I am finding that being over 60 is a special time - a time that I can go to the movies in the middle of the day. I felt like a truant but we had our coffee and muffin and sat up the back row ready for a delightful treat.
The movie was called Pride, a story about Welsh miners on strike and how that affected their families; and a gay and lesbian group who put themselves on the line and supported the miners' cause. Throughout the movie, these two unlikely allies came face to face and pride and prejudice was rampant. It was those with humility that got these people through; and Bread and Roses. As the words of the song in the movie echoed in my mind, I thought of our own people in Whanganui in this country we love; "Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread, small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew. Yes it is bread that we fight for - but we fight for roses too." Feeding our people and especially our children is a high priority, but it is good to remember that hearts starve as well as bodies. I know I cannot stop the world from changing, but each one of us can influence the direction we travel, by how we act. Each of us can learn how better to respond to our experiences (rather than reacting to them) with warmth and compassion, which my angels assure me, will lead to a richer and more fulfilling life.
Arohanui
