Reflections
It would have been my Dad's birthday today. Thinking about him has put me in a reflective mood. Even when people we love are no longer with us their character and the love they showed us live on in our lives.
Dad loved the river and spent much of his childhood canoeing along the rivers outside Norwich. When I was a child I remember many happy Sunday mornings with him in our two man kayak paddling slowly along.
Travelling by canoe, under your own muscle power is a wonderful way to see the waterways. When there were no others on the water, the surface would be so still and perfectly reflective of the landscape around us. Once we hit our oars to the water ripples would flow out from the boat to make colourful circular patterns. For that brief moment we became the centrepoint of that whirling pattern. Once we had paddled on the ripples would slowly subside and the surface would again settle into mirror stillness until maybe a duck,a fish or even a leaf blown by the wind would disrupt the surface again.
It would be interesting to see how our lives change those of the people we come into contact with during our lives? We live, we love, we make friends, we lose friends but each person we meet may be changed by contact with us. What ripples will be make? Could that smile or kind word to a stranger on the bus be the difference between a good and bad day? Could our love for someone make them strong enough to fight for life when they are faced with a life threatening cancer? Simple or profound it doesn't matter, making a difference is what we will make our mark on the world with.
Dad may not be here with us now but the ripples of his love and care carry on in the lives of those of us lucky enough to know him.
What impact will you have?
