Heartstrings

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…

Through Every Season

I have often heard it said that the year before a major milestone becomes a reflective one. A year of looking backwards as much as forwards. Of taking stock. Of remembering who you were, who you became, and all the versions of yourself that existed in between. It has certainly been that kind of year…

Hidden Nests

When I walk my neighbourhood in midwinter, I notice how the season has stripped so many of the trees bare. The leaves are gone now, and because of that, I can see what had been hidden all along — abandoned bird nests sitting quietly in the branches. There is something quite moving about them. Little…

To my grandson

We do not always have to know what to say or do to comfort someone; sometimes our presence offers more than we realise. You made me a nanna —from the very first moment your dad placed you gently in my arms,just a minute old, soft and new,you stole my heart completely.And you’ve held it ever…

All I Wanted

A dream can come true and still keep changing shape throughout our lives. When I was a little girl and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I never hesitated. I didn’t dream of empires or impressive careers. I simply said, “a mum.” That was all I ever wanted. Not…

Everyday Joys

What we look forward to, experience and remember can each bring their own kind of joy. What makes me smile? It’s not only the grand occasions. It’s the small things, the fleeting, almost hidden moments that could so easily be missed in the rush of daily life. Simple things. Quiet things. Yet rich with warmth….

My Son’s Wedding

A mother’s heart somehow holds both, the grown child standing before them and the little child remembered so clearly. My grandma taught me the love of proverbs, quotes, and sayings and used them often in her everyday speech. She would come up with all sorts, from funny to the serious, but every one of them…