As part of our service this morning, I invited people to make 'three wishes' for the year ahead, and to record them on a star, which they could take away and did not need to show anyone.  The photo is mine.

The overarching theme was 'self care' being kind to ourselves so that we can better 'shine like stars' in a dark and sometimes bewildering world.

The first wish was a promise to do something to be be kind to ourselves.  As someone who regularly works too many days, and so is not modelling a healthy life style, let alone being kind to myself, I have promised to take my days off - or to have a lieu day when for good reason (as is the case in the week just beginning) that isn't doable.  So, yes, next week it'll be two days off to offset the none this week.

The second wish was a promise not to do something that is unkind to ourselves. As a person who has spent endless years being told to stop apologising, and who has done quite a lot of work in recent months to work at issues of shame and low self-esteem, I have promised not to apologise for being me.  If I do something wrong/bad or fail to do something good/right, if I hurt someone, then of course I will apologise.  But not for being me... and trust me, that's a genuine challenge!

The third wish was a pledge to shine like a star by being who we are.  I opted to commit to share my joy.  For all sorts of reasons, I am usually quite measured, even sometimes referred to as stoic.  Perhaps what I need is to be a bit more openly joyful.  More smiles, more playfulness, more openly enjoying myself... and hopefully this will be a little bit brighter for others.

So, if you could have three wishes along these lines, what would they be?

And of course the thing with these wishes is that they will only come true if we make them!

This morning we arrived at the hotel to disocver that there had been such cofuision with our bookings that our room was unavailable and we had hastily been transferred to a HUGE suite, set ready for a banquet of some sort.

With their now familiar adaptability, everyone simply got on with it, and we made the space work for us as best we could.

Lots of songs, lots of stars, some candles and communion... and the babble of children doing craft at the back of the room, it had a very family feel.

Next week we will hopefully be back in our familiar spaces, but it was good to be somewhere unexpected to reflect on being led by a star to unexpected places...

Here are some folk gathering in readiness before the service (for which we needed to pull in extra seats) began...

After a fair bit of faffing, for no obvious reason, the new basic phone is good to go... hopefully it will last for many years, serving my 'work' needs. It's not quite as simple as the one it replaces, and it has a case to match the one for my personal smart phone, (albeit one that is upside down!) but I am sure it will do just fine once I have got used to where everything is on the menu. The bonus was that I had always stored the contacts on the sim, so no need to add them to the phone - phew!

Nothing theological about any of that, but it amused me that sometimes old becomes new...

This morning I attended a 'pilates induction session' - advertised as 30 minutes, it was actually nearer 40, and basically what we learned was how to breathe in the correct way for pilates.

Much concentration was needed to correctly align the feet, spine and neck, to centre the core and to breathe from the diaphragm.  I can't claim to have mastered it, but I gave it a good go, and have signed up for eight weeks of beginners classes.

Whilst I don't think there is a 'right' or even a 'Christian' way to pray, meditate or reflect, there seems to be some sort of parallel... (re-)aligning our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, being aware of our own physicality as well as our intellect and spirituality, discovering that it isn't easy, but it is worthwhile... and then maybe metaphorcially 'signing up' for a short course of intentional prayer/meditation/reflection.

Unlike pilates, where progression from 'beginner' to 'intermediate' to 'advanced' is anticipated/expected, spiritual exercise is not about getting better, but I think it probably is about learning to breathe...

Way back in 2004, I ordered a basic mobile phone, a Nokia, that cost me £10 with a free credit of £10 with T-Mobile. Fifteen years later, it still works fine but the battery (its second) no longer holds charge and it seemed like time to think about a new phone.

Due to some sort of online glitch back then, I was told the Nokia was no longer available and ordered another slightly fancier phone, with the two arriving together, at which point my practice of 'work' and 'personal' phones was born. A few years ago I replaced my peronal phone with a Nokia Lumia smart phone, which I love.

There was a delightlful irony, I felt, in using the web bowser on my Nokia Lumia to order the ultra basic Nokia that will (all being well, and the SIM fits) replace my trusty old PAYG, which can, of course, be put in a drawer as the emergency back up phone!! And the new one has a micro-usb charger, so that's a bonus.