The tension had been building for months. At first, I thought that it was a hormonal surge, then teenage angst; the inevitable rebellion of a 17-year-old against anything that resembled authority. But, as the moodiness escalated and the arguments intensified, it became clear that something more was going on. Our eldest child was alternately sad and withdrawn or angry and aggres....
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 f....
From the outside, we looked like a typical family. My parents still live in the house I grew up in. It’s a typical Australian house on an average suburban street. The early years of my childhood were spent playing in our neighbourhood with friends and my brother and two sisters. Church was a very big part of my family’s life. My parents were both involved in leadership an....
I was eight when my mum got sick. Watching her battle stomach cancer was devastating. It was the 1970’s and her cancer treatment was harsh, aggressive and ultimately unsuccessful. I was only 11 years old when she died. Six weeks later I started high school. It makes me sad that I have very few memories of my mum other than her illness. When she died I felt like a part of me d....
I attended my first church service within a week of being born. I was a later-in-life addition to the family. My older siblings were 9 and 11 years of age when I was born, so I spent most of my early years tagging along with either my brother or sister and their friends. They and my parents were heavily involved in our local Baptist church, a commitment that went well beyond Su....
