Do you know what? The above three words are extremely important in my life. I try to live by them.
It all began many, many years ago. As a boy I became friendly with an extremely old man. He lived on his own after his wife and only child had passed away. I was fascinated by the interesting gentlemen, and I watched when his mind drifted back to his teenage years. At 16 years of age he served in the British Army and witnessed the horrors of the First World War. He never went into detail until he showed me his most prized possessions. They consisted of three perfectly preserved French postcards. I was fascinated by them. I turned the cards over and noticed a name on them. It was the name of his best mate, who was also 16 years of age. He had been raised in an orphanage due to the early demise of his parents. Tragically his best mate was killed in the early part of the war. He left all his belongings to the once young teary old man . The total sum of belongings amounted to two pocket bibles and three French postcards. The English pronunciation on these cards are Hope, Faith and Charity. The bible says these virtues relate directly to God, who infuses these three virtues into our soul. Whether you believe or not, it is a good way to live one’s life. Soon after one of our chats the elderly gentleman died. He left those treasured cards to me, and I was and am truly honoured.
As an adult I try my hardest to live my life by those guidelines. The story affected me so much that as a man I had those cards tattooed on my arm and shoulders. They are a daily reminder. So when any of you look at my tattoos please note that they are my history, my memories, my rule book, and more importantly my faith, hope and charity.
