I do not hold him up as the perfect man.  Like me he is floored but giving it his best shot.  Lately the saying “every sinner and a future and every saint has a past” has meant heaps to me.
I watched Anh paint and interview Australian Actor David Wenham.  He was Diver Dan in Sea Change.  I was really glad I saw it, and learned a bit about David I did not know.
His family were poor, but his mum loved to read and loved people.  She had a job that saw her interacting with many Greeks in the community.  So she went and learned Greek so she could converse with the people she saw, and have them feel comfortable.
His dad had nothing but one day two guys from the Wayside chapel in Sydney knocked on his door and gave the family food and provided for their needs.  The dad was so touched he joined St Vincent De Paul and spent his life helping where he could.
What blew me away was how he said his dad died unexpectedly (while David was in the US).  At the end of the funeral the Alleluia chorus was played as it was one of his dad’s favourites.  He decided to get away with his mum and sister.  They hired a car and turned on the radio.  The first song heard was the Alleluia chorus.  They arrived at the place they were staying.  Playing over the sound system was the Alleluia chorus.  Weird but interesting to me.
One of the things that really got me was when Anh asked David “what advice would you give?”  He said, “live life with purpose.”
It was very obvious that the biggest impression made on him was not the wealth or fame a successful acting career brings, but how much better it is giving than getting.  He was thankful for what he had, but it was the giving he found most rewarding.
To me that is very much a living with purpose thing.  I am very thankful for many things, but it is the living with purpose thing I find most fulfilling.  Perhaps that is why David’s story meant a lot to me.

Yesterday was the conclusion of our first attempt at a new market system.  We used to set up four times a month.  Now we are doing it twice a month and hoping to make the same amount of money for the pantry.  Basically this means making twice as much each day.
It worked.  We were about $5 short of our goal.  To me it was so worth it.  We are trying to make the best use of our time and although our motivation is not dependant on the opinion of others, there was agreement this was definitely worth trying.
As indicated in the past we can no longer store stuff for sale in the electrical cupboard at N3C so we store it at home.  What we have found is people are less inclined to unload goods only good for disposal on us, and we get more things worth picking up at bargain price.  So while we spend less time selling things we definitely have more quality to sell.
I was amazed too.  I went there knowing I was after a couple of pickle ball bats and balls.  The person I wanted to talk to was there and as it turns out so was someone I knew.  When I asked what he did sports wise these days he gave me a card.  He is a pickle ball coach.  He is delivering bats and balls this morning.
One thing we did not anticipate though.  What we do not sell we take to the local Trash and Treasure market for them to sell.  We were having lunch with someone but had time we thought to unload what we had not sold.
All went well going to the Tresure market.  To get in, there are two lanes for a person to choose from.  We indicate why we are there and are allowed through.  Unfortunately the lane we choose was not moving.  We watched car after car go by in the lane that was moving.  Merril got out of the driver’s seat as did the driver in front.  So much for not being late for our lunch appointment.  Eventually it did move but the wait had probably been about 15 minutes.
When we finally did move, we could not believe the line of cars trying to get out.  I had never seen it backed up like it was.  I texted who we were meeting to indicate we would be late.  They were very gracious and we were only a few minutes late, but we were late.
Apart from that hiccup all went well.  I think the new way of doing things is a goer.

Well I did what was to be done yesterday.  I went to Chermside hospital and had the test done I had booked.  I was getting my arteries photographed and checked out.
The appointment was for 10:15 so we left at 9am or so.  That was when we got our first surprise.  The traffic was horrendous.  Fortunately, we were not on the highway when we saw that.  Something must have happened as it was at a virtual stand still.
We chose to go the back way.  That really constituted our second surprise.  The traffic was ok.  Normally when the highway is bad the backway is bad too as all the traffic goes that way.  It was a little heavier than normal, but the run was way better than expected or it could have been,
I did ring the hospital to say we would be a little late due to the traffic.  It was like about 10 minutes.  When we got there I booked in and then we got the next surprise.  I had filled out all the paperwork before to save time.  But it was lost.  I unexpectedly sat for ages while it was found.
Normal procedure was then followed and I was given various things to make my arteries clearer for photographing.  The last thing I was given was dye to highlight the arteries.  That was administered through a canular.  Cept it did not work the first time.  After being told it was coming down the tube I was then told it hadn’t.  One of the technicians fiddled with the tubing and tried again.  It worked.  Saline solution had been sent down the tube to ensure all was as it should be.
It did.  I felt the warm and fuzzies (as one normally does when the dye is administered) and the photo’s were taken.
After that I was given food.  I was way happy for that.  Particularly the coffee. Two times more “observations” were taken and then Merril drove me home.
We were both really happy it was over and had been done.  Now I just need to check in with the doctor and get the results.