Henri Nouwen has become one of my heroes and role models because he was committed to the idea of “downward mobility”. That’s precisely what Jesus was talking about when he said the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven will be the servant of all. And Jesus himself lived out this example of downward mobility: giving …
I can get lost in the soft perfection of a baby’s hand. Those teeny pink fingernails. Those dimply knuckles. Those lusciously rolly-polly wrists. I remember watching in fascination as my baby discovered for the first time that he could control his hands. It was revolutionary! He started using them as tools to explore the world …
I waited nervously for a response. Lingering in the air were my unanswered questions about this new type of intense fatigue I’d been experiencing. My long-time doctor leaned forward. Eyeballing me, she asked in a confusingly pointed way, “Do you feel joy?” I didn’t know how to respond. Like a Rubik’s cube, joy is complex …
Can you see two sets of spoons in the yoghurt tubs? That didn’t happen by accident. Let me tell you how they got there. On the morning in question, my 4-year-old daughter made an announcement: “I’m going to set the table all by myself!” She wanted to show what a big girl she was. When …
I studied the book of Job last year with some people from church. Wow. What stunned me more than Job’s great suffering (which I already knew about) and his insensitive friends (I knew about them too) was his sheer nerve at speaking honestly about his pain. Job says, “I cannot eat for sighing; my groans …
When my kids were babies, they loved wrapping their tiny lips around all sorts of objects at ground level. The indoor menu featured shoes, TV remotes, and toys (usually in that order of preference). On the menu outdoors were dried-up dead leaves; carelessly discarded brown apple cores; dirt; gum nuts; and stones. In this photo, …
My 7-year-old asked me the other day, “If God controls everything, does that mean he controls us too?” I gave him a high five for asking such a perceptive question — go, little philosopher! The intersection of God’s sovereignty and people’s free will is a mystery. From my reading, it seems that both are equally …
It’s a family tradition to attend the annual Lego exhibition — well, my husband and kids go; I usually stay home because a trip to the city puts enormous pressure on my immune system. On the day of the 2015 Lego show I was in the throes of post-diagnosis depression. I found it soul-destroying to …
My 5-year-old started school this week. It’s a bittersweet day for parents! The toddler pictured here is my firstborn, who’s now 7 years old. Below is a poem I wrote on his first day of school (as I bawled my eyes out) two years ago. * dummy = pacifier, nappy = diaper, cot = crib …
A while back, I learnt all about grief. I understood that grief is an ongoing cycle rather than a straight line with a neatly tied up end point. Armed with that knowledge, I felt empowered. It lessened the guilt and confusion I’d been experiencing about not “getting over it” as soon as I’d expected. But …