Friday 15 April 2011

MY GALLERY OF SMALL "SAINTS" : GLADYS

From time to time I hope to bring you another addition to what I'm going to call my Gallery of Small "Saints".

Some of these "Saints" are known to me personally, others may be writers, artists or musicians etc. The one thing that they will all have in common is that they all add, in their own way, to the sum of human happiness. In however great or modest a fashion, they make the world a better place to live in. They appear in no particular order of merit.




I have known Gladys, vaguely, for many years but only recently gotten to know her better.

The thing that always impressed me whenever I saw her in the street was how well dressed she always was, but there is nothing ostentatious about her. She dresses simply and elegantly and has great poise and dignity.She told me recently that she was in her 70's and it came as a genuine surprise to me.

Gladys is a modest woman in the best sense of that word, but "modest" should never be confused with "insignificant". People like my friend form the very spine of society. They are the ones that work, look after aged relatives, support friends and continue to foster a sense of community in a society that seems hell bent on tearing that very thing apart.

Gladys IS significant for she and her like (and, happily for us, there are more of them than you may think) are the perfect antidote to the ME FIRST society.

They don't talk psychobabble. They are not slaves to every passing fashion or the latest sociological theories. Like Gladys, they have a clear eye and a good heart and their value to us all is immeasurable. We may not always notice people like Gladys but if they all disappeared tomorrow the whole world would feel the draught.

I usually put some sort of illustration on my postings. Illustrations are there to illuminate but Glady's qualities are illumination enough and now I am glad that you have met her.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for the introduction! She seems lovely! And yes, these are the people that transcend the trend.

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  2. Sometimes I meet a woman and I think: "she is a real lady." My grandmother was one. Grandad left her for a much younger woman when she was too old to remarry, and worn out by raising five children. But she was always polite, even kind, to his new wife and child. The old bastard never deserved her.

    It's lovely to read your tribute to Gladys.

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