I spent much of the day driving with stops to visit parishioners in their homes all over the Good Shepherd Parish. Late in the afternoon I was ready to head for home, but decided instead to call at the rest home in one of the little Hurunui towns.  It was just after their evening meal and I chatted briefly with some of the residents.

I was about to  leave when one of the staff asked if I knew anything about setting up SKY TV. Perhaps I looked young enough to know something about technology, but I was not confident. The staff member explained that one resident was not able to get any TV coverage and the expert would not call until next week. I agreed to take a look.

The woman was confined to her bed, and feeling very lonely without the company her TV provided. I had not met her before, and she did not know that I was the local priest. We chatted briefly, but it was not me she wanted – just a working TV.  I tried to explain that this technology was a bit beyond me and if she really wanted her TV to work she would have to pray hard while I randomly pushed buttons on the TV and the remote control. She seemed upset that her TV repair man needed a client to resort to prayer.

Within a minute or two her TV was working again. The look of gratitude and pleasure on her face was one of the highlights of my week.

I hope she offered a prayer for me too. Tonight the image that will accompany me to sleep is the glow of gratitude on Margaret’s face.

The little things really do count.