Choosing thankfulness can be so tiring some days, can’t it? Where hope and hurt collide, it can be so tricky to remember to frame our lives in gratitude. And yet, when things are complicated, when uncertainty reigns, when struggles feel like they’re never ending… that’s when thankfulness is actually the Read more…
How does joy work when you feel anything but joy-filled? When it collides with grief and pain, trauma and hurt? What then? Perhaps you know Chris Tomlin’s adaptation of the well-known Christmas carol, ‘Joy to the World.’ The chorus goes something like this: “Joy, unspeakable joyrises in my soul…” So Read more…
Sometimes, it just hurts. Christmas, I mean. The build up; the everything. I’ve been there. If that’s you this year? Let me take a moment to let you know that I see you. You are not overlooked. Couples with empty arms, watching the world celebrate new life and birth with Read more…
Just like that, Advent starts today, here in New Zealand. For us it’s on the back of a challenging few months, of a challenging few years, and to top it off we’re currently recovering from the very illness that we’ve spent our last three years avoiding. But December is here, Read more…
Seventeen years ago this month we lost a dear soul at the tender age of seventeen. His battle against the odds was one that he won, just not in a way any of us could ever have anticipated. His headstone reads, “Let my shadows prove the sunshine.”And oh, how they Read more…
Just enough light for the step you’re on. Sometimes that’s how it feels, isn’t it? Whether that phrase conjures up the image of a rickety staircase, a towering mountain, a vast plain or a long winding road, the reality is that there are seasons that find you stepping between shadows. Read more…
The pounding of a mallet and the smashing of tiles has been our soundtrack these past few days. There’s a finality to the sound of the clattering crash when another tile finally comes free. Beneath the surface is the messy evidence of where it once was. And, until the new Read more…
Being present is one of the best presents you can give – not only to those who are near and dear to you, but to yourself. Taking time to savour life in all its fullness of beauty and emotion. Yesterday, I shared this to my Choosing Thankfulness Facebook page. And Read more…
Knowing who said this makes the quote itself that much more meaningful, don’t you think?I find myself in awe of her attitude.And challenged by her example. Praying for you: may hope shine through for you today. And may your “happy” spill over onto to others. Or if that just seems Read more…
As the new year sneaks in past the disappointments of the old, there’s a genuine sense of relief in the air.Have you felt it, too? Maybe, we’ve learned better how to value the little things in life,so the year to come will be one filled with moments worth celebrating. Maybe, Read more…