Battles

So often, I find myself asking why. Why is this all so hard? Why can’t it just be easy? Why won’t the stress stop? Why does he get to have that? Why don’t I? We can all become inclined to think that life is meant to be easy, that the most beautiful lives are those of the…

Small Things

What are your Small Things this week? I’ve had a tough one, but sometimes tough times can, rather mind-bogglingly, bring a fuller experience of the joys of day to day life, and that is what has happened to me this week. In days when the darkness is strong – and globally we’ve seen a lot…

Small Things/ My week so far…

My week started badly. I was in the wrong frame of mind on Monday morning, so negativity swept across my day like a hurricane. It’s destructive, letting yourself travel down the road of despondency. My New Year’s Resolutions – things like ‘see God’s goodness’, ‘keep hopeful’, ‘be thankful’ – seemed to be slipping away as I…

A few ideas for the Inevitable New Year Healthy Eating Stint…

Like many people, I will be trying to follow up the feasting of Christmas time with a healthier January. Here are some of my go-to healthier recipes that will hopefully keep me on the straight and narrow. (I’m not a nutrition expert – these are just the things that I’ll be doing, as a food…

2014

How would you describe 2014? For me, it was a year of two halves, one of change and growth. During the first 6 months, I finished my job in Buckinghamshire without really reducing the pace of life and work at all, had a lot of fun with friends and family with dog walks and trips to London and meals…

Small Things

After a week of festivities, there is no better time to share a Small Things post. Here are some of the things I’m thankful for this week… *Walks in the crisp air and bright blue sky, when the frost stayed on the ground all morning and crunched under our feet. *Spotting wildlife, like deer leaping…

Small Things

The last couple of weeks for me have held a few ups and downs. When people use that phrase they are usually thinking more of the ‘downs’ than the ‘ups’, and that is the case for me: self pity often seems to be nipping at my heels lately. It is in this frame of mind…

Finding Faith in Christmas 2

Recently I posted about the goodness of God – how knowing He is good can help us to rediscover the true joy of Christmas. But it can be hard to find faith in this: when we see those around us suffer, when we feel our prayers have not been answered, when we feel forgotten as we…

Finding Faith in Christmas: Small Things

In my previous post about Finding Faith in Christmas, I wrote about seeing and sharing God’s goodness. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe in the goodness of God, but being deliberately thankful can really open our eyes to it as we notice small blessings we might have missed if we weren’t looking. That’s what my Small Things…

Finding Faith in Christmas 1

I love this quote from Ann Voskamp (image downloadable from her website): It’s what I’m thinking about as December drifts in. Everyone’s getting ready now for the big day, aren’t they? Presents and food and outfits and parties… Amid the excitement, I’m feeling a little subdued if I’m honest. It’s not that I don’t enjoy…

An Uncomfortable Read

I have just finished a novel – a good book with a great story to tell, but one which I found a little uncomfortable to read. You see, there was so much in it that I identified with, so much that felt painfully close to my own heart. Perhaps that is what made it a…