• Image of old spreading oak tree
    Longer & deeper

    Spiritual genealogies

    Recently, I discovered a little book of prayers during an internet search. I was so intrigued I had to buy one and I’ve been absorbed in it ever since it arrived in the post. Forms of prayer, for the use of…

  • Closeup image of baby holding Great Grandma's fingers
    Lightbulb moments

    Fingerprints

    As I wiped fingerprints from the kitchen cupboard doors, I got to thinking about why they bother me. Why do I feel the need to remove them at all? I don’t always notice them. In the rush of food preparation and…

  • Image of road through flat dry landscape
    Lightbulb moments

    Am I missing something?

    Last month my daughter and I drove over 3,000 kilometres from Sydney to Adelaide and back, to attend a family celebration. We could have travelled by plane—again—and it would have taken less than two hours each way in the air. And…

  • Image of church congregation after the service
    Lightbulb moments

    Quietly, one Sunday

    It was after church one Sunday when she slipped quietly into the seat behind me. I sensed that she needed to speak and to be heard, so I excused myself from conversation with others around me. She began with an apology…

  • Little girl in forest with lantern, book and owl
    Riffs, doodles & odes

    Truth or fiction?

    As a child I loved to lose myself in the imaginary worlds created by my favourite authors of children’s fiction. I didn’t need to travel anywhere. Just by picking up a book and reading, turning the pages one by one, I…

  • Traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge
    Lightbulb moments

    Running on empty

    The other day I drove to a friend’s house. She lives some distance from me and since it was a brisk shining day and I wasn’t running late, I chose to enjoy the warm light. With the added drama of capricious…

  • Black Bible cover with gold words 'The Holy'
    Longer & deeper

    Of capitals, books and gods

    Occasionally I get paid to be a pedant. That’s pedant—not pendant. It means I get paid to notice small errors and inconsistencies in language usage that others don’t notice or aren’t bothered by. It’s a useful habit for an editor, but…