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 […]
Surviving Valentine’s Day
Red roses. Fluffy teddies. Umpteen love hearts on social media feed. Yep, it must be Valentine’s Day. I had a lot of trouble tolerating Valentine’s Day when I was single. And it was not just the pointless commercialism. It was the unsubtle message that you have to be admired by someone to be a worthwhile […]
Thank You
I am not accustomed to being thanked. As a writer, I typically sit on my lounge or in my writing ball chair, iPad perched on my knees, tapping madly away, happily oblivious to the outside world. I can sit like that for hours. I might take a break at some point, eat some food, pat […]
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 […]
Resolutions
I hereby resolve not to make any New Years’ Resolutions. Ok, maybe just one. It’s so easy, isn’t it? We make these promises to ourselves with the turn of the year. We commit ourselves to a worthy cause or new endeavour or old dream and vow to make it happen. There is something about a […]
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, […]
I’m An Average Author – and Ok With It
It seems to me there is substantial pressure on all of us to be above average. We are encouraged to “get a head start” early in life, to excel at school and in our careers, to be great, to be awesome, to be exceptional. All of this pressure creates a problem. And it has nothing […]
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’m Going to a Worship and Creatives Conference
So next week is the annual Hillsong Worship and Creatives Conference (WCC). I’ve been waiting all year for this. I went to their inaugural WCC last year and when it was over, I immediately paid for my ticket for this years’ conference. I have many reasons for returning to the WCC, some relating to my […]