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 I bake with my granddaughter, I notice that I begin telling her the same stories again. Often with the same…
Tag: identity
Stay, I Pray You
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 it completely. The costumes were exquisite, the music beautiful, the whole production tender and deeply moving. It was one of those rare performances where everything seemed to work together…
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…
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…
Roots & Wings
We are shaped not only by where we come from, but by the journey that follows. For those of us Finns who live overseas, identity is something tender. It is more than where we were born or where we live now. It lives quietly within us, in our language, our memories, and in that ache…
Let me Tell you a Story
The past can become a source of courage when we understand the lives behind it. In the midst of this busy and noisy modern world, storytelling feels to me like a quiet place of rest. It is more than a way of remembering. It is a way of holding close the people, places, and moments…
I Still Call Australia Home
To belong to two cultures is not to be divided, but to become a bridge between them. Once again, it came over me with full force, like a bolt out of the blue. At the moment, we have Peter’s Finnish relatives staying with us on their very first visit to Australia. It has been such…
Homesickness
We do not have to fix every ache of the heart; sometimes we only need to give it space. I was struck by a feeling of homesickness this afternoon. Most of the time, I move through my life without feeling it too sharply, but every now and then it comes over me with such force…
Rustic Wisdom
A life between two countries is rich and beautiful, but that richness often carries a quiet grief. During our last visit to Finland, I had the privilege of staying in my late mother-in-law’s childhood home, in a small village in the Finnish countryside. These days, that ancestral homestead belongs to one of the cousins, Hannu….
Keep Calm
We can acknowledge our fear without allowing it to silence our passion. Have you ever carried a fear so private, so difficult to name, that even whispering it to yourself feels dangerous? The kind of fear that seems to gather strength the moment it is acknowledged, as though giving it words might somehow invite it…
