Rays of Sunshine

The end of another week. It is minus six outside and the sky is so clear that I can see a thousand stars. In the background I can hear Juha Tapio singing Sitkeä Sydän (no he is not in our flat unfortunately...it is just the tv in the front room), but it's still a good song.

Saskia and Cameron have been raising money for red nose day this week and Finland has already raised more than two million euros, which is fantastic. Just two euros is enough for a child in Africa to have a health check, so no amount is too small to make a difference!

The highlight of my day today was a conversation I had this afternoon about parenting.  We talked about what being a "good parent" actually means.  It was a short conversation, but was one which left me with a warm feeling for the rest of the day. Sometimes just a five minute exchange with someone can leave a strong impression, and that was exactly the case today.

I guess the truth is that most of us who are parents often wonder if we are doing it right - and often worry that we are not good enough.  I know I certainly do, (if you are a parent yourself then I bet you know exactly what I mean). But at the end of the day all any of us can do is to try our best. Celebrate the things we get right and try and learn from the things we may sometimes get wrong. I remain convinced that the priority is to make sure children know they are loved. The rest is secondary.

Anyway, here is a tunnel of sunshine for those of you who have children - and particularly the person with whom I spoke today. Perhaps without knowing it, she brought a ray of sunshine into my life this afternoon. And I also know that she is a great Mum. I hope that this weekend someone will appear in your life and do the same for you.