Happy Talk

At our Singing for Health group yesterday we sung several songs from Rogers and Hammerstein’s ‘South Pacific’. As usual we sang with smiles and enthusiasm.

I particularly enjoy the South Pacific song ‘Happy Talk’

Happy talk, keep talkin’ happy talk,
Talk about things you’d like to do.
You got to have a dream,
If you don’t have a dream,
How you gonna have a dream come true?

I watched the news last night. Mostly it was bad news – the usual doom and gloom, war and politics, death and despair. No happy talk, no dreams that will come true.

Talk about the moon floatin’ in the sky
Lookin’ at a lily on the lake;
Talk about a bird learnin’ how to fly.
Makin’ all the music he can make.

There’s beauty all around us. We may not live on some exotic island but it still is a wonderful world that we can focus on and talk about. For me yesterday it was walking along the beach, watching birds and squirrels busy in the garden – pigeons enacting their comical mating rituals, talking to the robin that sat watching as I was gardening…

Talk about the boy sayin’ to the girl:
“Golly, baby, I’m a lucky cuss.”
Talk about the girl sayin’ to the boy:
“You an’ me is lucky to be us!”

It’s about ordinary, but very special, loving relationships. Yesterday I enjoyed a number of conversations – happy talk with good people whose friendship I value. On Thursday I chatted with my brother Bryan; we received a picture of him with his daughter, grandson and great grandson. Happy talk about family love. I spent time with Rachel… ordinary, non-spectacular husband-wife conversations.

I reflect on St Paul’s words: ‘And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.’

I need faith to believe that ‘happy talk’ is possible and not empty words; for me that faith is in a God who revealed himself in Jesus. I need hope that dreams are possible and a good future will come. I need the love that says, ‘You an’ me is lucky to be us’.

‘These three remain… but the greatest…’