More ordinary days

There are weeks when the whole world feels unsteady. This has been one of them. So much in the wider world feels fragile at the moment — economies shaking, nations on edge, lives overshadowed by conflict and the spillover of war. There is a heaviness in the air, a sense that everything is more uncertain…

The Speed of Change

There are seasons in life when almost nothing seems to change. Days follow one another so faithfully they begin to blur. Morning arrives, evening settles, and tomorrow looks much like today. Life moves along its tracks with a reassuring rhythm. Predictable. Familiar. Safe. In those seasons, change is so subtle it can almost go unnoticed….

Quiet Reflection

When I was younger, the days between Christmas and New Year felt almost sacred. A quiet pause in the calendar where I would reflect on what had been and carefully map out what was to come. Lists were written, intentions set, dreams neatly arranged as though life itself might follow my handwriting. I still return…

Forever in My Heart

On your day of independence, my beautiful Finland, my heart always returns to you. It returns with pride, but also with tenderness. Because freedom is never just a word when you know what it cost. It is never only celebration when so much was endured for it. Your independence was paid for in courage, in…

Raindrops Keep Falling

In Finland, we have a word for resilience — sisu. It means the kind of grit that carries you through when willpower alone isn’t enough. I like to think I have a fair bit of it, but yesterday morning, as I woke to the sound of rain tapping against the windows, I began to wonder….

Cancer Diagnosis

I’m the kind of person who remembers anniversaries — not only the joyful ones, but the ones that mark life’s deep turning points. I’ve always been this way. Certain days settle into my bones and refuse to be forgotten. They become quiet markers along the road — places where life changed direction. These moments help…

Christmas Wish

Sometimes life has a way of stopping us in our tracks, quietly urging us to reflect. It’s so easy to get swept up in the holiday buzz — the endless plans, the lists, the preparations. This year my Christmas tree is surrounded by a growing pile of gifts, a testament to my large and loving…

The Joy of Writing

In the quiet spaces between breaths, in the soft stillness of the soul, there exists a flame that flickers and dances — a passion ignited by the simple stroke of a pen upon paper, or the gentle tap of keys beneath waiting fingertips. It is not loud. It does not demand attention. But it burns…

My Pink Ribbon Day

After weeks of helping care for my elderly parents, I have been carrying a kind of tiredness that sinks right down into your bones. And yet, this morning, in the very early hours, I found myself wide awake. Melbourne was putting on quite a show outside, with lightning flashing across the sky as a fast-moving…

True Beauty

During my visit to the hospital to see my mum today, I shared the elevator with an elderly couple. They got off one floor before me, and as I watched the gentleman gently take the lady’s hand and lead her out of the lift, my whole world seemed to pause for a moment. I found…