We often understand the depth of a gift long after the moment when we could have thanked the giver. I’ve heard it said that the soul of a country lives in its music. Yesterday, as I looked through old photographs, lost in thought, while Peter played Finnish folk songs at the piano, I felt how…
Tag: belonging
More Myself
Perhaps growing older is not so much about becoming someone different, but about rediscovering who we have always been. I used to think growing older meant moving further away from the girl I once was, but in many ways it has brought me back to her. Getting older has not made me less myself, but…
He is Risen!
Sometimes we arrive at a moment believing we know how the story ends, only to discover that God has written something we never imagined. There is an ancient and joyous Paschal greeting that has echoed across generations of Christians, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and proclaiming hope, new life, and the victory of life…
The Stories We Keep
The stories we hear again and again often become the ones we carry long after the storyteller has fallen silent. There is something about the smell of cardamom and cinnamon in the kitchen, and the feel of flour on the bench, that seems to loosen old stories and bring them back to the surface. When…
My Treasure Chest
Watching a child grow up is a gift. Being invited to continue knowing them as adults is another. When I look back, it isn’t the big moments that rise first. It’s the small hands. The weight of a child asleep against my chest. The way time softens when you are watching someone you love grow….
Stay, I Pray You
Perhaps one of the most meaningful gifts of being loved is discovering that someone who never shared our experiences has come to understand just how deeply they shaped us. Last night I went to the theatre to see a live production of Anastasia, and from the moment it began, I felt myself being drawn into…
A Bird with Two Homes
Even after deep loss, life can still make room for something new. Some journeys are so vast they seem almost impossible, and yet they happen quietly, without fanfare, written into the lives of those who simply keep moving between one world and another. That was what came to mind when I read about the small…
Storyteller
Our lives hold more than any record of them could ever contain. My phone flashes the warning again: Storage almost full. Again. I take a lot of photos. Not for an audience. Not to curate a flawless life. I take them to gather crumbs, breadcrumbs scattered through the forest of my days. Each image a…
Miss You Most
Sometimes what we miss about a place is the way we felt within ourselves when we were there. When the lilacs begin to bloom and the forest floor turns into a sea of white lily of the valley, that is when I miss you most of all. The air grows heavy with perfume, drifting through…
The Strength of a Bridge
What once felt like being caught between two worlds can become the ability to bring them closer. Some days, I carry Finland without noticing its weight. Other days, a familiar melody, a few Finnish words or a photograph of birch trees brings it so close that, for a moment, I almost forget how far away…
