This last weekend was like a continuation of things that have been a part of my life for a long time.
On Saturday we were invited to a mates place.  He had spent the last 7 months or so building a cottage.  He knew what he was doing.  As opposed to us he did most of the building himself.  We hired others to do things.
On Saturday he had finished and had a few people over to celebrate what had been achieved.  Some that came were Pacific Islanders.  That is where I felt it was a continuation of what I have been involved in.
I have had a fair bit to do with Pacific Islanders over the years.  In a way, being from Townsville that is not surprising.  It seems the further north one gets, the more indigenous and Islanders there are.  Townsville does not have a good reputation these days, but it was definitely not always like that.  It is where I awas born and grew up.
I went to church up there.  One of my indigenous friends was a beautiful piano player.  He was employed by a local men’s where shop.  It had classy stuff.  I will though never forget him telling me I may as well go to Best and Less to get some other things I was after, as they had them cheaper.  Some things I had gotten through him and other things I got elsewhere.
Another indigenous guy I knew used to come over and I will never forget playing table tennis with him.  We had so much fun.  Mum commented that she heard the laugher from upstairs (we were downstairs).  He was so talented it was ridiculous.  I have not forgotten him scoring a goal in a soccer match we organized.  He had no right to score it but just did.
Another group used to come to my place.  They asked me north.  They were so generous.  I had the time of my life.
One talent many have is singing ability and playing the guitar.  It seems to me they are born holding a guitar.  And sing.  Man can they sing.  On Saturday a group I had never met before sang.  They sang during the celebration and after it.  One played guitar. 
My life is full of good memories of such things.  Like any of us making good decisions brings out the best.  I loved it then and I love it now.

I said to Merril earlier I was not sure what to write about this morning (a common occurrence).
She suggested I write on hope.  To me that is a bottom line thing.  I had a reputation at work saying something was the “bottom line.”  By it I meant when all that was possible was considered, the outcome was the “bottom line”.
I do feel that way about hope.  I am amazed when I see destruction either by one human to another or nature disturbing and destroying big time the way it has been set up.  What amazes me is the rebuilding that happens.  To me that is built on hope.  It is something we all need.
The absence of it is to me despair, discouragement and defeat.  It is giving up and giving in.  There seems to me to be more of that than ever too.  Especially in places that have everything and everything is given.
It seems to me hope requires effort.  In the face of destruction clean ups begin.  That is not easy, and I would rather be doing other things, but there are times effort is required to get things back to the way they were - and where possible better than the way they were.
When my place flooded it was hope that caused me to clean up.  It was hope that saw the next door neighbour repair the damage.  It is hope that brings others out to assist.  There is a recognition that damage while inconvenient and at times costly is something that has happened and my response determines the aid I and others provide.
It seems to me in this day and age hope is being squeezed tight.  It is like what is in the bowl on reserve is getting less and less.
Where I interact and who I am involved with, shows me that givens are no longer givens yet hope remains for many.  Readjustments are made.  I think it was my dad who used to say “where there is life there is hope.”  Hope to me is an internal, not an external, thing. 

I recently read this and admit I like this sort of thing.  It sort of ties in with my thinking that encouragement is way more productive than criticism.  I pretty well know my faults (except of course for my blind spots – if I knew them, they would not be a blind spot).
My behaviour is impacted more by encouraging in me what is right or good.  My internal dialogue can be really negative, so when I get external encouragement it tends to make me want to do better in the troublesome areas.
“In 1896, Thomas Edison, the great inventor of the electric bulb, was working on a car design when he learned that a young man in his company had created an experimental car. Edison met this young man, Henry Ford, at a company party in New York and was thoroughly impressed by his gasoline-powered car idea. Edison, who had been considering electricity as a power source, enthusiastically encouraged Ford, saying, "Young man, that's the thing! You have it! I think you are on to something! I encourage you to continue your pursuits!"
Encouraged by the respected inventor, Henry Ford continued his work, eventually inventing a car that made him wealthy.
On December 9, 1914, Edison's laboratory and factory were destroyed by fire. At 67 years old, the damage was too extensive for insurance to cover. Before the ashes were cold, Henry Ford handed Edison a check for $750,000 with a note saying Edison could have more if needed.
In 1916, Ford relocated his home next to Edison's. When Edison was later confined to a wheelchair, Ford also got a wheelchair so they could race each other.
Thomas Edison made Henry Ford believe in himself, creating a friendship for life.”
In a footnote on this was “Your candle doesn't lose its light by lighting another.”
To me that is so true.  Shared light is doubled rather than halved.  This is an example to me where success gives birth to success.  Like reproduces like.  Encouragement encourages while criticism discourages and often produces the exact opposite to the desired result.