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Good morning. 

As a child, post addressed to you was something exciting – a birthday, a pen pal, a letter from a grandparent.  One day a postcard popped through our letterbox from a friend.  When I turned it over it turned out to be a chain letter.  Send a card to the address at the top of the list and five more postcards to some more friends … and something wonderful would happen - or was it something terrible if I didn’t?  The joy was, that if I complied, I would receive thousands of postcards from people all over the world apparently. 

At least social media has put an end to all that – except of course for challenges to see how many people will like your picture or your message.  And then there are those wanting to post warnings to everyone about carjacking and the dangers of sharing things on the internet.  Now, when the stories shared are urban myths about attacks on people or property, then what’s spread is fear and suspicion.  So we develop a culture that avoids any risk altogether in the hope of eliminating all danger – and the fear of being sued.  Remember, if you’re going to light candles on a birthday cake, have a fire extinguisher to hand.  Health and safety gone mad or common sense?

On this day in 1983, it became the law to wear seatbelts in the front of a car.  Thank God for so many lives saved since then.  I once worked with someone who reassured me they didn’t need to wear a seatbelt because when they drove, they held the steering wheel really hard.  Hmm.

A prayer for him and for today: 
God grant me the courage to take risks in life that make it exciting and thrilling and creative,
to be careful of dangers that are real,
and the wisdom to know the difference.  Amen