Dear Friends.......

I know it’s nearly February – and, indeed, some of you may not be reading this until it is February – but as this is the first issue of The Record that has been produced this year, it feels right to say Happy New Year to you all.

It is a habit of mine to make a note of inspirational sayings or pieces of text I come across, be they in the books I’m reading, the television programmes I’m watching, or from the radio or training courses I happen to be on.

The one below came to me courtesy of a company I have recently done some training with, although the writer is someone I have also come across on Facebook.

It is good to remind ourselves sometimes that the opposite of sad doesn’t have to be happy all the time.  Sometimes OK is enough.  We don’t need to be smiling broadly all day; although some people may be naturally smiley, many of us are more neutral, and that’s OK too.

So (with that proviso) in the words of Donna Ashworth,

"When I say ‘happy new year’, I’m really wishing you more happy days than sad days, more joy than misery, more laughter than tears… and the wisdom to accept that they all belong." 

As you journey through 2026, be kind to yourself as well as to others, know that God’s love surrounds you, that you are loved for who you are and for everything you bring to the world.

Taken from the February 2026 Edition of The Record