You've got to be in it to win it..

Some time ago, back in England there was a roll-over weekend, the national lottery had not been won and the prize had doubled to an astronomical amount, for the sake of this story let's say 55 million pounds.


My Mom like many others bought a ticket. On the Friday evening before the big drawing she sat down with a pencil and a piece of paper and made a list of the family, friends and charities that would share in the prize with her.


At the side of each name she added an amount of money. Then she reached for the calculator and guess what it added up to 57 million.


Back up the list the amounts get switched and changed. This time there is a little to spare.
But there's a problem, she can't give cousins 80,000 if great aunts are only getting 75,000 and the League of Cats  and Dog's  Refuge ought to get equal amounts.


The night wears on and the more she works on the list the more the balance tilts, first this way then that way but each time there are winners and losers.


In the wee hours of the morning she gives up and goes to bed...but can't sleep. The worry of how this money is going to fracture a very strong family bond is simply too much to endure.
In the pale might of early morning she surveys the list, it is now a frantic scribble with increasingly frantic sums written all over it, scanning the figures and worrying again, she sits down closes her eyes and prays...she prays that she does not win.


I was told this tale on the Sunday morning when the power of prayer had done its thing and  she was happier not winning than she ever would have been otherwise.


 Like Johnny Cash's Boy named Sue , I think of it every now and then and every time I think and every time I win, she could have just given the whole lot to me !

Happy Valentines Day

Half Way Up the Stairs

This is Evan, Chocolate Lab of astonishing intelligence who has recently taken to sitting at the mid point of the staircase like a human, bottom on one step and feet on the lower.