Being fully present is the closest we can come to holding on to what cannot last. I rose before the sun this morning and slipped out the door while the world was still half asleep. The birds were already awake, singing their bright hopeful songs into the dawn, sounding far more cheerful than I felt…
Tag: reflection
A Few Words
The true value of our words is revealed by how faithfully we stand behind them. 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…
Life Defining Moments
We are not promised tomorrow, but while we are still here, every ordinary day is sacred, those we love are worth holding close, and every unfinished page is a gift from God. There are some moments in life that do not simply live in our memory. They mark us. They sear themselves into us so…
Dandelion Puffballs
Sometimes life does not need to change for our hearts to feel lighter; we simply need to look at it with different eyes. 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…
His Eye is on the Sparrow
God often uses the smallest, most ordinary things to remind tired hearts that His care has never left them. 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…
Afternoon Tea
We are each a bridge between the generations that came before us and those that come after us. 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,…
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
Perhaps the wisdom of growing older is realising that the hands we feared were empty have been holding more than we knew. 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…
Wait a Minute
Sometimes the smallest rituals provide the steadiness that difficult days cannot. 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…
Wood-smoke and Cinnamon
Life is fleeting, and that is all the more reason to notice, cherish and be grateful for its beauty while it is here. 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….
