Forgive me for I have sinned.  It has been several weeks since my last blog.

As most of you are aware, I have always wanted to be a full-time writer - actually ever since watching Jessica Fletcher as a child in "Murder she Wrote" - what a perfect combination of life in a small town in Upstate New York, being a full-time writer, and, to boot, being able to solve murders.  This to me seemed like the perfect life, and being able to combine a bit of "spy/investigative work" with writing, well, I was sold.  And so, since this desire found it's way to me, I have heard about this thing called "writer's block".  In a way, I wanted to have that too, because then that would mean, I was a writer!

Sadly, I am not at a point yet where I am able to be a full-time writer, and still, in the past few weeks - writer's block, big time.

I have had things happen I thought I could blog about, but I lacked motivation.  I wondered if I were depressed, then I got over that thought, I wondered what it was, for several days actually, and still, no conclusion.

Now it is the beginning of a new day, and the end of a work week, and hey presto, I have found the motivation I have been waiting for.

Upon waking this morning and hearing that a dear friend has moved on to a better life; and tomorrow being the fifth anniversary of the death of one of my closest, closest friends, one does tend to look around and wonder why life can be so fragile for some.  For me personally, I have not really feared an early demise - mainly because "only the good die young", so I know I am pretty safe.  However, the death of someone way too early in their path, certainly does force one to reflect, and be grateful for the life going on around us all - a life that continues to tick and tock away.

This whole thought process got me thinking about something known as "random acts of kindness".  And this I have been faced with recently.  I was at a traffic light earlier in the week where a blonde woman was standing with a sign, begging.  This is not what we would call a normal sighting.  I studied her - she was about my age (young!!), but looked weathered, and very tired.  There were two African gentlemen in a car, and it was they who unwound their windows and gave her money.  I was so touched on her behalf.  What a brilliant show of humanity, and such proof that many of us have moved on from the atrocities of this country's past.

The following day it was "Sandwich Wednesday" at school - were we are all encouraged to make an extra sandwich when we are doing the usual lunch boxes, and then drop off the sandwich for the local soup kitchen.  I walked with my daughter to drop off my I am sure very average sandwich, and saw that someone had put a sandwich into the box, but also a small bag of jelly tots with it.  Another touching moment.  How thoughtful and kind of that child or mum, for including an extra treat for someone less fortunate than ourselves.

And to end, with a moral of course:  life can be long for some, too short for others, but those small random acts of kindness are the moments that we will recall for a long while, and are the moments we should remember fondly forever.

Rest in peace Colin Douglas and Mandi Leicher - forever with us in our memories.