A Glass Full of Water

A man in a Dominion Rd cafe in Auckland sat by himself in the same seat for a long time and would often just stare into space. He spoke to no one and no one spoke to him. He was from an Asian country.  My twin brother Chris noticed him and then introduced himself. The man replied, “No speak English.”  The next time Chris saw him, he gave him a wave and the man waved back. The third time Chris saw him, he decided to give the man one of his bird artwork cards that are sold in the cafe. He put the card, his gift to the man, on the table, but it was pushed away. Chris said, “It’s for you,” and pushed it gently back. The man smiled, gave Chris the thumbs up sign and held the card close to himself.  I asked Chris why he persevered. His reply. “Because he is one of us and I wanted the man to know that someone cares.”  Let’s be honest and admit that it can be more difficult to be kind to people that don’t speak our language or look like us. Be kind anyway and don’t give up i...

My nephew Ben wrote and recently presented a speech about gratitude (which also featured his grandfather Peter (my father)) to the junior high school students of Mackenzie College.  He posed the question: What is gratitude?  Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Ben reflected on the volume of memories and lessons from his grandfather, someone who had a significant impact on his life. He continued. I thought about fishing on his boat where he taught me the meaning of patience. The fish don’t bite instantly, you have to wait, watch and be still. I remembered him coming to most of my rugby games, standing on the sideline, rain or shine. That was a lesson in unconditional love and commitment. I thought of the fun we had, the silly pranks and jokes, the wrestling matches, all simply lessons in fun and joy. Most importantly, I remember the countless examples of kindness - the way he always went out of his way to h...