As we left the Mothers’ and Toddlers’ Christmas party, my granddaughter, strapped in her buggy, was given a purple balloon to take home. How she loved this purple balloon! ‘Purple’ being the latest word and concept added to her vocabulary, she hugged it to herself so tightly I thought it might burst. It had a…

I’ve just returned home from the final Mothers and Toddlers meeting for the year – the Christmas Party. Our little ones watched puppets telling the Nativity story, had a lovely selection of finger foods to eat and sang Christmas songs. They had done a mini tour of the Church looking at the various Christmas displays…

For about six months now, I’ve been taking my granddaughter to Mothers and toddlers on a Wednesday afternoon. I remember the first time we went through the doors of the hall and I tried to get her to come out of the security of her buggy. She shook her head vigorously and turned with her…

My granddaughter comes out of Mothers and Toddlers exhausted! What with physical activities in a large hall (pedal cars and slides), negotiations and tact needed (to accrue the best doll and pram), creative endeavours (painting, printing and sticking) and the musical challenge of singing and dancing (especially the exaggerated jumping needed to signify the sleeping…

Recently the Christmas lights were switched on in the centre of my home town, heralding the start of late-night shopping. If they accidentally get left on during the day, it takes a while to notice – until the electricity bill is received! But because during the day, we have light, the light from the decorations…

This morning I came across new words by John Campbell for a well-known carol tune “Good Christians all, rejoice”. Here are the words: Augustus on his Roman throne, Seemed Lord of all, divine, alone; Yet he knew not what God had planned: One who’d take the world in hand. Only shepherds heard the song: The…

When I arrived to collect my granddaughter for Mothers and Toddlers this week, she was asleep in her buggy. Of course, as soon as we went into the hall, she woke up and had a happy afternoon playing, snacking and singing. However, when I put her back in the pushchair to take to school to…

You may remember the story of Naboth’s vineyard in 1 Kings 21. Naboth, just an ordinary citizen, has a flourishing vineyard near to King Ahab’s palace, which he looks after and wants to keep as an inheritance for his children. However, the King sees it and wants it for himself. He asks Naboth to sell…

Every month seems to come round quicker and quicker! Here we are in the month of Remembrance once again. Thinking about the Gunpowder plot, laying explosives under the Houses of Parliament, resonates with what is going on in Gaza as I write this. The tunnels packed with weaponry by Hamas under innocent buildings with people…

One piece of homework I used to set my RE students in year 9 as part of a unit on prejudice and discrimination, was to re-write Jesus’ parable of The Good Samaritan in a modern day setting. So, I would receive versions such as The Good …….’Punk’ or ‘Liverpool Supporter’ or ‘Crack Addict’. If Jesus…