And turn it into a good something. Our little niece reminded me that sometimes, when there are no toys, games can still happen. She was running round the house laughing at nothing (that I could see) and was having a grand time when there were no amusements about. How are you when your hands are…

Are not always when you’re winning. I have been watching some of the Olympics, but the moments that have stuck with me have been when someone has not achieved the time they expected or things have gone wrong for them. I found myself empathising with the tears cried by a runner who expected to win…

And stand up tall. Watching the amazing swimmer Léon Marchand two evenings ago, I was amazed by the way his supporters timed their shouts with his breathing. Every time his head rose up they shouted ‘Léon!’. So we aren’t Olympian swimmers but just think about the number of people who root for you every day.…

No matter how deep the valley or dark the night, hold on tight. I’ve been looking out my window today and watching the birds landing and sitting still as the dark clouds gather and threaten rain. I was wondering- what do you do in times of crisis?

The buddleia in our garden is bright purple at the minute, but it will fade soon. Maybe there is someone in your life who is not the vibrant person they once were. Watching President Biden struggle with his age is a case in point.

It was mostly cloudy and rainy during our holiday in Donegal last week. As we travelled home yesterday I asked my usual question, ‘what were the highlights?’. Silence. I realised I couldn’t think of any either. Not a good sign. Then I heard that not only had my in-laws’ flight home been cancelled but their…

Have you noticed that life quickly becomes a series of numbers: how many steps you have done, how many likes your picture got, how many calories you’ve burned, how many words you have written, what score did you get in your last exam, what was the weight of your baby, and so it goes on.…

And use it to push back negative thoughts. I discovered again how you can train yourself to think positively and drown out the bad.

I was listening to the birds again this morning and the loudest ones (crows) were drowning out the others. I’ve been thinking about that today- how often do you notice when you or somebody else is talked over by a louder person? I have found that when you are below other people, it is easy…

weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.(Psalm 30v5) The best memories I have are of long-gone people laughing. One of my grannies used to start laughing before the joke had properly begun. A TV series (Somebody feed Phil) I watch always ends with ‘a joke for Max’, the presenter’s dad…