A Glass Full of Water

Cross-Country running and racing isn’t for everyone, including myself and probably you. Let’s leave it to the younger generation eh. Last week a grandson from Mount Maunganui won the Arataki School Year 6 Cross-Country race. Patch is a competitive athlete and was determined to finish in the top 5. Footage of the last 50 metres shows Patch winning the race! His mates are not far behind.  Patch’s mum and dad Ruth and Jake watched the race and can be heard encouraging their son and other athletes. Nice. We, including his brother and sister and extended family were very proud of him.  A photo of Patch after the race made me even prouder, as Patch can be seen comforting and encouraging an exhausted mate. Such an appropriate time to show empathy and compassion. I love that he was mindful not only of his own success, but also the welfare of others. The school motto of Growing hearts and minds Whakatipuhia ngā Manawa me ngā Hinengaro was celebrated for sure that afternoon. POINTS TO P...

It may surprise you that I enjoy talking with people…  For many years I had a stutter and talking was a form of torture. Now I’m rarely too busy for a chat and a laugh (Making up for lost time perhaps). Val loves to have a chat too and I love the way she makes friends  with supermarket check-out staff and is unfailingly welcoming to people she meets.  One of our Raglan neighbours had ordered catering supplies. The bread company personnel had delivered their order and walked towards our home. Val and I were working in our garden, looked up and initiated a conversation with them. A few minutes of banter followed. Then, ‘out of the blue’ they offered us a free box of bread treats. Eh? They must have noticed our confused looks, so they said, “This is our way of thanking you for being kind to us.” We  accepted their kind offer. In a good way we had interrupted their busy day and in their own way they appreciated that.  I’m sure that some readers of my blog will think...

I have had the privilege of doing volunteer work for a  hospice in Hamilton. A counsellor asked me to tell stories to groups that were attending grief counselling sessions.  My first thought was, what type of stories would be appropriate? I have told stories to many types of audiences, but this was going to be a new experience. I took a risk and decided to tell some funny stories.  The  counsellor warmly welcomed me at the main entrance. As we entered the designated room, she lit a few candles and introduced me to the participants. Lots of handshakes and a few hugs ensued. The atmosphere was peaceful and relaxed. I still had a nagging thought. Would anyone smile or even laugh?  I told my first funny story about getting into trouble in my much younger years. Smiles and laughter rippled around the room. Relieved, more stories were told and to my delight, a few of the group told their humorous stories too. Everyone was encouraged in their grief journeys including m...

So how do you say thank you to a millionaire? Try homemade scones, butter and jam, personally delivered to his office. The anonymous businessman and I would chat and munch away in his office and I would give his office staff some scones too. It was my way of showing my appreciation of his sponsorship help in making the Guy Time boys programme, Father and Son weekends possible.  When I was teaching at Hamilton Boys High School the PTA once a year would organise a magnificent spread of homemade sweet and savoury items for the staff (150 of us). The tables would almost sag with the weight of the food and at nearly 10 metres long, one would have to pace oneself to ensure no plate was left untouched. The PTA (on behalf of parents) wanted to show how much they valued the staff.  Occasionally parents from Te Uku primary school where I currently teach will drop in a cake for the staff to say thanks for teaching their children. My colleagues also bring in treats, ‘just cause’. School l...

Today’s posting GREAT BARRIER(s) was accidentally sent early on April 28. It is unedited and unformatted. My apologies. Technology is obviously still a barrier to me! Steve

Great Barrier Island is situated in the Hauraki Gulf, north of Auckland. It is remote and beautiful. I have stayed on the island twice. Once as an early teenager and the next time on my honeymoon. I have wonderful memories about both stays. My first stay was with my twin brother and my dad. As teenagers, Chris and I often clashed with dad over his seemingly conservative views on haircuts and respecting your parents. I remember saying to him, “ Just because I think differently to you, doesn’t make it wrong!” Bitterness was building up and dad decided to do something about it. He took us for a weekend to the island. We spent much of our time hunting rabbits and fishing. His plan worked. The angst between us had largely disappeared and the relationship healing was now well underway. Thanks dad. The worth of spending time together without distractions must have stayed with me, as years later, I used to organise ‘Father and Son Weekends’ as part of my ‘Guy Time’ boys programme at a Hamilton...

Flying back from education aid work in Africa and India was always long and tiring. On one flight I was doing some leg stretches in a small space near the rear of the plane. A few other passengers joined in too. Conversations ensued and it was a delightful surprise to hear all the kiwi accents. We asked each other what we had been doing over the past few weeks and months. One passenger said they had been working in a medical capacity for a volunteer organisation. Another had a similar story. The other passenger had been working with refugees as my colleagues and I from RATA (an educational aid organisation) had also been doing. It struck me how each of us and our teams were helping people in third world countries and the general public had no idea what we were up to. I guess we were just getting on with it. Go the kiwis! POINTS to PONDER  New Zealanders are kind and generous in giving to good causes at home and overseas. In fact we are the second most generous nation per capita i...