If I were asked to name one thing that lies at the heart of Finnish people, I think I would say this: Finns place great value on words. That is something I have carried with me all my life, perhaps without even realising it fully when I was younger. There is something in Finnish nature…
Tag: reflection
Life Defining Moments
There are some moments in life that do not simply live in our memory. They mark us. They sear themselves into us so deeply that no amount of time can soften their edges. Years may pass, whole seasons of life may come and go, and still those moments remain startlingly near, as if they happened…
Dandelion Puffballs
Have you ever gone for a walk with a small child and held their little hand in yours as they skip along beside you? Their fingers curl trustingly around your own, while their happy chatter rises and falls like birdsong — one thought tumbling into another, one question giving way to the next, their mind…
His Eye is on the Sparrow
During winter this year, Peter and I wandered into a little corner café in the middle of the city. I took the table by the window while he went to order, and for a few quiet moments I sat alone, watching Melbourne through the glass. Outside, the last of the autumn leaves were still clinging…
Afternoon Tea
I recently had my grandson stay for a couple of nights during the school holidays, and as always, the house seemed changed by his presence. It felt fuller somehow — livelier, warmer, threaded through with movement, laughter, questions, and that particular energy young people carry with them so naturally. And then, almost as soon as…
Karelian Weddings
My son is getting married the day after tomorrow. Our family is living in that tender space just before a wedding, where joy, excitement and nervous butterflies all seem to breathe side by side. There is laughter, last-minute preparations, quiet emotion, and that sense that something beautiful is almost here. And what a joy it…
Bedtime Story
When I was a little girl, about six years old, living in Helsinki, one of my mother’s dearest friends came to our home for supper. Her name was Eila. She lived nearby and had known our family since before I was born. She belonged to that rare kind of friendship that seems to outlast the…
Wait a Minute
There is something in me that longs to find joy in every single day. I know, of course, that some days make that easier than others. Some arrive carrying lightness, offering up small gifts almost without asking. Others feel heavy from the moment we open our eyes. They ask us to endure more than we…
Wood-smoke and Cinnamon
Finland is beautiful in every season, but autumn has always felt the most personal to me. There is something about it that reaches past the eyes and settles deep in the heart. Summer does not simply end there. It seems to gather all its remaining beauty and leave in one final, breathtaking blaze. The forests…
The Royal Symphony
Some memories do not fade with time. Instead, they settle more deeply within us, waiting quietly until life gives them new meaning. One such memory for me is an evening at the Sydney Opera House, where Peter and I had the privilege of listening to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra perform Pictures at an Exhibition under…
Apples of Gold 