I woke up this morning with a view to starting a thread on my most humiliating/gaff experiences...re-Ken and Paula`s threads. Purely just to make you smile but you just don`t know what`s around the corner do you? Some news I have just heard has both saddened me to the core,and brought me back in touch with the fragility of life with a huge sharp shock.

Last year,my dog,Jess,a huge St Bernard,[whilst a piuppy but still relatively enormous,] fell in the stream at the front of our garden.A hedge screens this stream,which has steep banks but she had found a gap in the hedge and slid down the bank.I was too ill to get to her but some lads over at the pub caame to my rescue.One lad,called Dan,thought no more about it ...fully clothed he scrambled down the bank,somehow scooped up my sodden wet and frightened puppy,and with great strength,hauled her single handedly back to safety.He emerged soaking wet,but with this enormous grin on hiis face.I couldn`t thank him enoughbut he dismissed it with a laugh and went off to change his clothes.
A few months ago,during the flood,my phones were all down and I needed to make contact with my husband who was 2 hours late getting home.The road had turned into a torrential river and as I stood at the side,preparing myself to cross it to get help from the folk at the pub,Dan appeared,mobile phone in hand and forbade me to cross.He waded out to me.The rain was pelting down
but as we both stood there,trying to make this call,he remained good humoured and reassuring.Nothing was too much trouble.

Last Saturday,there he was again,his broad grin beaming as he and his friends enjoyed a pint and a laugh outside the pub.We had just had a meal and his workmate offered to come with Dan on Monday night to give us a quote for extensive building work to our cottage.
They didn`t show.

Dan was killed Sunday evening in an horrific road acciddent.As I write this...the tears won`t stop.All I can see is this young lad,so full of life and his engaging and infectious smile. What a tragic waste. Where indeed is the reasoning and logic in all this.

You know,it makes you seriously think.What remains in my memory of this lovely ,generous human being is his face...his humour...his willingness to help even to the discomfort of himself.

I don`t know much else about him.I don`t need to know anything else.For those attributes are enough...enough to have me remember him as one of life`s precious precious people...ready to help others,ready to make them smile...putting others before himself.

You can have all the health in this world,all the wealth in this world...all the intelligence,the skills,the nice clothes,the fast cars.

But who are we without warmth,and grace...care and love...generosity of spirit and a willingness to manage others before ourselves?

This needs no replies,truly.It is not posted for that . I just needed to say we might have a raw deal with our illness.It doesn`t stop folk from seeing the light that can still shine within us.If we care to use it.

Thanks for listening.
A very sad me
x