One day when I was in my 20s, my mother took my sister and I into her bedroom, got out her jewellery box and showed us some antique rings. They belonged to my granny and great aunt and she wanted to pass them on to us. One ring struck me. It had three diamonds in a row, the central one being bigger than the others. I chose that one but later handed it back to mum for safe keeping, saying I would keep it until I got engaged.

It's finally up there - long overdue - the story of Chris's healing. Do read it - the necklace 'picture' made an impact on me long after I heard her tell the story.

Watch this space for a couple of new stories (after a very long gap over the summer!). Chris's story of answered prayer, after doctors found a lump in her left lung, will be here very soon...

Have you ever been challenged by a daily Bible reading note? I had one recently that made me wonder: if I was in that situation what would I do? It was about giving.

I’ve just had a lesson from God in praying when I didn’t want to pray, when I had decided it was impossible so there was no point bothering as it was a done deal with no hope and because I didn’t want to bother because it wasn’t important enough. And I had to learn the lesson from God and a child.

Encouragement for anyone feeling the pinch in these times... read this story of the Lord's response to Sally's cry for financial help. No, she doesn't win the lottery - but sometimes the point is just to know he's listening!

I love the story of Jairus’s daughter. Having told the story to the church’s pre-school group, and read it countless times to my own children from various picture books, it feels like part of me.

It is funny how there are sticking points in our lives. I seem to always come back to the same point. There are times when I feel vulnerable. Sometimes they just creep up on me, like the one I had recently.

It’s Mother’s Day today so I’ve been musing about the mothering thing. My ‘children’ are all grown up now, and the thing I enjoy most about mothering is the opportunity to just spend time with each one, talking about this and that - what bothers them, their plans, their successes and disappointments and so on.

Have you ever had a week when everything you do seems to go wrong? This past week has been one of those for my husband and I.