I hope your New Year’s Party went better than this guy! Alan Bethell, 62, of Nanaimo, B.C., Canada, “crashed” his son’s New Year’s Eve party, where he “attempted to recapture his youth by trying to kiss one of the young women attending, while dancing wearing nothing but a leopard-print thong “. When Police tried to break things up, Alan slugged one of them with a soda bottle. His defense lawyer blamed the antics on mixing prescription medication with alcohol and “trying to be a teenager again.” He has made up with his wife, but his son hasn’t yet! Native Americans had a treasured place for their aging men, right by the fire, as valued advisors. But the old guys knew enough not to dance at the spring mating dance! When you are tempted to time travel back to when you were a young Adonis, remind yourself, “Alan; there, but for the effort, go I”. Then sit down and act our age, your wife will appreciate it, your son won’t get mad at you, and the judge won’t fine you $900. Sounds like a Win-winwin to me!

We’ve all seen the movie “Titanic”. But the movie is a shallow romance compared to the real tragedy. On the night of April 14th, 1912 the ship hit an iceberg and sank in under 3 hours. Almost 1,600 men, women and children perished in the icy water that night. It has taken 96 years, but it appears some of the mystery might be answered. There is no huge gash down the side, there never was. What there are is sheared rivets, almost a hundred of which have been recovered and analyzed. They were made of second grade iron bar, not the best-best grade as was specified. They have far more slag and are more fragile than they should be. What should have been a minor fender bender became a tragedy because people cut corners. And there’s plenty of blame to go around. The builders; because they sub-contracted to the cheapest suppliers and didn’t inspect the rivets, & the Board of Trade; because they didn’t require inspections, assuming all iron rivets were the same, (the same Board of Trade that didn’t require enough lifeboats). So the next time you see someone thinking a corner cut can be a dollar earned, ask them to listen real carefully, are there 1,600 souls crying “Don’t you DARE!”?

You hear about going Postal and such, but somewhere in the post office are some very kind hearts. When 4 year old Meredith Scrivener lost her dog Abby, she was heartbroken. Her Mom, Joy, told her what parents have been telling kids since the very first dog passed; “Abby is in heaven with God”. Mer, as she’s known, wanted to write a letter to God so he could watch for Abby and take special care of her, so this letter was crafted; “Dear God, Will you please take special care of our dog Abby? She died yesterday and is on the way. We miss her VERY much, and are happy you let us have her as our dog, even though she got sick. And can you play with her a little each day? She loves to play so much. I’m sending you some pictures, so when you see her in heaven, you will know she is our special dog. I really do miss her. Love, Meredith (P.S. Mommy wrote the words after Mer said them to her). The letter was sealed, addressed “To God in Heaven”, and dropped in the nearest mailbox. That’s not the end of the story, though. Fair warning, you may want some tissues near. A week later a package was delivered to their front porch wrapped in golden wrapping, and addressed to “Mer”. Inside was the book “When a Pet Dies” by Mr. Rodgers, with Abby’s two pictures taped to it, and this note; “Dear Mer, I know you will be happy to know Abby arrived safe and sound in Heaven. Having the pictures you sent was such a big help. I recognized her right away. She isn’t sick anymore either Mer. Her spirit is here with me, just like she stays in your heart, young and running and playing. Abby so loved being your dog, you know. Since we don’t need bodies in heaven, we don’t have pockets. Since I can’t keep your beautiful letter or pictures, I am sending them back to you so you can keep them safe and always remember Abby. Thank your Mother for helping write & send your beautiful letter Mer. What a wonderful Mother you have, did you know I picked her special just for you? Love, God (P.S. A Special Angel wrote the words after God said them to her.) And yes, this really happened. You dead letter “Angels”, your motto may well be “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”, but that you’d take the time for young Meredith means more than you know.

It’s the time for New Year’s resolutions. We resolve to listen to our customer’s more, will you resolve to do so with your kids? Family is trump!

The monthly chatter box is written by Donald Conyngham

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