Silver Linings

I remember the heatwave of 40 years ago - a collection of memories of blue skies, sunshine and a little boy in my class of infants who cried because the grass was brown and not green! What memories will the heatwave of 2017 present? The media regales us with suggestions of disaster; consider the headline, “400 more deaths on account of the heat.” As the temperature rises- might I make the total 401!?

How different society would be if we remembered every cloud has a silver lining; if we began to look on the bright side; if we decided to enjoy today, because tomorrow might never come. Actually, tomorrow never does come, because as each new day dawns, it becomes today.

I read an account of the dawn mist that can appear at daybreak in the hot weather. In East Anglia, it is called “shreep”. In Shetland “daal mist” describes the haze that gathers in the valleys. “Haze fire” describes the luminous morning mist with the morning sun shining through. Whatever we call the mist, the sunshine dissolves it away. Mists of life-uncertainty, doubt, fear, inexplicable events-all are equally removed by the light of hope, faith, acceptance of the problem, and, especially, by prayer.

Consider the story of Polly Anna and the Glad Game. Polly Anna came from a poor family. From time to time they received charity parcels. Polly Anna longed for a doll but when the next parcel arrived it contained a pair of small crutches! Polly Anna sighed and said “Well, I’m glad I don’t need them”.

The Polly Anna syndrome is neither easy to understand nor to copy. However, the Glad Game actually works. There is always a blessing hidden in every situation if we make time to look for it.