It’s what you are afraid of

Man reading news paper

Against a backdrop of angst and trauma, a pervading sense of powerlessness takes hold. The good, noble and free is being systematically muscled out by evil, hate and discord. The world is, or so it seems, a frightening place. The increase in depression and psychiatric conditions over recent years would…

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Is identity more than a name?

Couple holding hands

“Everybody calls her by her name, even those who don’t know how to say it. I prefer to call her ‘my wife.’ Because nobody else can. The marriage relationship is supposed to be set apart. Different from every other relationship, even the relationship with our kids. So, when I say…

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Why you need connection

Do you ever have that feeling that you’re not getting through to someone? No matter how you deliver it, your words just don’t make an impact? I am part of a writers group that meets on a weekly basis to talk about our work. We talk about our progress and…

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You think that I’m strong. You’re wrong.

How do you put into words the mental strain of dealing with serious illness and devastating crises? The unknowns can be paralysing; the effect on your life, the consequences for those you love. Where will it all end? Will it end? Sitting in hospital, watching the same four walls day…

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Too stressed to care?

It had seemed a long way off, but suddenly it was here; my next round of surgery would be in about 24 hours. I was becoming increasingly anxious as the day progressed. Just before 5pm the phone rang; the hospital admissions clerk informed me that they could not guarantee me…

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Killing me softly with his words

Image of pocket knife

Your words have incredible power; power to harm but, thankfully, to bring healing too. It was not the first time; her eyes showed the pain. His jokes, a razor-sharp knife, plunged deep into her soul. That moment, I saw it; nervous laughter, her life gone, she had died. I shifted…

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