Thought for the Day

What you think is what you become.

Here are some thoughts that will urge you to change the way you think!

17th January 2024

May we use our skills to provide service to others less fortunate and help them to be self-sustaining.

Rotary Thoughts from 2024

Wednesday 17th January

May we use our skills to provide service to others less fortunate and help them to be self-sustaining

Wednesday 24th January

 

Rotary Thoughts from 2023

Wednesday 13th December

Hugs from God

November comes and November goes
With the last red berries and the first white snow

With night coming early, and dawn coming late
And ice in the bucket and frost by the gate

The fires burn and the kettles sing
And Earth will rest until next spring

Wednesday 13th December

Dear December

Come in with your lights, your music, your promise of joy. Let your festive graces warm our weary hearts and remind us what matters to each other.

Be kind to those who find your light too bright, let them see that hope lives in every card and invitation and in every gift. Give them memories old and new and show them what to do with all that love.

Wednesday 11th October

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” – Gandhi

Wednesday 18th October

May those assembled here today enjoy the many offerings of Rotary.

May we abide by the rules we have established, those of trust, fellowship and ethics, and may we place Service above Self, in our daily endeavours.

And may we always test ourselves and our efforts to be sure they are the truth, good for all concerned, of benefit to mankind, and provide peace and understanding.

Wednesday 24th October

CHALLENGES AND VISIONS FOR A POLIO-FREE WORLD

On World Polio Day, celebrated on October 24, we raise awareness of the critical importance of polio vaccination and celebrate the strides we have made in our quest for polio eradication. To ensure a polio-free future, we need to maintain high immunisation coverage, implement meticulous and high-quality surveillance mechanisms, and maintain a state of preparedness to respond swiftly and effectively in the event of an outbreak. This mission is not without its challenges.

Polio remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and until poliovirus transmission is interrupted in these countries, all countries remain at risk of the importation of polio, especially countries with travel or trade links to endemic countries. While significant progress has been made, challenges such as conflict and insecurity, vaccine hesitancy, and operational challenges remain. For example, in Afghanistan, a ban on door-to-door immunisations has prevented more than one million children in the southern regions from receiving polio vaccines. In Pakistan, vaccine hesitancy has increased due to misinformation about vaccines and vaccination programs. Operational challenges, such as inadequate planning and staffing issues, can also hinder progress.

Despite these challenges, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is committed to eradicating polio by 2026 by addressing the challenges through a variety of initiatives, such as strengthening surveillance, improving the quality of vaccination campaigns, and addressing vaccine hesitancy through communication and advocacy campaigns. Polio eradication is a global effort, and it will require the continued support of donors and partners, as well as the commitment of all stakeholders, to achieve success. We must remain determined to achieve the ultimate goal of a polio free world, despite the persistent challenges we face.

Wednesday 27th September

Serving others helps those who give, as well as those who receive. Service empowers people to put their talents into action for good purposes, bringing them fulfilment as they meet others’ needs. Research shows that volunteering to serve others, benefits both mental and physical well-being. I have collected just a few famous quotes on service and well-being motivate us to serve:

“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” – Howard Zinn.  This is certainly Rotary in Action!

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Desmond Tutu

“I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” – Edward Everett Hale

Wednesday 13th September

Wednesday 6th September

One small positive thought in the morning can change the entire outcome of your day.

Wednesday 2nd August

We are thankful for our Rotary fellowship together, with the hand of friendly understanding extended toward other businesses and professions in our own community, to other clubs throughout our land, and to Rotary Clubs beyond the seas!

We rejoice in the challenge of life, in these exciting times, and in the spirit of service above self, we pray that our personal lives may be channels for the flow of loving goodwill, in all our relationships, every day. 

Wednesday 9th August

Life:  a play or a movie?

You may or may not know that yesterday was my birthday – not a milestone one, but a birthday nevertheless, and birthdays make you think.

Shakespeare reflected that there are seven stages in man’s life.

  • the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
  • the whining schoolboy, creeping like a snail unwillingly to school
  • the lover, sighing like a furnace,
  • a soldier, full of strange oaths
  • the justice, …. full of wise advice and modern examples
  • the sixth with spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
  • then last of all shrunk shank, and his big manly voice, turning again toward childish treble

All these are acted on the stage of the world.

We are all merely players.  We have had our entrances.  Our exits will inevitably come. 

Over time we each play many parts.

We can all place ourselves on this spectrum.

Or would you prefer to see your life as a movie?

Which genre is yours?

If you are sad – drama.
If you are afraid – suspense.
If you are angry – action.
If you look in the mirror – horror.
Ha…now you are smiling – it’s comedy!

Again, we can all place ourselves on this spectrum.

So, which genre will you play today?

The choice is yours

Choose wisely –

Make today count. 

Make this moment count.

Be happy for this moment – this moment is your life.

Wednesday 27th August

What is Truth?

It used to be said that the first casualty of war is Truth.  That dictum is no longer true – Truth is now being sacrificed on a daily basis.

It is of great concern – certainly to me – that one is unwise to believe   anything that you are told these days without question, and one recent President and one Prime Minister have proved the point.  No names, no pack drill, but it appears that being untruthful is no barrier to achieving popularity and the support of the public.

Nowadays, I think that people believe that there are degrees of Truth, or lack of it, some are more exacting than others, and you can make a choice of how truthful you want to be weighing the odds of being found out.

My perception of the degrees of Truth, or lack of it, which I am sure you will all recognise are:

  • The Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth.
  • The half Truth that is not the whole Truth.
  • Not telling The Truth for a good reason – the White Lie in fact.
  • The total absence of Truth – the lie.

The total absence of Truth is now a feature of everyday life, and flies in the face of what you learned at your mother’s knee and at primary school.

It is a sad thing that we are fed lies, or perhaps I should say misleading information, by our politicians, by big business, retailers and many others with whom we do business, and I am certain that all of you have your favourite examples of having been mislead with statements that have not proved to be true.

Francis Bacon, in his essay titled “Of Truth” wrote:

There is no vice that doth so cover a man with shame as to be found false and perfidious.

Rotary, under our Rotary Values, promotes the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change.

So, I ask you, as Rotarians, where do you stand when it comes to telling the Truth?

Wednesday  26th July

The strongest among us aren’t those who show strength you can see, but those who have won incredible inner battles you know nothing about.

So be kind.

You can’t always see people’s pain, but they can always feel your kindness. Being kind to people is a peaceful way to live, and a beautiful legacy to leave behind.

Jay Blades MBE who appears on The Repair Shop

Wednesday  10th May

When you are kind to others, it not only changes you, it changes the world.

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.