Are good to re-discover. If you are down in the dumps, see if you can find a song that used to make you smile and play it again.

Thanks to the genius of YouTube music, I have been able to find songs that my mum used to listen to all the time and play them for her again. I also remembered a few that I had forgotten all about. They are very dated now, but still give me a warm feeling inside.

I went looking for perfume the other day. I remembered one from years ago, but it was apparently ‘too teenager-y’ for me now. Old is often good, but sometimes it’s time to try something new. ‘Tried and tested’ can endure, but change can be positive as well.

It’s comforting to find the things that fill you with nostalgia, but new experiences bring life as well. If I had clung onto my memory of riding a bike and refused to accept it wasn’t possible for me anymore, I would never have started on my joyful journey with my trike.

So when you rake through old memories that still make you smile, remember that there are more, life-giving encounters for you right this moment. Old can be good, but new can be better.

God says in Isaiah: ‘See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? ‘ (43:19) There is a risk that we can be so wrapped up in our fond memories that we can’t even imagine that new things might be waiting for us.

So keep your eyes open because you never know what goodness is round the corner for you!