Ngahihi Bidois: Get through life, one little miracle at a time

KIA ora. I would like to wish you and your whanau a very happy, safe and prosperous New Year for 2014. I would also like to acknowledge those who passed in 2013 and will no longer be seated at our tables with us. May you who lost loved ones find comfort in the coming year.

I would also like to thank you for your many kind words regarding my Rotorua Daily Post columns. The fact that you have taken time out of your busy lives to mihi and greet me is very encouraging and inspiring. Thank you.

A while ago I attended a Christian church in Palmerston North that had the words "Expect a miracle" on the pulpit. More recently I was at a conference when someone gave me a card with those same words on it. On Boxing Day, my daughter and I decided to brave the elements (traffic) and go into town and have a look at a couple of sales. We were not in there long before my daughter said we would never get a carpark because of all the people, especially near the shop we wanted to go to. "Let's just come back another day" she said.

Remembering the phrase "expect a miracle" I said we should say a quick karakia (prayer). Afterwards she could not believe that I would even drive into the busy myriad of cars outside the shop we wanted to visit, let alone find a car park among them. However in the middle of that whirlpool of cars, one pulled out of a car park right opposite the shop we wanted to visit. We were in.

Expect a miracle is a nice little phrase that I often say to myself. I must admit that I tend to "limit" my miracles to things like car parks, finding my keys and success in business.

I do not expect world peace or a cure to cancer overnight. However I do try to keep my expectations high.

One of our Maori proverbs also encourages us to have high expectations and expect a miracle. "Whaia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe me maunga teitei" can be interpreted as "Pursue that which is precious, and do not be deterred by anything less than a lofty mountain."

We all face lofty mountains in our lives that can come in the form of people, business, possessions, beliefs or carparks. As you reflect on your 2013 and gear up for 2014 can I encourage you to add a small phrase to your psyche. "Expect a miracle" - even if it is just one carpark at a time. Ma te Atua koutou e manaaki e tiaki. Blessings.

Ngahihi o te ra is from Te Arawa and is an international speaker, author and consultant. His book is available at McLeods book store and the Lakeside cafe in Rotorua. His website can be viewed at www.ngahibidois.com