G’day, you lovely lot; I am honestly overwhelmed - and even
embarrassed by your Get-Well ‘cards’, but there were so many
that I really can’t reply to each one separately. One doesn’t
know how many friends one has gathered until a bit of adversity
strikes. It has been the same here in the little village of
Mapua, Nelson, NZ, with friends and neighbours almost literally
queing to bring my wife to see me in the hospital (she doesn’t
drive) - which is 30 miles from where we live, and no public
transport (there used to be but they sold it!) They even brought
her meals, soup, snacks, etc on occasion. But don’t think for one
moment I am unique in this. For instance a little girl, 4, across
the road contracted leukemia. Her father is not yet out of an
engineering apprenticeship, so doesn’t earn much. She needed
treatment in Christchurch, 200 miles away over 3 mountain ranges.
So Mapua Village raised money (in the $ thousands) and paid for
her parents and sister 2, to accompany her and stay there with
her during the horrible (but tax-paid) treatment period. The
little girl’s hair has now grown back and she is no longer in
danger; skips around like a five-year-old! There are many more
instances here of a similar kind. People in the main ARE good,
get pleasure from helping. But you don’t get it in the cities
so much, do you? Although I must admit that ordinary folk were
kind to each other when I lived in the East End of London during
the London Blitzkreig.
So there you are, Orchidists I am sincerely grateful to you for
helping to brighten up a bit of trauma. I have put all your
’cards’ into a special hard-copy folder, and I shall re-read them
when I’m feeling low. Oh - and by the way, I’m only 76; it’s Jean
who’s 78. Thanks, everyone and Cheers.
PS: Never was any good at sports; Out! Out! Damn’d Dekathlon!
Out I say!
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/ / John Burgess,
/ /
/ //\ @John_Burgess2
/ / \ \
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