“As a mother comforts her child, So I will comfort you. You will be comforted in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 66:13, The Message.) This year, Mother’s Day has turned my thoughts toward God. Odd, you say? Yes, for me too. Do not worry, I am not about to embark upon a feminist-fueled rant about the relative merits […]
Survivng Childlessness
Keep Calm and Keep On Writing
Non-writers make strange comments sometimes. When I tell people I am currently writing a book about Surviving Childlessness, they often say things like, “That must be wonderfully cathartic.” “I think you misunderstand me,” I do not reply. The catharsis theory is a popular one. It presupposes that writing is inherently therapeutic. I guess that it […]
Childless at Easter
So we are about to head to church on a Good Friday. One of the most celebrated, heavily attended, child-focused days of the year. And we do not have children. I am trying to identify this feeling I have about going to church today. It is not quite dread. Nor is it exactly apprehension. I […]
Badge of Honour
The place is a disaster zone. Furniture overturned. Rubbish piled high. Chaos and disorganisation as far as the eye can see. Yep, I just moved house. It is easy to see a new house as being some kind of badge of honour. Society tells us that material things are markers of success. Got the house? […]
Childless-By-Forced-Choice
I was married for two years when I was diagnosed with lupus. I was thirty-one at the time. The lupus diagnosis came after eight years of mysterious symptoms and misdiagnoses. (In that respect, the diagnosis was a blessing.) It was not a shock. It finally gave me clarity on all the bizarre, seemingly coincidental medical […]
Pass It On
I had a challenging time with childlessness at work this week. Normally I am fine with childlessness at work; I talk to parents all the time, no biggie. This week, we had a training day on learning to run a new group for parents. No problemo. I did not even think twice about it. On […]
Did You Survive?
I think I survived Christmas. I mean, my heart is still beating, I am still breathing, so I guess I survived. All of my limbs are still attached, so I guess I’m still in one piece. Prior to Christmas, there was an onslaught of Christmas survival blogs, especially for single and childless people. Advice abounded, […]
For Those Who Have No Children
There’s Christmas in the air, it’s clear, It’s magical, this time of year, Anticipation looming near – Unless you have no children. There’s Christmas ads for games and toys, To buy for every girl and boy. Too bad you’ll never have that joy – Because you have no children. There’s Christmas lights all over town, […]
The Outsiders – Part 2 (A Worship & Creatives Conference Review)
I recently blogged about the outsiders: a group of people who do not fit into mainstream society. As an ex-single person, I remember being an outsider. As a childless person, I am still an outsider. As a creative, I have always been an outsider. Christians are definitely outsiders too. Today we explore another facet of […]
Why I Still Go To Church
I recently received a thought-provoking reply to my blog, “Real Love”, from a person who seemed to think that Christianity was a life choice best avoided. My blog, addressing some of the unhelpful comments made by Christians toward the childless, seemed to prompt a reaction from this reader. This person’s response was along the lines […]