Thankful for small mercies

On the way to the Education offices one week I popped into a coffee shop next to a local Infant and Primary school for “an Americano to go” (I was coming to terms with essential modern terminology!) Standing in line, I heard two young Mum’s, who had just dropped their older children off at the school, with two smaller toddlers in tow order the following; “Two skinny Latte’s with vanilla shots and for Justin and Jethro, two croissants and two babyccino’s”. At that point, despite their often very challenging ways, I felt peculiarly grateful to exist predominantly in a communication world dominated by teenage monosyllabic grunts.