Life changes. In a moment. Unpredictably. Here we are in the midst of a pandemic trying to figure out how to be and how to live through this uncertain time. On New Year’s Eve this wasn’t the 2020 we imagined. In this part of the world we are fortunate so far to have very few…
Tag: faith
In Winter’s Grip?
“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C S Lewis I can’t help but think…
Everything’s Not Lost
I lost the gemstone out of my engagement ring. Watching television the night before I turned my rings round and round on my finger. I knew the stone was there then. Yet as I walked into the kitchen the next day, a Saturday lunch time, after a whole morning at Kids Club, I looked down…
Coffee, Mountains, God’s Faithfulness
Shhhh! I have a morning off. Don’t tell anyone. I allowed myself to sleep in until 6.45am this morning. There are no appointments. I don’t have to get anyone anywhere. There is no work – nowhere I have to be right now. There is a list, but the list can wait. I have a large…
Accidents and Great Expectations
‘I think I’ll write a book about this.’ I said this over breakfast with a friend, talking about expectations, and more specifically unmet expectations and how we handle them. You don’t have to look very far to find unmet expectations. I hear it all the time on the radio, written in news reports, and articles…
Roots, Shoots and Humility
Way back in the summer last year I decided to try and grow an avocado from the pit. I love avocados, but they are expensive, so the idea that one day I may be able to harvest my own, even years down the line, seemed too good not to try. I came across a YouTube…
Farewell Christmas Lights
Our street is still cheered by the warm glow of Christmas lights on the houses at night. I like them lighting up the snow. In only a handful of days they will be switched off – to be taken down later when it’s a little less like a freezer outside. Still, the Christmas festivities will…
Delays on the Journey
I like to be moving forward. When we lived in England I liked to travel on the trains. I would rather find a train that was running and jump on it even if it took me on a longer route than wait for a delayed train. When there’s a destination to get to I’m going to…
Family Stories
This February marks living in Canada for seven years and my son’s twenty-first birthday. Around these celebrations and anniversaries many conversations round the dinner table start, ‘Do you remember when…’ We recount the memories surrounding previous birthdays and the stories surrounding our move to Canada. In fact, all year round we do this. ‘Do you remember…’ is…
School’s out! I’m back!
After a much longer than intended break, I’m back. Well, when I say break, it hasn’t been exactly that. The first week was needed to recoup from 31 posts in 31 days, the second week was high school exam week and I had to prepare for an interview, the third week I had my interview…
Part of His Story
I’m used to ‘What’s the point of…?’ questions. Our children have many of those about things they are learning at school – the most popular one being, ‘What’s the point of learning algebra? There isn’t any use for it in real life.’ So this afternoon, still in the middle of history essay writing, it was…
Under the Influence
The ‘Time 100 Most Influential’ caught my eye last week. Among the world leaders, politicians, religious leaders, movie, pop and sports stars, writers and scientists a couple of stories caught my attention. Withelma ‘T’ Ortiz Walker Pettigrew lived in foster care in the US for years and for 7 of those she was victimized by…
Emma's English Kitchen 