I was reading a rollicking yarn the other day. It turns out that this guy was speaking at a mammoth conference. All these people had scheduled 3 days into their E-calendars. They had come from far and wide and listened attentively. They liked what they heard. Some had applauded, two people whistled and a dog even yapped.

But someone had forgotten to hire caterers. This was unfortunate and unpleasant. No-one had even thought to order a few canapés and a roast dinner. The keynote speaker was gutted. He was adamant that these good people should not be sent away for fear that they would collapse on the way and the whole ‘duty of care’ thing would rear it’s hoary head. Hmmm what to do?

A quick whip round revealed a few fillet of fish. The keynote speaker gave thanks for this trifling offering and handed around the fish which went a long way. In fact much further than anyone could explain. Actually, no one went away hungry.

A few things about this story.

First, even the most efficient and professional make mistakes. We do not live in a perfect world and before we point our finger we ought to recall our blunders.

Secondly,  this banquet began with the speaker seeing the need and having the compassion to actually do something about the situation. The answer is deep within us and it must be kindled into action.

Finally, I once went to a wise old priest when I was dispirited. He listened to my tale which seems self centred now and his counsel was simple.

“You start where you are and you begin with what you’ve got.” That’s what the keynote speaker did. The location was remote and what he had was trifling. But it was enough, especially when he said Thankyou for the little he had.