MEET NELSON - AKA STEVE

Blips can be a bit like buses, you don't see anything decent for a while and then three come along all at once!

Today, I had a lovely photograph taken through the raindrops on the window.  Then I went into town to Fedex a package to our son in Thailand (don't even ask!) and the owner of Mailboxes had her lovely Old English Sheepdog, Bear, in the shop, so I took lots of photographs.

But when I walked down the town, taking photographs on the way, I came across this gentleman, sitting with two friends, at the base of the Brunel statue right in the middle of our town centre.

I was actually taking a photograph of the Brunel statue, and he happened to be sitting on the concrete plinth with two friends.  When he saw me with the camera, he said, "If you want my photograph, you'll have to pay me a pound!"  I told him I thought that was great value, and he was much better looking than Brunel, whereupon he quickly said, "In that case, it's just gone up to £1.50!"  He was obviously unemployed, as he told me he was about to go to the Job Centre, but I stayed for quite a while chatting to him - he had told me his name was Nelson but then admitted he was "pulling my leg" and that in fact, it was Steve.  When he left, he shook my hand - and said what a pleasure it had been to meet me.

So often we can dismiss people because of how they look or the fact that they are, in our eyes, "hanging around" but I really enjoyed my chat with him.  When Steve went, I continued to chat to Iliycia, a young lady who was in a wheelchair and Sam, her boyfriend - and I felt that our conversation was meant to be this morning.  When I left them, I said "Bless you" and Iliycia replied "God bless you, too."

What a blessing to meet these three this morning - there will be other raindrops and dogs - but people are so special and my meeting with these three today made me happy and although I will look out for them, I may not see them again.

Try to make at least 
one person happy every day. 
If you cannot do a kind deed, 
speak a kind word. 
If you cannot speak a kind word, 
think a kind thought. 
Count up, if you can, 
the treasure of happiness 
that you would dispense 
in a week, 
in a year, 
in a lifetime!
Lawrence G. Lovasik