I’m a big believer in the old maxim that it’s better to light a candle than curse the dark. I know there are lots of times when it’s not easy to do this as the vicissitudes of life take their toll. But I always feel better when I manage to see the positive side of things.

I wasn’t always good at searching for the positive and I credit psychologist Dr Maureen Gaffney and her talks at the Women & Agriculture Conference for instilling this discipline in me. She says you need at least three positive thoughts to every negative thought to just get by. If you want to flourish, then that ration needs to be at least five positive to one negative. Looking at the numbers, it sounds like a tall order – until you really think about it.

Take a read of Katherine O’Leary’s column this week and you’ll see how you can tot up those positive thoughts with something as simple as a walk around the farm. Or think of how doing something positive can help you get through a tough time in life.

This is what Gerard Ashe and his daughters Geraldine, Deirdre and Gráinne did when Cáit, his wife and their mother, died of cancer earlier this year. She was only 60 years of age.

Cáit knew she was seriously ill and she and her family greatly valued the care and support they received from the hospice team in west Kerry. It was her idea to hold a draw, with the first prize being a high-genetic merit heifer and her calf from the family farm, also known as Hannah and Harry.

For the last couple of months, the family has been selling tickets, with all proceeds going towards a new €6.2m 15-bed in-patient unit for Kerry Hospice.

I was honoured to be asked to make the draw that also included a two-night stay in the Skellig Hotel, a €100 food hamper from Centra, a €100 voucher from local vet Brendan O’Connell, and an annual subscription for the Irish Farmers Journal. So, last Saturday, I was in a packed Dingle Mart to make the draw for the finale of the fundraiser.

The livestock might have been bawling but you could hear a pin drop around the ring as chair of the Kerry Hospice Foundation Ted Moynihan spoke about the work of the hospice. The same respect was shown to Geraldine Ashe as she thanked everyone for their support. So far, the Ashe family has raised just over €36,000 for Kerry Hospice. It’s a massive achievement, especially when it was done during a time of deep mourning for the family. A real example of lighting a candle rather than cursing the dark. You can add your support by going to www.facebook.com/kerryhospiceincalfheiferraffle.

Finally, congratulations to Patrick Donohue and the news team; Peter Varley; Valerie O’Sullivan; and Mary Phelan and the Agri Careers team for their great wins at the Guild of Agricultural Journalists awards.