Posts Tagged ‘Mum’
The Oxygen Of Solidarity
I hadn’t planned on posting something by myself today. I did have another guest post lined up – which you’ll now see next Monday. You see, this morning something happened which changed my plans. An experience, a story, I knew I had to share with you today.
As I write, it’s 7.26am on a cold Monday morning, three days before Christmas. I can hear the rustling of the wind outside, the quiet hollows of a force so much more powerful. But this force of nature feels as nothing right now, against the power of the many noiseless but resounding voices of support I’m feeling through social media.
The oxygen of solidarity. Shining a glimmer of hope.
And I understand in an instant the power of two of the most powerful words in the universe:
“Me Too.”
Read MoreThe Courage Of Authentic Writing
The flashing line. He sits there, in front of me. Every time I stop typing, he’s there. Waiting for me to type another letter. This flash only stops when I give in to the demand for words. And only by turning off my computer, and indeed my phone and tablet, can I avoid it completely.
But sometimes we just sit. We wait. With a white screen in front of us, and just a line.
Flashing. Waiting. Teasing and taunting us.
Many of us don’t write because we think we have nothing to say. Or we think what we do have to say doesn’t matter, or won’t be good enough, or people will think is ridiculous.
But other times, in fact, more than we’d care to admit, we don’t write because we’re scared.
In fact, we’re terrified.
Read MoreLife Can Kill Us…But Sometimes We Must Laugh
Last year I was on holiday in Malta with two friends. We were on the bus home from one of our days out. It was an open top bus, and lovely weather, so we sat on top at the front.
Now, two days before, I’d got out the bus on another trip, and tripped over the curb, landing flat on my face. So we were, in light of this, having a chat about my clumsiness.
I was trying to argue this event was a one off, and I wasn’t clumsy. My friends insisted I was. It was all in jest of course, but nevertheless I was adamant I wasn’t clumsy. I was moving to the edge of my chair, making my point strongly and articulately. I was right in the middle of making my argument, when the bus ran over a huge bump in the road.
I fell forward, straight onto the floor of the bus, head into the lap of my friend.
And we all started laughing. Me possibly hardest of all.
Because if you can’t laugh, then you’ll never be able to deal with life. If you take life seriously all the time, you’ll be crushed.
Read MoreEncouragement & A Life In Writing – an interview by Troy McLaughlin (FREE MP3 download)
Hi everyone. This week is my ‘week of encouragement’, and I’ve been sharing some great resources with you to help you encourage others, tell a great story and maximise the power of words in your life. On Monday I talked about how words have the power to shape the world. I talked about my free…
Read MoreThe Secret Of The Purpose Driven Shack (or Why Words Shape The World)
“Words have more power than atom bombs” – Pearl Strachan Words are powerful. They have the power to build empires, and to destroy lives. They have the power to shape the direction of our lives. Just think on the words which move you most: “I love you” “You’re beautiful” “You aren’t alone” or conversely, cause…
Read MoreWhy my Mum is a Spiritual Hero & Patron Saint
I’ve written about my late Mum here before. She has an amazing story to tell. But today it’s National Woman’s Day and this coming Sunday it’s Mothers Day – so today I want to tell you why my Mum is one of my heroes – as a woman and as a Christian. Was she a…
Read MoreWhat Story are You Telling?
Source: pinwords.com via James on Pinterest I recently noticed something about my life. Most of the stories I’m telling, all the big, significant moments in my life that impacted me the most. They’re in the past. They aren’t in the present. Bullying at school. Growing up in a broken home. My Mum’s death. Even, to…
Read MoreSocial Media: Digital Extending the Physical
Last time we discussed how the profile we present in the digital space can be merely a representation of the social self we display in the physical realm. This leads into a bigger, wider question though. Are all the interactions and spaces in the digital realm merely an extension of what happens in the physical…
Read MoreMum’s story: Let not the children suffer
Today is Mother’s Day, and we come to the conclusion of my series about my Mother’s story. When she was first ill, she met with a therapist, and during that time wrote a lot of poetry in order to process what she was going through. In many ways today is the end of one series…
Read MoreMum’s story: Finding peace..and a diary
After my Mum (pictured left with a younger me) passed away, we found her diary. Her diary was, in effect, her short term memory. Every year we would give her a diary or filofax refills at Christmas in order that she would have a diary to write things down. I looked through her diary, and…
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