I’m so delighted to introduce Jackie to you all. She is the original Aunty of The Aunties, and a stellar human being. Here she tells a bit of her story and how one question can be the start of new life, for both the giver and the receiver. Three years ago, I rang someone from […]
A couple of months ago, Mark Pierson (pastor, worship curator, writer, and generally lovely person) wrote this travel reflection on Facebook. I’m sharing it with his permission because it starts with everyday nuisances and ends with profound insights. Read till the end if you are interested in work/not-work balance, the state of the Christian Church, […]
Oh, the shame! I love the days when my 2.5 year old son gets mistaken for a girl (Yus! No arbitrary gendered fashion advice for us, thanks!), when he plays with a tea-set, or when he says his favourite colour is pink (just the once, and I’ve seen no actual evidence of this, but it’s […]
This is a reworking of an earlier post that was part of the Generous Lent series, just to make it more widely applicable. Feel free to share it around if you think it’s helpful. A good listener is never short of friends. Some people are naturals at this popular skill, and you might be lucky […]
Since Kent showed me Sesame Street Unpaved, and I learned the thought that went into creating and writing for Sesame Street, I’ve been an even bigger fan of a favourite childhood show. Did you know that the main muppets are each there to represent a specific developmental age and stage, and their scripts are written […]
Are you ‘courting’? ‘Going steady,’ as they said on Happy Days? Or my favourite early-twentieth-century ‘walking out together’? Yay! Enjoy it! What a very pleasant time of life, whatever you call it. The best piece of advice I have for you – just on the off-chance that you are in the market for some, and […]
Add this to your list of empathetic things it might be appropriate to say to someone in pain (though we’re usually better to say very little, and just listen well and offer a hug): it hurts because it matters. This is from author John Green (he co-wrote the charming and brilliant Will Grayson, Will Grayson, […]
This handy rule for when to complain and to whom has buzzed around my Facebook feed this week, with lots of passionate commendations: When Susan had breast cancer, we heard a lot of lame remarks, but our favorite came from one of Susan’s colleagues. She wanted, she needed, to visit Susan after the surgery, but […]
Is ‘bossy’ a sexist term? When did you last hear a boy or man get called ‘bossy’? Thomas (father of a wonderful little girl) put me onto this article by Kathleen Deveny which argues that: We ask girls to walk a fine line between being strong and being likable. It’s a line we typically allow […]
A good listener is never short of friends. Some people are naturals at this popular skill, and you might be lucky enough to know one or two. Plenty of us have to learn the skill of being a good listener, though the kind intention does go a long way, too. The headline ‘act’ for the Do […]