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Many years ago, I was told ‘every problem is an opportunity’. It’s a bit of a cliché. I’ve been musing… Many will recognise today as ‘World Refugee Day’. This year’s theme is ‘Until everyone is safe’. The United Nations website states: ‘By mid-2025, 117.3 million people worldwide remained forcibly displaced by persecution, conflict, violence, humanContinue reading “Every Problem is an Opportunity”

As children Heinz products were always part of our grocery shopping – baked beans, tomato ketchup… The label said ’57 varieties’. I wondered if in the Heinz factory there was a list of the 57 varieties… I was brought up in a good ‘Bible believing’ church. I knew my Bible stories and Christian doctrine. IContinue reading “Heinz 57”

This morning, reading ‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom…’ Another translation: ‘Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.’ Life is fleeting, each day passes quickly. We’re to value the time we have – not waste it, prioritise what reallyContinue reading “Numbering Our Days”

On Sunday, at the Silhouette Stage School show, two young girls sung ‘Maybe’, from ‘Annie’: Maybe far awayOr maybe real nearbyHe may be pouring her coffeeShe may be straightening his tie… Annie, abandoned as a baby and in an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan, imagines what her parents are like and hopes thatContinue reading “Looking Forward”

Yesterday… …Reading about Sisyphus: In Greek mythology Sisyphus, king of Corinth, upset Zeus, king of the gods. When he died, Sisyphus was condemned to eternally roll a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down each time he neared the top. The picture is still used today to describe difficult duties orContinue reading “Rocks, Phones and Elephants”

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed Silhouette Stage School’s summer show. We saw the results of creative choreography and patient teaching as, after weeks of practice, the children performed exceptionally well. When a group of youngsters are performing a dance, you notice the one that makes a slight mistake not those who perform perfectly! It doesn’t matter,Continue reading “Getting it Wrong”

Last week we heard ‘The Old Man’ sung at a funeral. It’s been on my mind ever since. It’s written by Irish song writer Phil Coulter – best known for pop success in the 1960s writing such songs as ‘Puppet on a String’ and ‘Congratulations’. He wrote ‘The Old Man’ in 1982 after his fatherContinue reading “The Old Man (revisited)”

Returned from our Irish holiday yesterday we came through security. They scanned and looked in our bags. A woman scanned my lap-top. I asked her what she was scanning it for. She told me she was checking for explosives. I smiled. It seemed ludicrous. Later I read of Erich Fromm, the German-American humanist philosopher whoContinue reading “Am I Capable?”

Three stories I’ve heard in Ireland this week… Crunch point: A pivotal moment or factor that can determine the outcome of a situation. David writes his own plays, has done some acting; he’s been involved with theatres for many years. Out of work, he saw an advert for a ‘theatre assistant’, so he applied. HeContinue reading “Crunch Point”

I remember watching cowboy films as a small child. The good guys always wore white hats; the bad guys wore black hats I’ve been reading Michael Morpurgo’s telling of the story of Beowulf… Beowulf is about to fight the monster Grendel. Together with his trusty band of warriors, he prays: ‘We ask the Lord toContinue reading “The Good Guys and the Bad Guys”