"AROUND THE CORNER"

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 27, 29 December 1939, Page 48

"AROUND THE CORNER"

Uncie [om's Message to the Young Folk

"Around the corner and under: the trees!" is a song we used to hear on the radio quite a lot at one time. What it was about I do not know, but I know this, that we often go round corners, in fact, we are always going round corners, and it is around the corners that we come upon our best surprises. What about Christmas? Wasn’t that a splendid corner? It was good fun going round the Christmas corner. The lovely secrets, the giggles, the whispering and the things we got and the things we gave. When my mother used to send me on some errand, and it was at night time, and dark, I would walk in the middle of the road, for ours was a long, dark street. I was afraid some bogyman or something would jump out at me round the corner. But nothing ever jumped out. There was no bogyman — only the light of the shop to which I was going. All the Best Things All the best things are round the corner. We are turning a lovely one just now, the New Year corner. What will we come to as we go round? I know it will be something good. Well, it can be, if we forget about some things belonging to last year, the sorry things, the tears, the mistakes, the bits of temper, the little mean things. Oh, yes,

we must forget them, because the New Year will be quite different. I have heard people say they are going to "turn over a new leaf," and they say things like that at New Year time. You see the old page had so many blots and smudges they just couldn’t bear to look at it any longer, for they were going round the corner. Happiness is Inside Us I would like every girl and boy to believe that this New Year Corner we are going round will be as a little girl I once heard say, "the bestest ever," and it can be if we will let it. There is a lot of happiness round the corner. Happiness is a funny thing, because it isn't a thing at all. Lovely homes, motorcars, beautiful clothes, dolls and toys, are just grand to have, but you don’t have to have them to be happy. I know many girls and boys who are quite happy although they haven’t got much of such things. Oh, no! Happiness comes from inside us, If we are loving, contented, generous, apd thoughtful for others, we will. go round the corner into this New Year and it will be as the little girlie said, "the bestest ever." And that is my wish for you. So a really happy New Year to you, lots of fun and lots of sun, and don’t forget to keep your hats on.