Main content
09/11/2019
With the Revd Liz Hanna who had direct experience of the NI Troubles when her brother-in-law, a member of the Ulster Defence Regiment was murdered.
Last on
Sat 9 Nov 2019
05:43
成人快手 Radio 4
Prayer for the Day - Saturday 9th November 2019
Good morning.聽
It was a typical November evening in Belfast, dark, wet, and windy.聽 The time was just after five o鈥檆lock - time for people to leave work and go home in Belfast.聽 聽
The bus, when it arrived was crowded 鈥� and everyone on it seemed to look miserable and grumpy. The journey was slow. We stopped to let a young mother get on 鈥� she had one small child in a pushchair 鈥� he wasn鈥檛 too happy either 鈥� with another little girl dancing along beside them.聽 The wee lassie, I鈥檓 guessing that she was about four years old, was wearing a bright pink raincoat, and appeared to be totally oblivious to the weather, or the mood of the adults. Within minutes the atmosphere on the bus was transformed.聽 聽The little girl began to sing nursery rhymes to her brother.聽 His mood immediately improved as he responded with smiles and giggles.聽 Then the folk standing next to them began to smile.聽聽
Gradually the smiles passed from person to person all the way down the bus.聽聽By this stage the four-year-old was smiling and waving at everyone!聽 Her singing and dancing continued all the way out of town, as we jolted along, stopping and starting in the rush hour traffic.聽聽
People who had left work tired and weary began to feel the warmth of the love that the little girl in the pink raincoat had brought to her brother, and to the entire bus.聽As each of us got off we waved at her and smiled at her Mum and brother.聽 I hope it made her mother proud to see what a huge difference her little girl, in that pink raincoat, had made on a bus full of grumpy grown-ups!
O Lord, you fill our hearts with love and joy.聽 Help us to bring joy to other people today as we share your love.聽 Amen.聽聽
It was a typical November evening in Belfast, dark, wet, and windy.聽 The time was just after five o鈥檆lock - time for people to leave work and go home in Belfast.聽 聽
The bus, when it arrived was crowded 鈥� and everyone on it seemed to look miserable and grumpy. The journey was slow. We stopped to let a young mother get on 鈥� she had one small child in a pushchair 鈥� he wasn鈥檛 too happy either 鈥� with another little girl dancing along beside them.聽 The wee lassie, I鈥檓 guessing that she was about four years old, was wearing a bright pink raincoat, and appeared to be totally oblivious to the weather, or the mood of the adults. Within minutes the atmosphere on the bus was transformed.聽 聽The little girl began to sing nursery rhymes to her brother.聽 His mood immediately improved as he responded with smiles and giggles.聽 Then the folk standing next to them began to smile.聽聽
Gradually the smiles passed from person to person all the way down the bus.聽聽By this stage the four-year-old was smiling and waving at everyone!聽 Her singing and dancing continued all the way out of town, as we jolted along, stopping and starting in the rush hour traffic.聽聽
People who had left work tired and weary began to feel the warmth of the love that the little girl in the pink raincoat had brought to her brother, and to the entire bus.聽As each of us got off we waved at her and smiled at her Mum and brother.聽 I hope it made her mother proud to see what a huge difference her little girl, in that pink raincoat, had made on a bus full of grumpy grown-ups!
O Lord, you fill our hearts with love and joy.聽 Help us to bring joy to other people today as we share your love.聽 Amen.聽聽
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