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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Richard Reddie

The Plain Truth!’

Good morning.

Today is my younger brother’s birthday. Happy Birthday Christopher!

Chris is 13 months younger than me, and unlike my older brother, he has always shared my height and something of my appearance. Growing up, we could pass for non-identical twins, and I was often mistaken for him. His rugged good looks and natural charm made him popular, and on those occasions, I was never upset when I was confused with him. However, his playful nature could sometimes wind-up the wrong people, and I was never happy with that association on those occasions.

Of all my siblings, Chris is the most easy-going and the least intense. Conversely, and somewhat contradictorily, he can also be the most plain-speaking of us. This is not to say he lacks diplomacy or tact, it’s just that he will call out what he deems pretence or superficiality. As a die-hard ‘Bradfordian’, he takes pride in ‘telling it as he sees it’.

In life, there are moments when it’s important to be plain-speaking and display candour, especially on straightforward matters requiring integrity and truth. Equally, there are times when nuance and subtlety are required, particularly on those matters of a more complex, diplomatic nature. It’s all about context and making the appropriate adjustments and judgments according to the situation.

I would argue that there’s an art in finding the right words for the appropriate occasion. The truth is that we don’t always get this right, and if the wrong words are said, it’s hard to take them back.

So, today I pray that we may have the requisite wisdom to say the right words at the right time.

Amen

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