When I was single, no-one asked me about having kids. No-one was interested in my plans for a family. No-one cared about my eggs and whether or not I was putting them to good use. For the first twenty-nine years of my life, no-one thought I was wasting my time or misusing my body. Then […]
When Compromise Works
I have always loved writing. From an early age, I wrote short stories about magical happenings and clever kids. I wrote about animals, superpowers and fantasy kingdoms. As an adolescent, I filled book after book with journallings of teenage angst and woe. I loved reading and studying English at school. Shakespeare was fathomable and even […]
To Conference, To Conference
With only a month until the Omega Christian Writer’s Conference, the excitement and anticipation is quickening. Our lives are so busy and there are so many demands on our time that taking three days out to talk about writing can seem like a countercultural luxury. This year, the conference is located interstate for me, so […]
Real Love
“You will never know real love,” intoned the preacher, “Never experience the full extent of God’s love, until you have your own child.” I was a teenager then: young, passive and impressionable. The preacher’s words certainly made an impression on me that day. Gee, non-parents must miss out big time. These days, I am not […]
Forced Choice
I had been married for two years when I was diagnosed with lupus. I was thirty-one years old at the time. My husband and I had decided to enjoy our time together before making any hurried decisions about family. Our deadline was to make a decision by the time I turned thirty-five. We were not […]
One Divine Breadcrumb
Last week I shared about how writing, and any other act of faith, is a little like following the trail of breadcrumbs through the forest in the manner of the fairytale Hansel and Gretel. Today I would like to share a recent breadcrumb experience. It was a Sunday night at church. The preacher had just […]
Breadcrumbs
From time to time, I get asked about writing and songwriting. People want to know how I keep coming up with ideas for blogs, songs and books in a series. Sometimes I wonder where all the ideas come from and if I will ever run out. Every writer is different. They may source their inspiration […]
What Not To Say
One thing people ask me about is how to talk to childless people. Specifically, people who are parents tell me they worry about saying the wrong thing to those who are childless. Such conversations can be a tricky bridge to cross. I can understand this. I have been the recipient of a few “wrong things” […]
To My Friends With Children
You may not believe this. I have friends who are parents. Here I am, a childless thirty-something, friends with other people who have children. It’s true. But how can this happen, I hear you ask? Don’t childless people get put off by parents and vice versa? Not all of us. Some of us are very […]
Lamenting Childlessness
“It’s God’s will.” “Maybe God doesn’t want you to be a parent.” “You need to get on with your life.” Society is good at handing out advice to childless people. It tells people how they ought to feel and for how long. Those of us who are grieving do not need a pat answer or […]