How's this for a smile!

It really does seem that the year starts in September! I guess it is  because our lives are tied in with the school year and holidays in the summer months, and come September it’s all back to the usual routine.
 
The reason for the picture of the Beluga Whale above, is I thought it would have you go “aaah!” and make you smile. But, we have all heard it said, ‘God loves you’, and so He does and that is a great reason to smile.
 
As we start back in this ‘new year’, youngsters will be starting pre-school, nurseries and the big step into school and the world of education. What a daunting time for children, parents and teachers as they embark on a new season with nerves, worries, feelings of inadequacy, stress, rules and regulations. But please smile, God loves you!
 
For those starting a new job, a new career, where they will feel they are stepping into the unknown. Then there are the students starting college or university and the life-changing effect on them. Those starting some sort of apprenticeships or training and the concerns that they may bring. Those people who maybe even starting theological college with a view of going into the Christian ministry with a sense of a real calling.
 
All these stresses and strains, joys and excitement often seem to start in September and maybe it is well that many may have had a good holiday break in the summer! So let’s all start this season and each day with the knowledge that we, each one, can say ….’smile, God loves you.’