lives in every way.  I feel like shouting how special each day is because I have come to realise just how powerful love can be.

Everyone of us has the responsibility to bring what is inside us, our love and our passion, to the outside and show the world what it is we have to give. Perhaps that is what we are all here for. Whether it is people who have novels stuck in their bottom draw, a restaurant to get in order or just simply to remember to appreciate each day as it comes, life is short...go out there love, be beautiful and fearless.  And remember to be Grateful.

Sweet Nicholas

We live in a roomy apartment on the ground floor.  Living in the apartment above us is a fellow South African also from Cape Town called Tony.  Tony also teaches at the University and is very familiar with our kids and our family. Tony came down the other day to tell us about our little Nicholas and what he has been up to. 

Precocious Nicholas told Tony that he will take the rubbish for him to the bin every week. The outside bin is a short 1 minute walk away and he is perfectly safe and quite capable of doing the job. Nicholas had it all worked out in his mind too, after having given it some thought.

He told Tony that only he can take it because there are spiders at the bin and only he knew how to deal with these really huge spiders.

He said that Matthew cannot deal with the spiders so it’s best not to tell him.

Nicholas said he would do all this for a really special price of 200 bizas per time.

He told Tony he will do it every week twice a week and that Tony mustn’t forget Nicholas and do it himself.

In Tonys words…"as if I will ever forget him or his brilliant offer! "

Those pesky New Years resolutions....

 School has started again.  Thank goodness.  It feels to me sometimes that these kids of mine have more holidays than school days.  In the UK they went to school only a mere 157 days out of 365.  That is less than half.  In my experience there seems to be no middle-class in the UK because they are all spending their money on aftercare.  It is cheaper to stay at home. Indeed, the Government will pay them to have babies and stay at home, that is, if you have the right stamp in your passport. 



What is it about the 1st January?  People around me expect me to make New Years resolutions which they know I will absolutely not keep. New Year should be a time of celebration, a joyous occasion that only comes but once a year, instead I feel racked with guilt because I refuse to lie to myself about myself.  The expectation within my family that I will lose weight simply because the New Year has started.  Have they fallen off the end of the earth?  I haven't lost any weight for the last 10 years and its not going to come off anytime soon. Thanks for your concern, but no thanks.  Go find your own battle to fight and leave me in peace with mine.

New Years night  was passed in the blissful abandonment of sleep.  I tried hard to drink as many screwdrivers as I could, but only managed to fall asleep after my third drink.  I realized I am no fun, but as I gazed around me in my foggy, inebriated state I saw my husband fast asleep and all seemed well in the my world. The kids were snoring gently with the dog barking at the neighbors.

As it turns out, it was the calm before the storm....