Yesterday morning, realising that my black preaching shoes were really on their last legs (one of them has started squeaking quite annoyingly!) I dug out these brown shoes that I bought back in my thirties (just) when I was a student in Manchester.  They looked OK with my brown suit and off I headed to church.  Part way through the service I looked down and noticed that the soles had started to split across the balls of my feet but thought nothing of it... then by mid afternoon the inevitable happened and one of them fell apart.

I can't really complain having had them for so long, it was quite funny trying to walk around in a broken shoe, and everyone at the evening service was way too polite to comment on the fact that I was wearing shoes held together by lazzy bands...

So, off to town today in search of new preaching shoes: good job I got paid last week!

This one is just fun, costs nothing apart from a few minutes of our time and will hopefully bring a smile to someone's face...

I'VE GOT FIVE MINUTES:

Pop a Post-it note that says ‘You’re AMAZING/REALLY SUPER/GREAT AT COLOURING’ in your kid’s lunchbox. Or scribble a compliment for your spouse on the kitchen chalkboard. Or write and tell your neighbour that you really appreciate them keeping their hedges so trim. Keep it short and super-sweet.

I’VE GOT FIFTEEN MINUTES:

Create a mini Post-it treasure hunt. Choose a person you know – a colleague, your spouse, your best mate – and leave a trail of encouraging Post-its for them to find throughout the day. Take ten minutes to write them (give it some thought!) and five to hide them in places you know they’ll be found.

GO BONKERS:

Oh we love this one. Let’s take this to the lamp-posts, library books, gym lockers and supermarket shelves. Stick random notes of encouragement in public places for strangers to find.

On the basis that Sasha and Sophie can't read (though they love to type on the laptop) and I won't be seeing anyone I regularly see today (it being my day off) the first two aren't going to work... which leaves only the last one... and the need to pop into a shop to purchase some post-its before the fun begins.

As I have to go to town to do some urgent shoe buying today (my twelve year old brown shoes decided to fall apart yesterday, and my black preaching shoes are almost worn out too)  I think there might be some opportunities to leave a few messages around the place :-)

And for you , gentle reader:

WISHING YOU A DAY FILLED WITH LAUGHTER AND LOVE,

AND IF THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE, THEN AT LEAST THE LOVE

XXX