Lament … hope! Overwhelmed ... hope! Darkness … hope! Sorrow ... hope! Uncertainty ... hope! Despair ... hope! Grief ... hope! Brokenness ... hope! Mess ... hope! Displaced ... hope! Searching ... hope! Yearning … hope! Dreaming ... hope! New beginnings ... hope! Tomorrow ... hope! Christmas reminds us we are never bereft of hope! … Continue reading Never bereft ….
Life Events & Celebrations
Hope has a name!
Hope sometimes feels wishful, like crossing our fingers and dreaming of a good outcome. Today, we are all hoping for different things – some important, some less so – in this wishful, it may or may not happen way. Each year I hope the Newcastle Knights will win the NRL – and I know how wishful … Continue reading Hope has a name!
Drinking from the cup of nostalgia
My pre-dinner drink this evening is taking me back to my childhood. A glass of cold, Cottee’s Coola Lime. And my younger kids – who have never sampled this lime wonder in a glass – are enjoying this sweet blast from my past. It has been a long time since my last glass of this … Continue reading Drinking from the cup of nostalgia
“Not one of us!”
Some of you may have seen the post doing the rounds that suggests to be a true Australian means you celebrate the following six days: Christmas Day, Easter, Anzac Day, Australia Day, Fathers Day and Mothers Day. It’s a short list isn’t it? It’s intentionally exclusive. People who I have spoken with, who suggest lists … Continue reading “Not one of us!”
A song we can all sing!
We may prefer to skip the following list on our national day. It’s hard to read. It would be a lot easier to slap on a temporary Australian flag tattoo, throw a snag on the BBQ and shuffle the Best of Oz playlist. Personally, for a middle-aged white Australian, I find the following list sobering and … Continue reading A song we can all sing!
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!
A one way ticket to war!
It’s such a small item. So easily disposable. A tiny orange, fading paper rail ticket. Yet what a treasured possession! Why is it so special? Well, it’s stood the test of time. It’s 103 years old and it belonged to my great grandfather Harold Stanley Butler. The ticket made it all the way back from … Continue reading A one way ticket to war!
A new song to sing together!
Stan Grant has become one of our nation's leading and most respected voices. The award-winning journalist and proud Wiradjuri man speaking about Australia Day says that "we are still to find a song we can all sing". What a powerful metaphor to reflect on this long weekend. Surely with mature debate, compassion and courage we … Continue reading A new song to sing together!
Celebrating a special place!
I popped in this week to see it for one last time. I heard this special place was about to be demolished. It would be great to get one last photo sitting in the mighty Merewether Municipal Pavilion. But I was too late. The humble structure was no more, but the memories still run deep. … Continue reading Celebrating a special place!
Happy birthday Arlington Amos!
Happy birthday Arlington Amos Pilgrim! Beautiful boy, your Mum says that from the first moment she saw you she knew you looked like your Dad. Now sorry son, there is not a lot I can do about that! People tell me regularly you look like me, so let’s assume [particularly on your birthday] that they … Continue reading Happy birthday Arlington Amos!
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