A Glass Full of Water

My oldest daughter was driving through the city of Tauranga the other day, when she heard and felt her left back tyre blow out. Very scary for her. The car got the wobbles but she managed to slow down and park her wayward car on First Avenue.  Tears flowed as Sarah rang Richard. His calm response and advice was helpful, but he was unable to leave work. She then rang Johnny, “Yep, on my way.”  A nearby random woman saw Sarah’s distress, stopped her car, walked over the road and gave her a massive hug. More tears. Jaz said, “I see you’re having a ‘bleep bleep’ day!” She then showed Sarah the ‘secret compartment’ in the car that held the spare tyre.  Johnny duly arrived and the two J’s recognised each other. Cousins.  Johnny jacked the car up and swapped tyres. While chatting to me about it  Sarah commented, “Kind people surrounded me. Being kind in a practical sense was the right thing to do.”  Later the same day, Kare, another friend gave her some encouragin...

Brian, a friend in Raglan, shared with me a week or so ago about his recent overnight stay at the Cancer Society’s Lions Lodge in Hamilton. Brian was very impressed. The biggest thing for him was being surrounded by kindness.  He then commented,  “It didn’t matter where they were in the hierarchy, they were all volunteers, happily distributing kindness.  Lions Clubs all around the Waikato donate to the upkeep of this fabulous facility. All the people there wanted to give you the best possible food and beverage. I had poached fish with a beautiful white sauce and some veggies to go with it. The potatoes and peas were prepared with dedication. They were perfect.”  He mentioned further, “They were dedicated to the craft of being and doing the best they could for you.”  To Brian, it was a kindness hub. I checked out the YouTube clip about the lodge on the Cancer Society’s website. There is no charge for meals or accommodation. You can tell that this is a place where...

This past weekend some of my siblings, Val and I had a superb time together at Palm Beach on Waiheke Island - swims, walks, board games, cafes and conversations between each other (and extended family who live near where we stayed).While there my sister in law Anne shared with me a story about Hugo, a visiting university friend.  A month ago Chris and Anne, daughter Emma and husband Tau took Hugo to the same island to experience more sights of our country. While travelling around on a bus Hugo realised he had left his bag at a cafe in the settlement of Onetangi. Emma phoned the cafe to see if the bag was still there. It was. The cafe had also put a notice up about the bag on their Facebook page. She carried on with her conversation with the manager, who told her that they would put the bag on another bus that would meet them at another settlement on the island. Bag returned.  Now continuing on their way, a woman got on their bus and cheerily said to the driver, “Happy Birthday...

Our niece Lucy lives in Christchurch with her husband Connor and their two delightful pre-school daughters. Both Lucy and Connor work in the police force.They are a young couple doing a demanding and sometimes dangerous job, alongside parenting!  Val and I have been following Lucy’s career for a long time. I remember kayaking with Val on the Tauranga harbour when my phone rang. Lucy excitedly told us she had been accepted for police training. We were so excited and proud too (She had her eighteenth birthday at police college and when she graduated she was, at that time, New Zealand’s youngest policewoman).  We now occasionally catch up at family gatherings in Auckland. As months pass we text each other with a simple, short message, ‘What’s for dinner?’ The question never changes, but the answers do. e.g. Casserole. Home made burgers and chips. Delish. Yummers. Chinese takeaways. Lamb chops with beans and corn. Yummers. Delish.  Our print connections are very important as ...