One moment it seems we were happily looking forward to Christmas and our annual break and the next minute we’re being catapulted into February!

Our eagerly awaited family holiday has, sadly, been and gone (and rather damply) and by my count we have another 345 days to go until the next one. I noticed Easter Eggs and hot cross buns in Countdown during January.

(In December one store, which shall remain nameless, was even advertising its Boxing Day sale “now on” before Christmas – how crazy is that?)

Anyway, our summer break was much appreciated but it is nice to get back to our own home.

At the first church service we attended this year our pastor reminded us of some simple but significant principles which I thought I would adopt as belated spiritual New Year’s resolutions:

• Value the presence of God in our lives and intimacy with the Holy Spirit
• Realise and appreciate our eternal positions as sons and daughters of God
• Be kingdom workers in our own communities
• Help and encourage others to realise their God-given potential
• Live in honour and respect in all of our relationships.
• Do whatever we do from a position of love.

– Fran Pardon