On a more Positive Note - Friends of God

The weekend before last, I went to a very beautiful party, in a village near Elbląg. I was organised by an artist, her husband, (a sculptor), and their son (a blacksmith). It started in the garden of their house where there was a painting and clay modelling class, and a demonstration of wrought-iron blacksmithery. After a couple of hours, we moved to the local children's playground, which being in rural Poland, merges imperceptibly into the adjacent farmyard.

There were about twenty helpers, a guitarist, jugglers, stilt-walkers, a disco, a barbecue, a tug of war, races, and more food than anyone could eat. Polish food takes some saying no to. The farmer from next door brought his horse and cart and gave rides, showed the guests round the farm, and gave a demonstration of cow-milking, with free milk for the guests. There was even a goat.

The thirty or so guests were niepelnosprawny, which means "not completely capable", in English "handicapped", in nu-speak "otherwise abled". They were wonderful, beautiful, happy, exuberant, talkative, and a blessing to be with. Friends of God.

The evening ended with a hefty sing-song around the fire. The last song, perhaps a remnant of communism, was "All Poles are one family", beautiful and true. It was hard to hold back the tears.

Another helper quietly remarked, "Isn't it remarkable how little it takes to make people happy!"

Amen, if they are good people.

My stepfather, who worked as a teacher in a mental hospital, said of his patients, "They're no more mad than you or I. They're just differently mad."