Take the first step in faith.

You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I will never question the brotherhood among Royal Marines.

The bonds they form with each other are sacrosanct and for a lifetime.

Today Adam is visiting one of his friends, whom he met just after passing out of training, and did a tour of Iraq with. I heard so much about Rob, I felt like I knew him too. He left the Marines a while ago, but that is not important as the Green Beret is for life.

Towards the end of last year Adam got a call to say Rob had been in a hit and run. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and someone ran him over for no apparent reason. I won't go into details but to say that Rob is still very ill and in hospital. His recovery is so incredibly slow, but such was the damage to him, that every movement he makes is like conquering a mountain. Rob's brother called us last week as his rehabilitation seemed to become stagnant and they asked Adam to come and visit Rob and perhaps chivvy him along. We knew today would be hard. Adam knew seeing his friend was going to be very overwhelming, but what neither of us really stopped to think about until tonight is the HUGE sacrifice his family and girlfriend make every day so that Rob is never alone. Rob's girlfriend Kim goes to work early, she works through her lunch hour so that she can finish at 3pm, she drives 50 minutes to the hospital and stays there until 8pm when visiting hours finish, then she drives 50 minutes home. Kim does this EVERY day and has done so since September.

Rob's parents and brother also ensure that at least one of them is there at the hospital to be with Rob at all times.

When something like this happens to someone you love, you don't see them as a burden nor do you feel that you are sacrificing anything for them. Your love far outweighs any obstacle. It is up to us to realise it was not just Rob who was hit by that car, but his Mom, Dad, Brother and Kim were too. Adam and I are so humbled by them, and even though Adam has never met them before today, they welcomed him into their home with open arms.

Only our true selves are revealed when we face adversity.

Our love and prayers are with the Ayres family, and especially Rob, Kim and their unborn baby.

My joy:

Today may have been a sombre and thought-provoking day, but it was also the last Library Rhymetime for Scout for the year.....so that called for the first Christmas Mince Pies to be made, which Scout promptly squashed before giving them to Catherine and all the other lovely ladies in the library! Sure they still taste lovely.