‘There is something really special when you are in a crowd and they pick you out. That to me is the most special thing. Like, they might be upset, but they’ll come to you because you are Nana’.
Transitions
With many people now living longer, there is an ever-growing demand for aged care support. How do families negotiate the transition into aged care?
Job done: an Easter reflection
‘Some people find it hard to understand what is so good about ‘Good Friday’ with this ugly story of an innocent man dying on a cross – but it is this completed work of the Christ and his cross that make this a good day – good for us – that we would know peace with God.’
Hot and thirsty
Do you have a past you want to forget? Trying to ignore it by covering the pain with something else sometimes seems to be the only way, but the guilt and shame stick around.
When waters rise
‘Life doesn’t stop for anything even a natural disaster. You can become pretty naive to think that it won’t happen to you. And when it did actually happen, the devastation was beyond our comprehension at the time. And we’ve been dealing with that for the last two years.’
Good Grief
‘I’ve had a fair bit to do with grief in my life – enough to know that one size does not fit all. My grief, and how I grieve, is not the same as yours.’
Finding hope in your grief
‘My best friend was diagnosed with cancer. We heard on a Wednesday there’s nothing that can be done. He was dead by Friday. That was a bit of a smack in the head!’
Called to serve
Do you ever feel inspired to make a difference but feel too small and insignificant?
‘I sometimes find I get a bit overwhelmed when I start looking at how many different ways that we could be helping and serving.
Single but not Lonely
‘I call it the society blueprint. You finish school, you get a job, you get a partner, you buy a house, children, retire. So, if you don’t fit the blueprint, where do you fit in society?
A Ladder and a Torch
‘I got introduced to alcohol at 16 and I found this wonderful feeling of release. I could be somebody that I always wanted to be. It became my friend.’
