Hello to all our lovely members, I hope you had a wonderful and restful Christmas and New Year.  I had a lovely Christmas break with my two sons. We enjoyed spending time relaxing at home and making the most of our beautiful beaches here in Tauranga. I did however have an unlucky encounter with the famous Mount Maulers, which was very unpleasant, to say the least but did not stop me from enjoying the beach. Wow, the weather this summer has been incredible! The bright sunny days and clear blue skies have been great, but the intensity of the heat has been challenging to say the least! The tips from the last member meeting in December ‘Managing the Festive Season’ proved very useful-especially the ice packs at bedtime and fan facing the window to draw out hot air from the room. The challenges of 2021 continue into 2022 with COVID-19, Delta, and Omicron now in the community and the challenges and stress this presents to us all.  With the ever-changing dynamics of life during this time, I was recently reminded how important it is to take good care of oneself and family as we prepare for the outbreak, especially where there is a possibility of isolating for a period. While this is not uncommon for us with chronic illnesses to be isolating, we may also have family members isolating with us at the same time. Some of my lovely members have shared with me their plans with family, friends, neighbours and local community to help with essential supplies, such as food and medicine and staying connected with others online scheduling regular catch-ups and check-ins. Some great ideas here to help get us all through these times. I look forward to connecting with you all this year, over the phone, online and in-person where I can (Tauranga). Please contact us, if you need support, more information or resources and remember to take really good care of yourselves. Nga Mihi Karen -Wellness Facilitator Tauranga and Nationwide