During my time working on the streets of Calcutta in India the first thing I did each day was to walk to the Convent of Mother Teresa. I attended mass before heading out on the streets where I worked with street children, child labourers, the lepers and the dying.

At one of these masses an Indian priest gave a beautiful sermon. He told a story about a family and their joy of discovering and rediscovering.

The story goes: When a child got a toy he longed for, he hugged it as if it was priceless. His parents told him that it was an expensive toy and that they would not be able to afford another. He understood and accepted the condition because this was the only toy he wanted.

He called his friends and showed them his new toy with satisfaction. But the elation did not last long. After weeks one of his friends got the latest toy available and it was now the most sought-after toy. The child lost interest in his toy and yesterday's treasure became today's rubbish. His mother tried to explain that his toy was a very good one and he should remember the condition that he had accepted. But the child looked away, sulked and the toy, now rejected, remained forgotten in a corner.

The child's mother had her own problems too. She had just got her new home, which had been built after much planning and saving. She made sure it would be the pride of the community. When she moved into her new house she invited friends and relations to visit. She took great pride in her house and showed it by keeping it spotlessly clean. This was until a new house was built in the community. A more modern house!

When it was completed, she was invited to the house warming. She was shown all over the house and showed appreciation, but when she went back to her own house she looked at it anew and her heart sank. The house looked common and was not worth any attention or special care.

From that moment, she lost interest in her home. She stopped taking the trouble to clean the house. The house became dirty. Her husband noticed the change in the home and in his wife and gently inquired. His wife told him she was no longer interested in the house because the neighbour's house was better. He tried to explain that their house was fine and was better that most houses.