As I have been learning to navigate a new, physical pain journey this year, my good team of health professionals have been singing from the same song sheet. "Listen to your body" has been their consistent chorus. Now to be honest, that's something I have never been very good at. I have usually pushed on when I … Continue reading Learning to listen!
Gratitude
Thank you Alan!
Late on Christmas night in 2006 I was in my house alone. It was a painful first, which comes with the fracturing of families. My mobile phone rang. Someone who didn’t know me all that well, but who had stood by me in difficult times, was on the line. Calling from interstate, he wanted to say … Continue reading Thank you Alan!
Sludge seasons
Stuckness. That feeling I’m sure we’ve all experienced in the stretching COVID season. In a meeting on Thursday, a Sydney colleague commented: “Just when I thought we were getting beyond this, it’s back”. The Melburnians on screen didn’t need to say a word. We know too well what a ticket on the emotional rollercoaster called lockdown … Continue reading Sludge seasons
When pain shouts!
I let the technologist choose the backing music for a series of scans I had this week. Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” and Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” competed with the loud banging and clanging of the MRI machine. Then came “When I’m Gone” by 3 Doors Down. Maybe not the best song for an MRI playlist meant to distract … Continue reading When pain shouts!
Rest Mum, Rest!
As a child I often woke in the middle of the night. It might have been fear of the dark, a bad dream, a strange noise or a loud storm. For a short season, when I was 12, it was an irrational fear of death. Whenever I woke, I would run, crying, to my parent’s … Continue reading Rest Mum, Rest!
The ageing clock
Like so many of us in this strange and stretching season I won’t get to see my Dad for Father’s Day tomorrow, but my heart will surely be with him. Tomorrow he will wake for his first Father’s Day without my Mum at home by his side. As the ancient wisdom writer penned “there is a … Continue reading The ageing clock
Lockdown opportunities:
We begin a season of heightened restrictions in Melbourne again tonight. How might we respond? With authenticity: Embracing the emotional rollercoaster of these unusual days, reaching out to others and valuing the support of others speaking into our lives. With lament: Seeing afresh the pain and tragedy of this pandemic across the globe and praying: “God help … Continue reading Lockdown opportunities:
Thank God for places green!
Thank God for places green! The older I get the more I appreciate them, the more I need them, the more I yearn to be immersed in them again. Bush tracks in suburbia, familiar winding dirt trails in my own neighbourhood that nurture refreshment, renewal and much-needed rhythms. Inner-city grassed squares, small spaces to pause … Continue reading Thank God for places green!
Open our eyes!
Open our eyes! On this Mother's Day, open our eyes to see a young Syrian mother, clinging to her toddler in an over-crowded refugee camp, which has been her home for far too long. See her there, bereft of hope. Let us see the Congolese mother, in forced slavery, with her two boys alongside her. … Continue reading Open our eyes!
Life’s Certainties
I took Ada and Arli for a walk to the beach yesterday and yes, it was bound to happen. The sun was out, but a cold breeze was blowing and the water was very chilly. But here is one of life’s great certainties – if Arli is anywhere near water he will get wet – … Continue reading Life’s Certainties
apilgrimpens 