I come from a long line of story tellers and teachers and my grandmother was the greatest of them all. Through her example, I learned about the power of our story to shape identity, establish history and continue family legacy. Each time she shared a story with me I was reminded not just about where I came from, but how our family became who we are today. My story begins in South Africa. A nation …
This story contains references to suicide please use discernment if you believe this may be triggering for you. I sat on the cold bathroom floor with tears running down my face. It felt like I was falling down a dark tunnel that had no end. I needed there to be an end. I needed the end to be now. I opened a bottle of painkillers and started taking them two at a time, then three, …
Our story began in Norway, the land of the midnight sun. It was a chilly afternoon, the leaves on the trees were exploding with colour and we were about to meet our little girl for the very first time. She was almost here, where she belonged; in our embrace and in our hearts. My entire being was focused on the life that was about to surface, the little girl I had been waiting for longer …
The first 32 years of my life were not easy. Processing the loss of my birth family, the painful transition of international adoption, and the confronting reality of a life-threatening chronic illness all took its toll on my emotional and physical health. By the time I turned 32, I felt like I had finally found a better rhythm in life. My health was still very challenging as I juggled dialysis and the associated complications, but …
In September 2012, I was 35 years old and a busy mum to five kids. After an intense season of hands on parenting I was looking forward to having four of our five children at school the following year. I would finally have time for some long overdue coffee catch ups and a bit more thinking space. A new season of greater freedom lay ahead, or so I thought. It was during an extended family get together that same month, that my husband’s step mother commented on a lump on my neck. I hadn’t noticed …
