‘I’ll pray for your healing,’ smiled the young woman. ‘Actually,’ I smiled back, ‘I think God has told me he’s not going to heal me.’ The woman frowned. ‘That’s not the God I know. My God would never deny me healing.’ ‘OK, let me tell you my weird testimony…’ In the not-too-distant past, I was […]
grace
Beyond Yoga
Last weekend I participated in a first-time Indie Author Book Festival in Adelaide. I had so much fun talking to customers and chatting to fellow authors all day—the conversations were nearly non-stop! Lots of people stopped by my table to talk about chronic illness. One thing that came up again and again was how often […]
Survival Skills: Grace in the Flames
Three years ago I became disabled by illness. I don’t know whether it was lupus or not; the illness was never diagnosed. But it was a doozy of a flare-up and I was off work for about six months. During that time, I was virtually house-bound, going out only for medical appointments. I had to […]
We Have Liftoff!
The launch party for Surviving Chronic Illness: Grace in the Flames went off without a hitch! Last Saturday 8th Feb, 2025, a small gathering of about twenty people met upstairs in an intimate yet open space at Thirroul C3 church. We ate food—including freshly baked lemon-and-lime mini-muffins and chocolate brownies—and then we settled down for […]
Books, Koorong, and Pain…And Thankfulness
As I write this final blog for the year, it seems fitting to give thanks for everything that has happened in 2024. Even though 2024 has possibly been one of the worst years of my life. Chronic illness ran away from me this year. I have been sick almost non stop. I won’t go into […]
Don’t Judge a Book…Or Maybe Do!
People have been asking me this week about the symbolism of the cover for my new book, Surviving Chronic Illness. This book is due out soon (watch this blog for announcements!) so I figured now is a good time to answer those questions. Starting with the chameleon. The chameleon is a tricky creature. Just when […]
Gifts and Graces: A Tale of A Book Signing
I walk into the bookstore, arms wrapped around my box of books. (I always bring spare books to book signings just in case. Call it professional paranoia.) I spot a table set up for me and my author friend who will be joining me. Unhurriedly I set up my paraphernalia and relax on a chair […]
Don’t Hurry My Grief
I don’t get why people want me to move on from childless grief. ‘We just want you to be happy,’ they say. Apparently, in their eyes, me being ‘happy’ means not grieving and probably forgetting about being childless as well. I have a few problems with this. First of all, what makes you think I’m not […]
Welcoming Vulnerability?
Why do we struggle with vulnerability so badly? I find myself constantly coming up against the vulnerability of mystery in my life: the mystery of why I was single for so long (it felt interminable at the time), the risk of pregnancy going badly wrong, the insanity of chronic illness, and the way God sometimes […]
Not Alone and Other Stories
I recently read the Stories of Life anthology, Bones and Blue Eyes,* mostly because (shameless self-plug alert) I had two stories published in it, but also because I was genuinely interested in other people’s stories of everyday faith. The book was a blessing. There was a vast mixture of stories short and long, telling tales when […]