One night long ago...

I apologise, in advance, in case I offend any of you who read this blog who either cannot believe or won't believe in a God.  Also, if your God is not my God, I would be surprised (they're all the same really).

Many years ago, so the story goes, a child was born to bring hope to the world.  Two thousand years later, we're still stuffed!

We still have people around the world killing in the name of the God they believe in, people killing children and defenceless people.  WHY?

We still have people treating others as less than they should.  There's still a feeling of  "I am better than you because of your ... " Education/skin colour/faith/physical or mental condition/political views (delete as applicable).  WHY?

Tomorrow, the day that commemorates that birth, start looking at your life, look at how you treat your neighbour, not just the person that lives in the house next to yours, but the people that live in the next street, next town, next county, next country!  The baby born so long ago, went on to say "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." All this time to get it right and we are not. WHY?

He didn't specify the colour of their skin, he said "one another"!
 
He didn't specify the religion or lack thereof, he said "one another"!

He didn't specify the level of fitness or ability, he said "one another"!

He didn't specify the language they speak, he said "one another"!

Let us all, whether black, pink, yellow or green; whether Christian, Muslim, Pagan or whatever; fit or disabled; healthy or sick learn love.  Love as in caring for those worse off than us, be it because they can't read, hold a pen, walk or talk.  For those at the bottom of the heap, care for those that help you, give them a smile, even if you can't say thank you.

If you don't believe in Christ, fair enough, I wish you all the joy and peace that Jesus wanted all people to experience.  If you do, I wish you ... exactly the same.

Whatever you do believe in, Merry Christmas and may 2013 be a heck of a lot better than 2012, it can't get much worse!

Oh, and whatever you are, be Awesome!

It makes it Worthwhile

My darling, long-suffering wife received a text tonight, from one of "Our" cadets:

I'd just like to say thank you for everything you and Mr T have done for me over the years and that you guys have been there to help me on the road to my uniformed career, and without your support throughout cadets I doubt I'd be where I am now.   

I will forever keep the photo of the Military Skills Competition with the rest of the Scction and you both in it up on my wall at home to remind me how much you both actually did for all of us.   

Thank you both so very much, I hope you have a Fabulous Christmas and New Year.
 

 Makes it all worthwhile really, in the words of the great Terry Pratchett in Unseen Academicals, like Mr Nutt, "I have acheived worth".

Why the Awesome Turtle

Before I start, I have to explain a bit about me.  I have, until June this year, spent 22 years giving back to my community by helping with Cadets, teaching them simple things, like map-reading and communications,  The "Awesome" bit comes from a time when at camp during a raft building and sailing exercise organised by the Royal Engineers, two of them took guard either side of me holding paddles. "What are you doing?", I asked in a puzzled voice.

"We're guarding you" said one of them out of the side of his mouth.

"Guarding me, why?"

"On account of your awesomeness!"  - Out of the mouths of babes and innocents!

Obviously, I fell about in fits of laughter.  When I recovered, I thought to myself, what do these youngsters see in me?  Why are they so proud of me? What have I done to this small percentage of my town?  How can someone who never served this country by carrying arms in it's defence make these boys and girls respect me?

I sat down, on a pile of wood used for building rafts and tried to think. Just then, one of my cadets came up to me and said, "Excuse me sir," bent down beside me and handed me my walking stick that I had knocked off it's balance point against the pile of wood.

"What is it that I do that you guys respect so much?" I asked this young girl. 

"You're there for us sir, when we need you, you are there.  You care about us."

"But, I'm not fit, I've never served, I've never done anything"

"Oh, you have done something, you've helped us all, through what you say, how you try to make us better people."

Yes, I've saved lives with my instruction, both First Aid and Map Reading.  I hope I've earned the title of "Awesome" but  don't feel like I deserve it.

Now that I have left Cadets, I feel empty in some way, I just hope the 22 years I have given to my town in this small way make me worthy in the eyes of my fellow man.

That's the fun bit over with, now comes the bad news.  I have arthritis, my body is riddled with it, walking is difficult and I am fighting the  Department for Work and Pensions over their decision I am fit for work!  From now on this blog, while having the occasional funny moment provided by my grand-daughters and family, will mainly be about the problems of a range of three letter acronyms like DWP, DLA, PIP and WCA!