A Miner Point

When I was about 8 years old, my dad took me and my brother to France.
We ordered a meal in a lovely little restaurant in Auxerre and before it arrived, dad helped me to find the loo. It was in a shed in the back yard. Without thinking, he made sure I was in, bolted the door - from the outside - then returned to enjoy his dinner.
I was trapped. I rattled the door a few times, shouted 'help' a few times, then just leaned against the spider-webbed wall and waited. I even remember singing 'Cushy Butterfield' - an old Geordie song, to pass the time.
I didn't panic, and I didn't cry.
I knew my dad would come and rescue me. And even after 15 minutes of staring at the grubby walls, and singing 'And they caal her Cushy Butterfield and aa wish she wor here!' for the 20th time, I never had any doubt in my mind that my dad would come and get me.
He did. And after much apologising, we hugged, laughed and got on with our dinner.

A poor comparison, I know, but being locked in a toilet in Auxerre for 15 minutes is the only time I have experienced being physically 'trapped.'
Watching the drama of the Chilean miners unfold, meanwhile, has been overwhelming. I, like the rest of the world, have been glued to the TV screen over the last couple of days in particular - watching through tears as each miner emerged from the capsule - into the arms of their familes after 69 days of being trapped - 700m under the surface of the earth.

For 17 days, they were trapped without any contact with the outside world. I simply cannot imagine how they coped during those 17 days. How did they keep going? How did they not collapse in despair?
'Hope, belief, faith.' These are all words that we throw in to our conversations every now and then, but I think these must have been the three words that all 33 men focused upon to keep them going.

Once the rescue mission was underway, 'hope, belief, faith' became key words for those responsible for the operation, the families...and even the rest of the world - united, for once - and inspired by the power of the human spirit.

Why am I writing about this today? Well, apart from the fact that I have been incredibly moved by the scenes on telly - I also wanted to highlight the fact that those 3 words - hope, belief, faith - simply MUST be a part of our every day lives.

A few months ago, I felt like one of those miners - stepping out of the capsule. Battered and bruised, but safe.

I have a few friends at the moment, however, who may feel that they are 700m below the surface of the earth. Some are having treatment for cancer, some are about to be treated for cancer, and some are waiting to see if their cancer has returned. They could give up, collapse in despair, but they don't - however difficult it may seem. I've never met most of these people, but I think about them every day, and I wanted them to know that.

I know it is easier said than done, but we must never stop hoping, never stop believing, and we must always try to keep faith in our rescuers - whoever they may be....