Sweet, Caroline

THERE ARE CERTAIN Bible verses that get much more airplay (should that be prayerplay?) than others. Proverbs 22:6 is up there with them, especially for all…

When you’re halfway clear

AS I CLOSE in on half a century of working with words, you might think that I would have gotten some things down by now. But,…

Going walkies

AS SOMEONE WHO finds comfort in the routine, I have to keep reminding myself that there’s a fine line between a groove and a rut. That’s…

Tricksters of the trade

I MADE THE mistake recently of signing up for an online presentation by someone who promised to take my freelance writing career to a whole other…

Coming into focus

ONE OF THE great things about those retro, Polaroid-style instant cameras is experiencing the joy of the picture slowly emerging in front of you. People come…

Soft-soaping myself

SELF-AWARENESS IS a bit like a bar of soap in the shower. Just when you think you have a firm grasp on it, suddenly it has…

Scratching the to-do list

IT’S STILL EARLY enough in the year for many of us to yet be starting each day with a sense of determination and a clear set…

Hit the ground walking!

IT SEEMS TO me that many churches avoid the first and last pages of the Bible because they don’t want to get side-tracked into Crazyland. It’s…

Leaving Bethlehem

BY THE TIME you read this, some people’s Christmas will already be done and dusted. Presents opened, lunch served, tree packed away for next year. Not…

Welcome to Beachside ABBY!

AS A BRIT, I sometimes feel a bit disloyal about my lack of enthusiasm for Downton Abbey; personally, I think Upstairs Downstairs did that whole toffs…