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: longing
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…
In the Stillness
Sometimes the traditions we cherish most become even more meaningful in the harder years. There are nights when exhaustion settles into my bones, yet sleep refuses to come. And it always seems to happen at the most inconvenient times, like now, when Christmas is just around the corner. A season that sparkles once a year,…
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…
Breathing Again
Sometimes we come alive when the world expects us to slow down. Autumn is my spring. While others come alive with the first blossoms and the lengthening days of spring, I stir awake with the falling leaves, with the crisp bite in the air and the golden hush that settles gently across the world. It’s…
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…
The Great Unknown
Life is fragile, but God’s love remains steadfast through every unknown road. Some years ago, while getting ready for what seemed like just another ordinary day, a breakfast television interview caught my attention. Lisa Marie Presley was speaking about music, her struggle with addiction, and the memories she carried of her father, Elvis Presley. Because…
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…
Escape
Sometimes the best way to keep going is to stop for a while. The tougher life becomes, the more I find myself daydreaming of escape. The dictionary tells me that escape means “to get free from something”, and there are days when that definition feels almost painfully simple. If only getting free were as easy…
